1It came to pass after this also, that the Bnei Moav, and the Bnei Ammon, and with them some Ammonim, came against Yehoshaphat to make milchamah.

2Then there came some that told Yehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the Yam (Dead Sea), from Aram; and, hinei, they are in Chatzetzon-Tamar, which is Ein-Gedi.

3And Yehoshaphat feared, and set his face to inquire of Hashem, and proclaimed a tzom throughout all Yehudah.

4And Yehudah gathered themselves together, to ask help of Hashem, even from all the towns of Yehudah they came to seek help of Hashem.

5And Yehoshaphat stood in the Kehal Yehudah and Yerushalayim, in the Beis Hashem, before the khatzer hachadashah,

6And he said, Hashem Elohei Avoteinu, art not Thou Elohim in Shomayim? And moshel (rulest) not Thou over kol mamlechot haGoyim? And in Thine yad is there not ko'ach and gevurah, so that none is able to withstand thee?

7Art not Thou Eloheinu, Who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Yisroel, and gavest it to the Zera Avraham ohav'cha l'olam (Thy friend forever)?

8And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a Mikdash therein for Thy Shem, saying,

9If, when ra'ah cometh upon us, as the cherev, shefot, or dever, or ra'av (famine), we stand before HaBeis HaZeh, and in Thy presence, (for Thy Shem is in HaBeis HaZeh,) and cry unto Thee in tzarateinu (our affliction), then Thou wilt hear and save.

10And now, hinei, the Bnei Ammon and Moav and Mt Se'ir, whom Thou wouldest not let Yisroel invade, when they came out of Eretz Mitzrayim, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not,

11Hinei, what gomelim (ones repaying) they are to us, to come to drive us out of Thy yerushah (inheritance), which Thou hast given us.

12O Eloheinu, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no ko'ach against this great multitude that cometh against us; neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.

13And all Yehudah stood before Hashem, with their little ones, their nashim, and their banim.

14Then upon Yachaziel ben Zecharyahu ben Benayah ben Ye'iel ben Matanyah, a Levi of the Bnei Asaph, came the Ruach Hashem in the midst of the Kahal,

15And he said, Pay heed ye, all Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and thou Melech Yehoshaphat. Thus saith Hashem unto you: Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the milchamah is not yours, but that of Elohim.

16Makhar (tomorrow) go ye down against them; hinei, they come up by the Ascent of Tzitz; and ye shall find them at the end of the wadi, before the midbar of Yeruel.

17Ye shall not need to fight in this; take up your battle positions, stand ye firm, and see the Yeshu'at Hashem with you, O Yehudah and Yerushalayim. Fear not, nor be dismayed; makhar (tomorrow) go out against them, for Hashem will be with you.

18And Yehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fell down before Hashem, worshiping Hashem.

19And the Levi'im, of the Bnei HaKehatim, and of the Bnei HaKorchim, stood up to praise Hashem Elohei Yisroel with an exceeding kol gadol.

20And they rose early in the boker, and went forth into the Midbar Tekoa; and as they went forth, Yehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim. Ha'aminu BaHashem Eloheichem (Believe in Hashem Eloheichem), so shall ye be established; have faith in His Nevi'im, so shall ye be victorious.

21And when he had consulted with HaAm, he appointed meshorarim (singers) unto Hashem, and that should praise the hadrat kodesh, as they went out before the army, and to say, Hodu L'Adonoi ki l'olam chasdo (Give thanks to Hashem, for His mercy endureth forever).

22And when they began with rinnah and tehillah, Hashem set me'arevim (ambushers) against the Bnei Ammon, Moav, and Mt Se'ir, which were come against Yehudah, and they were struck down.

23For the Bnei Ammon and Moav stood up against the inhabitants of Mt Se'ir, utterly to slay and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Se'ir, every one helped to destroy another.

24And when Yehudah came toward the mitzpeh (guard tower) in the midbar, they looked toward the multitude, and, hinei, they were pegarim (corpses) fallen on the ground, and there was no escapee.

25And when Yehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder of them, they found among them in abundance both property with the pegarim, and articles of value, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away, and they were yamim shelosha in gathering of the plunder, it was so much.

26And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the Berakhah Valley, for there they blessed Hashem; therefore the shem of that place was called, the Berakhah Valley unto this day.

27Then they returned, kol ish Yehudah and Yerushalayim, and Yehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Yerushalayim with simcha; for Hashem had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28And they came to Yerushalayim with nevalim and kinnorot and khatzotzerot unto the Beis Hashem.

29And the Pachad Elohim was on all the kingdoms of those lands, when they had heard that Hashem fought against the oyevei Yisroel.

30So the Malchut Yehoshaphat was at peace, for Elohav gave him rest on every side.

31And Yehoshaphat reigned over Yehudah. He was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Azuvah bat Shilchi.

32And he walked in the derech Aviv Asa, and departed not from it, doing that which was yashar in the sight of Hashem.

33Howbeit the high places were not removed; for HaAm as yet had not set their hearts unto Elohei Avoteihem.

34Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, harishonim and ha'acharonim, hinei, they are written in the Annals of Yehu ben Chanani, who is recorded in the Sefer of the Melachim of Yisroel.

35And after this did Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah join himself in alliance with Achazyah Melech Yisroel, who did very wickedly;

36And he joined himself with him to make oniyot (ships) to go to Tarshish, and they made the oniyot in Etzyon-Gever.

37Then Eli'ezer ben Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Yehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself in alliance with Achazyahu, Hashem hath wrecked thy ma'asim. And the oniyot were wrecked, that they were not able to sail to Tarshish. ²⁰