Herren gav Juda sejr over Moab og Ammon
1Nogen tid senere gjorde tre folkeslag sig klar til at føre krig mod Juda. Det var moabitterne og ammonitterne, hjulpet af nogle af meunitterne.20,1 Meunitterne var et nomadefolk, der boede i Seirs bjerge i landet Edom. Jf. 26,7 og 1.Krøn. 4,41. 2Kong Joshafat fik at vide, at en mægtig hær havde samlet sig i Edom på den anden side af Det Døde Hav, og at den allerede var nået frem til Hatzetzon-Tamar. (Som nu kaldes En-Gedi.) 3Joshafat blev rystet over denne nyhed og besluttede at søge hjælp hos Herren. Derfor udråbte han en faste i hele Juda. 4Fra hele landet kom folk til Jerusalem for sammen med kongen at bede Herren om hjælp.
5Joshafat stod frem i den nye forgård i Herrens hus foran hele forsamlingen og bad denne bøn: 6„Herre, vores fædres Gud, du som regerer i Himlen og over alle jordens riger. Du har den højeste magt, og ingen kan besejre dig. 7Vi har hørt, hvordan du drev de andre folkeslag ud af dette land, dengang dit folk kom hertil. Vi ved, at du gav dette land til din ven Abrahams efterkommere for evigt. 8Her slog dit folk sig ned og byggede dette tempel for dig. 9Dengang sagde de: ‚Hvis der kommer en ulykke over os, hvad enten det er fjendehære, pest eller hungersnød, så vil vi komme til dette tempel, hvor du bor, og bede dig om hjælp, så du kan gribe ind og redde os.’
10Se nu! Vi bliver angrebet af en stor hær fra Ammon, Moab og Seirs bjerge. Det er de folkeslag, du ikke tillod vores forfædre at udrydde på vej op fra Egypten. Derfor gik de i en bue uden om dem og lod dem være. 11Se nu, hvad de gør til gengæld. De er kommet for at jage os ud af det land, du har givet os i eje. 12Åh, Gud, du må standse dem. Vi står magtesløse over for så mægtig en hær og ved ikke, hvad vi skal gøre, men vi stoler på din hjælp.”
13Alle Judas mænd stod foran Herrens tempel med deres koner og børn. 14Da kom Herrens Ånd over Jahaziel,20,14 Teksten tilføjer: „søn af Benaja, søn af Jeiel, søn af Mattanja.” en af levitterne fra Asafs slægt.
15„Lyt til mig, kong Joshafat og alle Judas og Jerusalems indbyggere,” råbte han. „Herren siger: Vær ikke bange! Lad jer ikke skræmme af denne mægtige hær, for det er ikke jeres kamp, men Guds! 16I morgen skal I rykke frem mod dem. De kommer ad vejen op til Zitz, og I vil kunne se dem for enden af dalen, der fører ud til Jeruels ørken. 17I skal ikke kæmpe mod dem, men blot tage opstilling og se på, at Herren giver sejr. Judas og Jerusalems indbyggere, vær ikke bange og tab ikke modet! I morgen skal I gå dem i møde—og Herren vil være med jer.”
18Ved disse ord faldt kong Joshafat på knæ med ansigtet mod jorden i tilbedelse, og Judas og Jerusalems indbyggere gjorde det samme. 19Derefter rejste levitterne af Kehats og Koras slægter sig og brød ud i en højlydt lovsang til Herren, Israels Gud.
20Tidligt næste morgen gjorde de klar til at drage ud i ørkenen i retning af Tekoa.20,20 Tekoa ligger knap 20 km syd for Jerusalem på vejen mod En-Gedi. Joshafat opmuntrede dem med følgende ord: „Lyt til mig, Judas og Jerusalems indbyggere! Stol på Herren jeres Gud, så skal det lykkes for jer! Stol på hans profeter, så vil det gå jer vel!”
21Efter at have rådført sig med folkets ledere besluttede Joshafat at lade sangerne gå foran soldaterne. De skulle lovprise Herren for hans hellighed og herlighed med ordene: „Lovet være Herren! Hans trofasthed varer til evig tid!”
22Under deres sang og lovprisning skabte Herren panik blandt fjendernes hære, så de begyndte at hugge hinanden ned. 23Først dræbte ammonitterne og moabitterne i fællesskab dem fra Seirs bjerge, hvorpå de begyndte at slå hinanden ihjel. 24Da judæerne nåede frem til udkigsposten oven for ørkenen, lå der døde kroppe så langt øjet rakte—ikke en eneste af fjenderne var undsluppet! 25Kong Joshafat og hans soldater gik ud for at samle byttet ind, og de fandt så meget i form af forsyninger, udstyr og kostbarheder, at det tog dem tre dage at samle det hele sammen. 26På den fjerde dag samledes de i dalen og lovpriste Herren for sejren. Derfor kaldes dalen den dag i dag for Berakadalen.20,26 Ordet betyder: „lovprisning” eller „velsignelse”.
27Derefter vendte judæerne med kong Joshafat i spidsen tilbage til Jerusalem—begejstrede over, at Herren havde givet dem sejr over deres fjender. 28Triumftoget gik gennem byen og nåede frem til templet akkompagneret af harper, lyrer og trompeter. 29Og da de omkringboende folk hørte, at Herren havde besejret Israels fjender, blev de grebet af frygt for Gud. 30Derefter var der ro i landet, for Gud gav Joshafat fred til alle sider.
Et sammendrag af Joshafats regeringstid
1.Kong. 22,41-50
31Joshafat var konge i Judas land. Han var 35 år, da han kom til magten, og han regerede i Jerusalem i 25 år. Hans mor hed Azuba og var datter af Shilhi. 32Han fulgte sin fars eksempel og adlød Herren, 33men det lykkedes ham ikke at udrydde offerstederne på højene rundt omkring i landet, ej heller at få folket til helhjertet at følge Herren, deres forfædres Gud.
34Hvad der ellers skete under hans regeringstid er beskrevet af profeten Jehu, søn af Hanani, og er optegnet i Israels kongers krønikebog.
35På et tidspunkt indgik kong Joshafat forbund med kong Ahazja af Israel, der var en ond konge. 36I fællesskab byggede de i Etzjon-Geber nogle store handelsskibe, der skulle sejle til Tarshish.20,36 Se noten til 1.Kong. 10,22. 37Men Eliezer fra Maresha, søn af Dodavahu, profeterede mod Joshafat: „Fordi du har allieret dig med kong Ahazja, vil Herren ødelægge det, du har bygget op!” Derfor forliste skibene og nåede aldrig frem til Tarshish.
1It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. 3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.20.3 himself: Heb. his face 4And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
5¶ And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 7Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?20.7 who: Heb. thou 8And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 10And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14¶ Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 15And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.20.16 cliff: Heb. ascent20.16 brook: or, valley 17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20¶ And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.20.21 that…: Heb. praisers
22¶ And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.20.22 And when…: Heb. And in the time that they, etc20.22 to sing…: Heb. in singing and praise20.22 they were…: or, they smote one another 23For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.20.23 to destroy: Heb. for the destruction 24And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.20.24 none…: Heb. there was not an escaping 25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
26¶ And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.20.26 Berachah: that is, blessing 27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.20.27 forefront: Heb. head 28And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. 29And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. 30So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
31¶ And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD. 33Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers. 34Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.20.34 book of Jehu: Heb. words, etc20.34 is mentioned: Heb. was made to ascend
35¶ And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 36And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
