2 Chronicles 20:5-17

20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem ¹  at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors, ²  you are the God who lives in heaven ³  and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 20:7 Our God, you drove out ⁴  the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession ⁵  to the descendants of your friend ⁶  Abraham. 20:8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple ⁷  to honor you, ⁸  saying, 20:9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, ⁹  judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. ¹⁰  We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will ¹¹  hear and deliver us.’ 20:10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! ¹²  When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. ¹³  They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 20:11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.” ¹⁴ 

20:13 All the men of Judah ¹⁵  were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 20:14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, ¹⁶  residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic ¹⁷  because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them as ¹⁸  they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. 20:17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, ¹⁹  O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ²⁰  Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”

[20:5]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:6]  ² tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).

[20:6]  ³ tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.

[20:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.

[20:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “permanently.”

[20:7]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.

[20:8]  ⁷ tn Or “sanctuary.”

[20:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).

[20:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “sword.”

[20:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.

[20:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “so that you may.”

[20:10]  ¹² tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”

[20:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”

[20:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”

[20:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.

[20:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.

[20:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”

[20:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “look.”

[20:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the deliverance of the Lord with you.”

[20:17]  ²⁰ tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”