< 2 Chronicles 20 >

1 Aftir these thingis the sones of Moab, and the sones of Amon, and with hem of Idumeis, weren gaderid togidere to Josaphat, for to fiyte ayens hym.
It 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.
2 And messangeris camen, and schewiden to Josaphat, seiden, A greet multitude of tho placis that ben biyondis the see, and of Sirie, is comun ayens thee; and, lo! thei stonden in Asasonthamar, which is Engaddi.
Then 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.
3 Forsothe Josaphat was aferd by drede, and `yaf hym silf al for to preye `the Lord, and prechide fastynge to al Juda.
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek Yhwh, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Juda was gaderid togidere for to preye the Lord, but also alle men camen fro her citees for to biseche hym.
And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of Yhwh: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yhwh.
5 And whanne Josaphat hadde stonde in the myddis of the cumpeny of Juda and of Jerusalem, in the hows of the Lord, bifor the newe large place,
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yhwh, before the new court,
6 he seide, Lord God of oure fadris, thou art God in heuene, and thou art lord of alle rewmes of folkis; strengthe and power ben in thin hond, `and noon may ayenstonde thee.
And said, O Yhwh 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?
7 Whether not thou, oure God, hast slayn alle the dwelleris of this lond bifor thi puple Israel, and hast youe it to the seed of Abraham, thi freend, withouten ende?
Art 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?
8 And thei dwelliden therynne, and bildiden therinne a seyntuarie to thi name, and seiden,
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If yuelis comen on vs, the swerd of doom, pestilence, and hungur, we schulen stonde bifor this hows withouten ende in thi siyt, in which hows thi name is clepid, and we schulen crie to thee in oure tribulaciouns; and thou schalt here vs, and schalt make vs saaf.
If, 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.
10 Now therfor lo! the sones of Amon and of Moab and the hil of Seir, bi whiche thou grauntidist not to the sones of Israel for to passe, whanne thei yeden out of Egipt, but thei bowiden awei fro hem, and killiden not hem,
And 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;
11 thei doon ayenward, and enforsen to caste vs out of the possessioun, which thou, oure God, hast youe to vs;
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12 therfor whether thou schalt not deme hem? Treuli in vs is not so greet strengthe, that we moun ayenstonde this multitude, that felde yn on vs; but sithen we witen not what we owen to do, we `han oneli this residue, that we dresse oure iyen to thee.
O 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.
13 Sotheli al Juda stood bifor the Lord, with her litle children and wyues and fre children.
And all Judah stood before Yhwh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Forsothe Hiaziel, the sone of Zacarie, sone of Ananye, sone of Hieyel, sone of Machanye, was a dekene, and of the sones of Asaph, on whom the Spirit of the Lord was maad in the myddis of the cumpeny,
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 Yhwh in the midst of the congregation;
15 and he seide, Al Juda, and ye that dwellen in Jerusalem, and thou, king Josaphat, perseyue ye, the Lord seith these thingis to you, Nyle ye drede, nether be ye aferd of this multitude, for it is not youre batel, but Goddis batel.
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith Yhwh unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 To morewe ye schulen stie `ayens hem; for thei schulen stie bi the side of the hil, `bi name Seys, and ye schulen fynde hem in the hiynesse of the stronde, which is ayens the wildirnesse of Jheruhel.
To 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.
17 For it schulen not be ye, that schulen fiyte; but oneli stonde ye trustili, and ye schulen se the help of the Lord on you. A! Juda and Jerusalem, nyle ye drede, nether be ye aferd; to morewe ye schulen go out ayens hem, and the Lord schal be with you.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Yhwh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for Yhwh will be with you.
18 Therfor Josaphat, and Juda, and alle the dwelleris of Jerusalem, felden lowli on the erthe bifor the Lord, and worschypiden hym.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before Yhwh, worshipping Yhwh.
19 Forsothe the dekenes of the sones of Caath, and of the sones of Chore, herieden the Lord God of Israel with greet vois an hiy.
