2 Chronicles 19

1 And Jehoshaphat king of Judah turneth back unto his house in peace to Jerusalem,

When King Jehoshaphat was returning safely to his palace in Jerusalem,

2 and go out unto his presence doth Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, and saith unto king Jehoshaphat, 'To give help to the wicked, and to those hating Jehovah, dost thou love? and for this against thee [is] wrath from before Jehovah,

the prophet Jehu, the son of [the prophet] Hanani, went out of the city to meet the king, and said to him, “It was not right for you to help a wicked man and to love those who hate Yahweh. Because of what you have done, Yahweh is angry with you.

3 but good things have been found with thee, for thou hast put away the shrines out of the land, and hast prepared thy heart to seek God.'

But you have done some good things; you got rid of the poles in this country for [worshiping the goddess] Asherah, and you have strongly determined to do what pleases God.”

4 And Jehoshaphat dwelleth in Jerusalem, and he turneth back and goeth out among the people from Beer-Sheba unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and bringeth them back unto Jehovah, God of their fathers.

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. But [one time], like he had done once previously, he went out among all the people in the country, from Beersheba [city in the far south] to the hilly area of [the tribe of] Ephraim [in the far north], and he convinced them to return to [worshiping] Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].

5 And he establisheth judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah, for every city,

He appointed judges throughout Judah, in each of the cities that had walls around them.

6 and saith unto the judges, 'See what ye are doing — for not for man do ye judge, but for Jehovah, who [is] with you in the matter of judgment;

He told them, “Make your decisions carefully, because you are judging cases not [in order] to [please] people but to [please] Yahweh. And he will be watching you whenever you make a decision.

7 and now, let fear of Jehovah be upon you, observe and do, for there is not with Jehovah our God perverseness, and acceptance of faces, and taking of a bribe.'

So now revere Yahweh, and judge cases carefully, [and do not forget that] Yahweh our God never acts unjustly, and he never does what people want because of their offering him money; he never accepts bribes.”

8 And also in Jerusalem hath Jehoshaphat appointed of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the heads of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for strife; and they turn back to Jerusalem,

In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some priests and other descendants of Levi and some leaders of Israeli families [to be judges]. He told them to do what Yahweh’s laws said was right when they settled disputes. Those men lived in Jerusalem.

9 and he layeth a charge upon them, saying, 'Thus do ye do in the fear of Jehovah, in faithfulness, and with a perfect heart,

He told them this: “You must always do your work faithfully, revering Yahweh.

10 and any strife that cometh in unto you of your brethren who are dwelling in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and command, statutes, and judgments, then ye have warned them and they become not guilty before Jehovah, and wrath hath not been on you and on your brethren; thus do ye do, and ye are not guilty.

In every dispute that your fellow Israelis who live in the cities want you to settle, you must warn them to not sin against Yahweh [by telling lies during the trial]. If you do not warn them, God will punish both you and your fellow Israelis. If you warn them, you will not be sinning. You must warn them whether [someone has accused them] of murdering someone, or of disobeying some other law or command or decree [of Yahweh].

11 'And, lo, Amariah the head priest [is] over you for every matter of Jehovah, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, [is] for every matter of the king, and officers the Levites [are] before you; be strong and do, and Jehovah is with the good.'

Amariah the Supreme Priest will supervise you in any matter that Yahweh is concerned about, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will supervise you in any matter that I am responsible for. And the descendants of Levi will assist you. Act courageously, and I pray that Yahweh will help those who do their work well.”