Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History ment struc local 19 4And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem. And he went out again among Apthe people from Beersheba to the hill-country of Ephraim and brought them pointback to Jehovah, the God of their fathers. He also appointed judges in and inthe land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, tion of Consider what you do, for you are to render judgment not for man but for judges Jehovah, and he will be with you when you render judgment. Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you. Take heed in whatever you do, for with Jehovah our God there is no injustice or partiality or acceptance of bribes. V ment of preme lem 8Moreover in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests Estaband the heads of the families of Israel to render the judgment of Jehovah list and to decide controversies for the inhabitants" of Jerusalem. 9And he a sucharged them saying, Thus shall you do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully court of and with sincere purpose. 10And whenever any controversy comes to you at Je appeal from your kinsmen who dwell in other cities, between blood and blood, rusabetween law, commandment, statutes, and ordinances, you shall warn them that they be not guilty toward Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your kinsmen; this must you do, that you may not be guilty. 11And, behold, Amariah the chief priest shall be at your head in all matters of Jehovah, and. Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters. Also the Levites shall be at your disposal as scribes. Do your work courageously; Jehovah be with those who do what is right. § 109. Jehoshaphat's Alliance with Ahab against the Arameans, I Kgs. 224, 29-30, II Chr. 181-193 Chronicler's Version of I Kgs. 224. 29-36 alli ance Ahab II Chr. 18 1Now when Jehoshaphat had attained riches and honor in The abundance, he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. 2And after some years he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen with in abundance for him and for the people who were with him, and influenced him to go up with him to Ramoth in Gilead. 3And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth in Gilead? And he answered him, I am as you are and my people as your people; and we will go with you to the war. dis 28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ahab's Ramoth in Gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will go guise into the battle disguised, but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel and disguised himself, and they went into the battle. 30Now the king of Aram aphat's " II Chr. 198 So the Gk., which has evidently the original text. Heb., And they returned to Jerusalem. II Chr. 1910 I.e., to decide who is guilty and the extent of the guilt in a case of manslaughter. 109 At this point the histories of Judah and Israel touch very closely. Already in connection with the history of the northern kingdom the incident has been given in full in §§ 77, 78. Here simply the Chronicler's slightly variant version of the events which directly concerned Judah are reproduced in order to give a complete view of Jehoshaphat's reign. Jehosh peril Ahab's fatal wound Chronicler's Version of I Kgs. 224. 29-36 had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel. 31Therefore when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, It is the king of Israel, and turned about to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out and Jehovah helped him, in that God lured them from him. 32And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 And a certain man drew his bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the girdle and breastplate; then he cried to the driver of the chariot, Turn about, and carry me out of the army, for I am severely wounded. 34 And the battle increased that day, but the king of Israel held himself up in his chariot against the Arameans until evening; then about sunset he died. 19 'But Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned home to Jerusalem in 2And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said peace. nation to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked and love those who hate Jehovah? For this wrath has come upon you from Jehovah. 3Nevertheless some good things are found in you, in that you have put away the asherahs from the land and have set your heart on seeking God. Jehu's con dem of the alli ance Advance of the invading foes Jehoshaphat's prayer for deliverance § 110. Jehoshaphat's War against the Moabites, the Ammonites, and their Allies, II Chr. 201-30, cf. II Kgs. 34-27 Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History II Chr. 20 1Now after this the Moabites and the Ammonites and with them some of the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then some came and informed Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude is coming against you from the other side of the sea, from Edom; and they are already in Hazazontamar (that is En-gedi). 3Then Jehoshaphat feared and devoted himself to seeking Jehovah and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4And Judah gathered together to seek help of Jehovah, even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah. 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the temple of Jehovah, before the new court, and said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art thou not God of heaven? and art thou not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham thy friend forever? 8So they dwelt therein and built thee § 110 Again all the characteristics of the late Jewish midrash reappear. The literary style and the absence of any reference to Benjamin point to an older source rather than to the original work of the Chronicler. The same tradition may possibly be the basis both of the present story and of the Elisha narrative in II Kgs. 3. In the case of both the original has evidently been greatly transformed and embellished during the long process of oral transmission and ultimate adaptation to the final didactic purpose. For the tradition of Jehoshaphat's joint campaign with Jehoram against Moab, cf. § 88. 201 So Gk. The impossible Heb., Ammonites, arose from a transposition of two letters. In 10, 23 and I Chr. 44 they are designated as inhabitants of Mount Seir. * 202 As often elsewhere, a scribe has mistaken Edom for Aram. The sea is the Dead Sea. Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9' If evil comes upon us, the avenging sword, pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this temple and before thee (for thy name is in this temple) and cry to thee in our affliction and thou wilt hear and save.' 10And now, behold, the Ammonites and Moabites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel attack, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them without destroying thema-1'now see how they reward us, in that they come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us as an inheritance. 120 our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no strength against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are turned to thee! 13And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their children. 