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise Yhwh God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20 And whanne thei hadden rise eerli, thei yeden not bi the deseert of Thecue; and whanne thei `hadden gon forth, Josaphat stood in the myddis of hem, and seide, Juda and alle the dwelleris of Jerusalem, here ye me; bileue ye in `youre Lord God, and ye schulen be sikur; bileue ye to hise prophetis, and alle prosperitees schulen come.
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 Yhwh your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And he yaf counsel to the puple, and he ordeynede the syngeris of the Lord, that thei schulden herye hym in her cumpanyes, and that thei schulden go bifor the oost, and seie with acordynge vois, Knouleche ye to the Lord, for he is good; for his merci is `in to the world.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto Yhwh, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise Yhwh; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And whanne thei bigunnen to synge heriyngis, the Lord turnede the buyschementis of hem `in to hem silf, that is, of the sones of Amon and of Moab and of the hil of Seir, that yeden out to fiyte ayens Juda; and thei weren slayn.
And when they began to sing and to praise, Yhwh set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For whi the sones of Amon and of Moab risiden togidere ayens the dwelleris of the hil of Seir, to sle, and to do awey hem; and whanne thei hadden do this in werk, thei weren `turned also `in to hem silf, and felden doun togidere bi woundis ech of othere.
For 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.
24 Certis whanne Juda was comun to the denne, that biholdith the wildirnesse, he siy afer al the large cuntrei ful of deed bodies, and that noon was left, that miyte ascape deeth.
And 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.
25 Therfor Josaphat cam, and al the puple with hym, to drawe awey the spuylis of deed men, and thei founden among the deed bodies dyuerse purtenaunce of houshold, and clothis, and ful preciouse vessels; and thei rauyischiden in dyuerse maneres, so that thei myyten not bere alle thingis, nether thei myyten take awei the spuylis bi thre daies, for the greetnesse of prey.
And 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 Sotheli in the fourthe dai thei weren gaderid togidere in the valey of Blessyng; `forsothe for thei blessiden the Lord there, thei clepiden that place the valei of Blessyng `til in to present dai.
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed Yhwh: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.
27 And ech man of Juda turnede ayen, and the dwelleris of Jerusalem, and Josaphat bifor hem, in to Jerusalem with greet gladnesse; for the Lord God hadde youe to hem ioye of her enemyes.
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Yhwh had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 And thei entriden in to Jerusalem with sawtrees, and harpis, and trumpis, in to the hows of the Lord.
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of Yhwh.
29 Forsothe the drede of the Lord felde on alle the rewmes of londis, whanne thei hadden herd, that the Lord hadde fouyte ayens the enemies of Israel.
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that Yhwh fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 And the rewme of Josaphat restide; and the Lord yaf `pees to hym `bi cumpas.
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
31 Therfor Josaphat regnede on Juda; and he was of fyue and thritti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne; sotheli he regnede fyue and twenti yeer in Jerusalem; and the name of his modir was Azuba, the douytir of Selathi.
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.
32 And he yede in the weie of Asa his fadir, and bowide not fro it, and he dide what euer thingis weren plesaunt bifor the Lord.
And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of Yhwh.
33 Netheles he dide not awei hiy thingis; yit the puple hadde not dressid her herte to the Lord God of her fadris.
Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
34 Forsothe the residue of the formere and the laste dedis of Josaphat ben writun in the book of Hieu, the sone of Anany, which he ordeynede in the book of kyngis of Israel.
Now 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.
35 After these thingis Josaphat, kyng of Juda, made frendschipis with Ocozie, kyng of Israel, whose werkis weren ful yuele;
And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:
36 and he was parcener that thei maden schippis, that schulden go in to Tharsis; and thei maden o schip in to Asiongaber.
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion–geber.
37 Sotheli Eliezer, sone of Dodan, of Maresa, profesiede to Josaphat, and seide, For thou haddist boond of pees with Ocozie, the Lord smoot thi werkis; and the schippis ben brokun, and myyten not go in to Tharsis.
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Yhwh hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

< 2 Chronicles 20 >