2 Chronicles 19

1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned unto his own house in peace, to Jerusalem.

And Josaphat king of Juda returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

2 And there came out to meet him, Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, who said unto King Jehoshaphat, Unto the lawless, was it [right] to give help? and, on them who hate Yahweh, to bestow thy love? For this cause, therefore, is there wrath against thee, from before Yahweh;

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer met him, and said to him: Thou helpest the ungodly, and thou art joined in friendship with them that hate the Lord, and therefore thou didst deserve indeed the wrath of the Lord:

3 howbeit, good things, are found with thee, -for that thou hast consumed the Sacred Stems out of the land, and hast fixed thy heart to seek God.

But good works are found in thee, because thou hast taken away the groves out of the land of Juda, and hast prepared thy heart to seek the Lord the God of thy fathers.

4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt in Jerusalem, —and he again went forth among the people, from Beersheba as far as the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

And Josaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again to the people from Bersabee to mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord the God of their fathers.

5 And he stationed judges in the land, throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city;

And he set judges of the land in all the fenced cities of Juda, in every place.

6 and said unto the judges, See what, ye, are doing, inasmuch as, not for man, must ye judge, but for Yahweh, —who will be with you, in the word of justice.

And charging the judges, he said: Take heed what you do: for you exercise not the judgment of man, but of the Lord: and whatsoever you judge, it shall redound to you.

7 Now, therefore, let the dread of Yahweh be upon you, —observe and do, for there is, with Yahweh our God, neither perversity nor respect of persons nor the taking of bribes.

Let the fear of the Lord be with you, and do all things with diligence: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, a nor respect of persons, nor desire of gifts.

8 And, even in Jerusalem, did Jehoshaphat station some of the Levites and the priests, and of the ancestral chiefs of Israel, to pronounce the just sentence of Yahweh, and to settle disputes, —when they returned to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem also Josaphat appointed Levites, and priests and chiefs of the families of Israel, to judge the judgment and the cause of the Lord for the inhabitants thereof.

9 And he laid charge upon them, saying, —Thus, shall ye act, in the fear of Yahweh, faithfully and with an undivided heart.

And he charged them, saying: Thus shall you do in the fear of the Lord faithfully, and with a perfect heart.

10 Any dispute that shall come in unto you from among your brethren who are dwelling in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment and statutes and regulations, then shall ye warn them, that they may not become guilty against Yahweh, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren, —Thus, shall ye act, and not incur guilt.

Every cause that shall come to you of your brethren, that dwell in their cities, between kindred and kindred, wheresoever there is question concerning the law, the commandment, the ceremonies, the justifications: shew it them, that they may not sin against the Lord, and that wrath may not come upon you and your brethren: and so doing you shall not sin.

11 And lo! Amariah the chief priest, is over you as to every matter of Yahweh, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael the chief ruler for the house of Judah, as to every matter of the king, and, as officers, the Levites are before you, —Be strong and act, and Yahweh be with the good!

And Amarias the priest your high priest shell be chief in the things which regard God: and Zabadias the son of Ismahel, who is ruler in the house of Juda, shall be over those matters which belong to the king’s office: and you have before you the Levites for masters, take courage and do diligently, and the Lord will be with you in good things.