1 And after this it came to be that the children of Mo’aḇ and the children of Ammon came in, and with them some of the peoples, against Yahoshaphat to battle.
2 And they came and spoke to Yahoshaphat, saying, “A great army is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram. And see, they are in Ḥatsatson Tamar,” which is Ĕyn Geḏi.
3 And Yahoshaphat was afraid, and turned his face to seek 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Yahuḏah.
4 And Yahuḏah gathered to inquire of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, even from all the cities of Yahuḏah they came to seek 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
5 And Yahoshaphat stood in the assembly of Yahuḏah and Yerushalayim, in the House of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, in front of the new courtyard,
6 and said, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of our fathers, are You not Elohim in the shamayim, and do You not rule over all the reigns of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to stand against You?
7 “Are You not our Elohim? You have driven out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Yisra’ĕl, and gave it to the seed of Aḇraham whom you love forever.
8 “And they dwell in it, and have built You a Miqdash in it for Your Name, saying,
9 ‘If evil comes upon us, such as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or scarcity of food, we shall stand before this House and in Your presence – for Your Name is in this House – and cry out to You in our distress, and You do hear and save.’
10 “And now, see, the children of Ammon and Mo’aḇ, and Mount Sĕ’ir, whom You would not let Yisra’ĕl invade when they came out of the land of Mitsrayim, for they turned from them and did not destroy them,
11 and see, they are repaying us by coming in to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 “O our Elohim, would You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great army that is coming against us. And we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 And all Yahuḏah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
14 And the Ruaḥ of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came upon Yaḥazi’ĕl son of Zeḵaryahu, son of Benayah, son of Ye’i’ĕl, son of Mattanyah, a Lĕwite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly,
15 and he said, “Listen, all Yahuḏah, and you inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and Sovereign Yahoshaphat! Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to you, ‘Do not fear, nor be afraid of the face of this great army, for the battle is not yours, but Elohim’s.
16 ‘Go down against them tomorrow. See, they are coming up by the ascent of Tsits, and you shall find them at the end of the wadi before the Wilderness of Yeru’ĕl.
17 ‘It is not for you to fight in this. Position yourselves, stand still and see the deliverance of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 with you, O Yahuḏah and Yerushalayim!’ Do not be afraid nor fear, go out against them tomorrow, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is with you.”
18 And Yahoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Yahuḏah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fell down before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, to bow themselves before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
19 And the Lĕwites, of the children of the Qehathites and of the children of the Qorḥites stood up to praise 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of Yisra’ĕl with an exceedingly loud voice.
20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Teqowa. And as they went out, Yahoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Yahuḏah and you inhabitants of Yerushalayim: Trust in 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim and be steadfast, trust His neḇi’im and prosper.”
21 And after consulting with the people, he appointed those who should sing to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and who should praise the splendour of qodeshah, as they went out before the army and were saying, “Give thanks to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, for His kindness is everlasting.”
22 And when they began singing and praising, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 laid ambushes against the children of Ammon, Mo’aḇ, and Mount Sĕ’ir, who had come against Yahuḏah, and they were smitten.
23 Then the children of Ammon and Mo’aḇ stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Sĕ’ir to destroy and annihilate them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Sĕ’ir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 And when Yahuḏah came at the lookout in the wilderness, they looked toward the army and saw their dead bodies, lying on the ground, and none had escaped.
25 And Yahoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, and they found among them a great amount of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could take away. And they were three days plundering the spoil, for it was much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beraḵah, for there they baraḵ 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. Therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Beraḵah to this day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Yahuḏah and Yerushalayim, with Yahoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Yerushalayim with joy, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had made them rejoice over their enemies.
28 And they came to Yerushalayim, with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the House of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
29 And the fear of Elohim was on all the reigns of the lands when they heard that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had fought against the enemies of Yisra’ĕl.
30 Then the reign of Yahoshaphat was at peace, for his Elohim gave him rest on all sides.
31 Thus Yahoshaphat reigned over Yahuḏah – thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Azuḇah the daughter of Shilḥi.
32 And he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
33 Only, the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts for the Elohim of their fathers.
34 And the rest of the acts of Yahoshaphat, the first and the last see, they are written in the book of Yahu son of Ḥanani, which is mentioned in the book of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl.
35 And after this Yahoshaphat sovereign of Yahuḏah joined himself with Aḥazyahu sovereign of Yisra’ĕl. He did wickedness in doing so.
36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Etsyon Geḇer.
37 Then Eli’ezer son of Doḏawahu of Marĕshah naḇu against Yahoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Aḥazyahu, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 shall break up your work.” And the ships were wrecked, so that they were unable to go to Tarshish.