2 Chronicles 17
1 Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the king [of Judah], and he enabled his army to become very strong, with the result that they could resist attacks from [the army of] Israel.
| וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ יְהֹושָׁפָ֥ט בְּנֹ֖ו תַּחְתָּ֑יו וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֖ק עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
2 He put soldiers in all the cities in Judah around which they had built walls, and he put soldiers in other places in Judah and in the towns in the area belonging to the tribe of Ephraim that [soldiers of] his father Asa had captured.
| וַיִּ֨תֶּן־חַ֔יִל בְּכָל־עָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה הַבְּצֻרֹ֑ות וַיִּתֵּ֤ן נְצִיבִים֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ יְהוּדָ֔ה וּבְעָרֵ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָכַ֖ד אָסָ֥א אָבִֽיו׃ |
3 Yahweh helped Jehoshaphat because when he started [to rule Judah], he did the things that pleased Yahweh like his ancestor [King] David had done. He did not worship the idols of Baal.
| וַיְהִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עִם־יְהֹושָׁפָ֑ט כִּ֣י הָלַ֗ךְ בְּדַרְכֵ֞י דָּוִ֤יד אָבִיו֙ הָרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א דָרַ֖שׁ לַבְּעָלִֽים׃ |
4 Instead, he sought advice from the God whom his father [had worshiped], and he obeyed God’s commands, and did not do the [evil things that the kings of] Israel continually did.
| כִּ֠י לֽ͏ֵאלֹהֵ֤י אָבִיו֙ דָּרָ֔שׁ וּבְמִצְוֹתָ֖יו הָלָ֑ךְ וְלֹ֖א כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
5 Yahweh enabled him to completely control his kingdom. All [the people of] Judah brought gifts to him, with the result that he became very rich and was greatly honored.
| וַיָּ֨כֶן יְהוָ֤ה אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ בְּיָדֹ֔ו וַיִּתְּנ֧וּ כָל־יְהוּדָ֛ה מִנְחָ֖ה לִיהֹושָׁפָ֑ט וַֽיְהִי־לֹ֥ו עֹֽשֶׁר־וְכָבֹ֖וד לָרֹֽב׃ |
6 He was completely devoted to doing what pleased Yahweh. His workers got rid of the shrines on the hilltops and the poles for [worshiping the goddess] Asherah throughout Judah.
| וַיִּגְבַּ֥הּ לִבֹּ֖ו בְּדַרְכֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְעֹ֗וד הֵסִ֛יר אֶת־הַבָּמֹ֥ות וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרִ֖ים מִיהוּדָֽה׃ פ |
7 When he had been ruling [Judah] for almost three years, he sent some of his officials—Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach the people in various towns in Judah.
| וּבִשְׁנַ֨ת שָׁלֹ֜ושׁ לְמָלְכֹ֗ו שָׁלַ֤ח לְשָׂרָיו֙ לְבֶן־חַ֙יִל֙ וּלְעֹבַדְיָ֣ה וְלִזְכַרְיָ֔ה וְלִנְתַנְאֵ֖ל וּלְמִיכָיָ֑הוּ לְלַמֵּ֖ד בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃ |
8 With them he sent several descendants of Levi—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah—and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram.
| וְעִמָּהֶ֣ם הַלְוִיִּ֗ם שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֡הוּ וּנְתַנְיָ֡הוּ וּזְבַדְיָ֡הוּ וַעֲשָׂהאֵ֡ל וּשְׁמִרִימֹות (וּשְׁמִֽירָמֹ֡ות) וִֽיהֹונָתָן֩ וַאֲדֹ֨נִיָּ֧הוּ וְטֹֽובִיָּ֛הוּ וְטֹ֥וב אֲדֹונִיָּ֖ה הַלְוִיִּ֑ם וְעִמָּהֶ֛ם אֱלִישָׁמָ֥ע וִֽיהֹורָ֖ם הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃ |
9 They took with them a scroll on which were written the laws of Yahweh and taught them to the people in all the towns throughout Judah,
| וַֽיְלַמְּדוּ֙ בִּֽיהוּדָ֔ה וְעִ֨מָּהֶ֔ם סֵ֖פֶר תֹּורַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וַיָּסֹ֙בּוּ֙ בְּכָל־עָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וַֽיְלַמְּד֖וּ בָּעָֽם׃ |
10 The people in all the kingdoms surrounding Judah became very afraid of [what Yahweh might do to punish them if they fought against Judah], so they did not start wars with Jehoshaphat’s army.