6 ziel's en aging 14Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son Jahaof Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of Jehovah in the midst of the assembly; 15and he said, Hearken, all courJudah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem and thou King Jehoshaphat: Thus messaith Jehovah to you, ' Fear not nor be dismayed before this great multitude; sage for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16To-morrow go down against them. See they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them at the end of the valley before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17In this battle it is not your part to fight; put yourselves in array, stand still, and see the deliverance which Jehovah will accomplish for you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Fear not, nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them, for Jehovah is with you.' 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah. 19Then the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.b mirac 20 And on the following day they rose early and went forth into the Wilder- The ness of Tekoa. And as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear ulous me, O Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Jehovah your God, victory so shall you live and be established. Believe his prophets, so shall you prosper. 21And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed singers to give praise to Jehovah in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks to Jehovah; for his kindness endureth forever. 22 And as soon as they began to sing and to sing praises, Jehovah sent secret enemies against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they destroyed themselves. 23 For the Ammonites and the Moabites set themselves against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to root out and completely destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, each helped to destroy the other. a 2010 Cf. Dt. 21-19. b 2019 Here the Chronicler apparently himself introduces the Levitical singers. In the original narrative the singers seem to be first introduced in 21. • 2022 Heb., Liers-in-wait. The representation of the story leaves little doubt that angelic messengers are intended and that they stirred up the different hostile nations against each other. The great spoil Joy and pres tige of the peo Judah Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History 24 And when Judah came to the Watch-tower of the Wilderness and looked toward the multitude, there they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped! 25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil from them, they found cattle in abundance and personal property, d garments and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, until they could carry away no more; and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Beracah [Blessing] to this day. 27Then they returned, all the men of ple of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head to go again with joy to Jerusalem, for Jehovah had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28And they came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the temple of Jehovah. 29 And a fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the earth, when they heard that Jehovah had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30So the realm of Jehoshaphat enjoyed quiet, for his God gave him rest on all sides. The wreck of Je hosha phat's ships § 111. Jehoshaphat's Disastrous Commercial Enterprises and Death, I Kgs. 2247-50, II Chr. 2035-211 Annals of Judah I Kgs. 22 47 Now there was no Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History II Chr. 20 35 Now later Jehosha phat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly. 36And he bound himself by a contract with him to build ships to go to Tarshish, so they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Jehovah will surely tear your work in pieces. Accordingly the ships were broken, so that they were unable to go to Tarshish. d 2025 Correcting the Heb. with the aid of the Gk. e 2020 Identified with the Wadi Bereikut near Tekoa. $111 The citation by the late prophetic editor of Kgs. from this earlier source, is supplemented in the parallel in Chr. by a brief prophetic warning added by the Chronicler or already found in his midrashic source. The descriptive epithet, Tarshish ship, was also interpreted to mean that their destination was Tarshish. I Kgs. 2247, 48 The current translation is untenable. The lucid translation given above is based on a slight emendation of the Heb. text. The Gk., favored by the marginal reading of the Heb.. has, ship, not ships. This may well have been the original text, although the Chronicler's parallel supports the plural. Jehoram's evil § 112. Jehoram's Reign, II Kgs. 816-24, II Chr. 212-20 Late Prophetic Summary II Kgs. 8 16And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab king of policy Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for he had married the daughter of Ahab, and he did that which displeased Jehovah. 19However, Jehovah would not destroy Judah for the sake of David his servant, since he had promised to give him a lamp before himg always. Suc cessful revolt of Edom and Libnah Annals of Judah 20In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and established a king over themselves. 21Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariotsh with him. And he rose up by night and smote through the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots were with him, but the people fled to their tents. 22So Edom revolted from under the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 And the other acts of Joram and all that he did are they not recorded in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place. Chronicler's Ecclesiastical History II Chr. 21 2Now Jehoram had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 And their father gave them great gifts of silver, of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, because he was the eldest. 4Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and had strengthened himself he slew his brothers with the sword, together with certain of the nobles. 8In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and established a king over themselves. Then Jehoram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he rose up by night and smote through the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots were with him.k 10So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time from his rule, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his fathers. 112 To the general statements of the late prophetic editor of Kgs. the Chronicler adds certain facts in 2124, which seem to be authentic and which are apparently derived from one of his older non-canonical sources. Vss. 5-7 are but a verbatim quotation from Kgs. The story in 11-20 is evidently a later midrash. II Kgs. 819 So Luc., Lat., Targ., and the parallel in II Chr. 217. but they were the lamp. II Kgs. 821 The Heb. is difficult and the context not complete. text has been lost, especially the account of the ambush into which the is implied in 21b. Heb., for his children; Apparently some of the Hebrews fell and which II Kgs. 821 Supplying, with him, from the parallel passage in Chr. |