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.
| וימלך יהושפט בנו תחתיו ויתחזק על ישראל׃ |
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.
| ויתן חיל בכל ערי יהודה הבצרות ויתן נציבים בארץ יהודה ובערי אפרים אשר לכד אסא אביו׃ |
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.
| ויהי יהוה עם יהושפט כי הלך בדרכי דויד אביו הראשנים ולא דרש לבעלים׃ |
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.
| כי לאלהי אביו דרש ובמצותיו הלך ולא כמעשה ישראל׃ |
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.
| ויכן יהוה את הממלכה בידו ויתנו כל יהודה מנחה ליהושפט ויהי לו עשר וכבוד לרב׃ |
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.
| ויגבה לבו בדרכי יהוה ועוד הסיר את הבמות ואת האשרים מיהודה׃ |
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.
| ובשנת שלוש למלכו שלח לשריו לבן חיל ולעבדיה ולזכריה ולנתנאל ולמיכיהו ללמד בערי יהודה׃ |
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.
| ועמהם הלוים שמעיהו ונתניהו וזבדיהו ועשהאל ושמרימות ויהונתן ואדניהו וטוביהו וטוב אדוניה הלוים ועמהם אלישמע ויהורם הכהנים׃ |
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,
| וילמדו ביהודה ועמהם ספר תורת יהוה ויסבו בכל ערי יהודה וילמדו בעם׃ |
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.
| ויהי פחד יהוה על כל ממלכות הארצות אשר סביבות יהודה ולא נלחמו עם יהושפט׃ |
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.
| ומן פלשתים מביאים ליהושפט מנחה וכסף משא גם הערביאים מביאים לו צאן אילים שבעת אלפים ושבע מאות ותישים שבעת אלפים ושבע מאות׃ |
12 Jehoshaphat continued to become more powerful/influential. His workers built forts and places to store supplies in various towns in Judah.
| ויהי יהושפט הלך וגדל עד למעלה ויבן ביהודה בירניות וערי מסכנות׃ |
13 Then they put large amounts of supplies in those storehouses. Jehoshaphat also placed in Jerusalem soldiers who were experienced.
| ומלאכה רבה היה לו בערי יהודה ואנשי מלחמה גבורי חיל בירושלם׃ |
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.
| ואלה פקדתם לבית אבותיהם ליהודה שרי אלפים עדנה השר ועמו גבורי חיל שלש מאות אלף׃ |
15 His assistant was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 soldiers.
| ועל ידו יהוחנן השר ועמו מאתים ושמונים אלף׃ |
16 Next was Zicri’s son Amasiah, who volunteered to serve Yahweh in this way; he commanded 200,000 soldiers.
| ועל ידו עמסיה בן זכרי המתנדב ליהוה ועמו מאתים אלף גבור חיל׃ |
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.
| ומן בנימן גבור חיל אלידע ועמו נשקי קשת ומגן מאתים אלף׃ |
18 Next was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 men who had weapons for fighting battles.
| ועל ידו יהוזבד ועמו מאה ושמונים אלף חלוצי צבא׃ |
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.
| אלה המשרתים את המלך מלבד אשר נתן המלך בערי המבצר בכל יהודה׃ |