| וַיְהִ֣י ׀ פַּ֣חַד יְהוָ֗ה עַ֚ל כָּל־מַמְלְכֹ֣ות הֽ͏ָאֲרָצֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבֹ֣ות יְהוּדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א נִלְחֲמ֖וּ עִם־יְהֹושָׁפָֽט׃ |
11 Some people from Philistia brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and they also brought to him the silver that he demanded that they pay to him. Some Arabs brought to him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats.
| וּמִן־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֗ים מְבִיאִ֧ים לִֽיהֹושָׁפָ֛ט מִנְחָ֖ה וְכֶ֣סֶף מַשָּׂ֑א גַּ֣ם הָֽעַרְבִיאִ֗ים מְבִיאִ֥ים לֹו֙ צֹ֕אן אֵילִ֔ים שִׁבְעַ֤ת אֲלָפִים֙ וּשְׁבַ֣ע מֵאֹ֔ות וּתְיָשִׁ֕ים שִׁבְעַ֥ת אֲלָפִ֖ים וּשְׁבַ֥ע מֵאֹֽות׃ פ |
12 Jehoshaphat continued to become more powerful/influential. His workers built forts and places to store supplies in various towns in Judah.
| וַיְהִ֧י יְהֹושָׁפָ֛ט הֹלֵ֥ךְ וְגָדֵ֖ל עַד־לְמָ֑עְלָה וַיִּ֧בֶן בִּֽיהוּדָ֛ה בִּירָנִיֹּ֖ות וְעָרֵ֥י מִסְכְּנֹֽות׃ |
13 Then they put large amounts of supplies in those storehouses. Jehoshaphat also placed in Jerusalem soldiers who were experienced.
| וּמְלָאכָ֥ה רַבָּ֛ה הָ֥יָה לֹ֖ו בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאַנְשֵׁ֧י מִלְחָמָ֛ה גִּבֹּ֥ורֵי חַ֖יִל בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ |
14 The leaders and numbers from each tribe were as follows: From the tribe of Judah, Adnah was the leader of the soldiers, and he commanded 300,000 soldiers.
| וְאֵ֥לֶּה פְקֻדָּתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹותֵיהֶ֑ם לִֽיהוּדָה֙ שָׂרֵ֣י אֲלָפִ֔ים עַדְנָ֣ה הַשָּׂ֔ר וְעִמֹּו֙ גִּבֹּ֣ורֵי חַ֔יִל שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵאֹ֖ות אָֽלֶף׃ ס |
15 His assistant was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 soldiers.
| וְעַל־יָדֹ֖ו יְהֹוחָנָ֣ן הַשָּׂ֑ר וְעִמֹּ֕ו מָאתַ֥יִם וּשְׁמֹונִ֖ים אָֽלֶף׃ ס |
16 Next was Zicri’s son Amasiah, who volunteered to serve Yahweh in this way; he commanded 200,000 soldiers.
| וְעַל־יָדֹו֙ עֲמַסְיָ֣ה בֶן־זִכְרִ֔י הַמִּתְנַדֵּ֖ב לַיהוָ֑ה וְעִמֹּ֛ו מָאתַ֥יִם אֶ֖לֶף גִּבֹּ֥ור חָֽיִל׃ ס |
17 From the tribe of Benjamin, Eliada, who was a brave soldier, was the leader of the soldiers; he commanded 200,000 men who had bows [and arrows] and shields.
| וּמִ֨ן־בִּנְיָמִ֔ן גִּבֹּ֥ור חַ֖יִל אֶלְיָדָ֑ע וְעִמֹּ֛ו נֹֽשְׁקֵי־קֶ֥שֶׁת וּמָגֵ֖ן מָאתַ֥יִם אָֽלֶף׃ ס |
18 Next was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 men who had weapons for fighting battles.
| וְעַל־יָדֹ֖ו יְהֹוזָבָ֑ד וְעִמֹּ֛ו מֵאָֽה־וּשְׁמֹונִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף חֲלוּצֵ֥י צָבָֽא׃ ס |
19 Those were the soldiers who served the king [in Jerusalem], in addition to the men whom the king had placed in the other cities in Judah that had walls around them.
| אֵ֖לֶּה הַמְשָׁרְתִ֣ים אֶת־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ מִלְּבַ֞ד אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ בְּעָרֵ֥י הַמִּבְצָ֖ר בְּכָל־יְהוּדָֽה׃ פ |
