דברי הימים ב 17

1 וימלך יהושפט בנו תחתיו ויתחזק על ישראל׃

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.

2 ויתן חיל בכל ערי יהודה הבצרות ויתן נציבים בארץ יהודה ובערי אפרים אשר לכד אסא אביו׃

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.

3 ויהי יהוה עם יהושפט כי הלך בדרכי דויד אביו הראשנים ולא דרש לבעלים׃

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.

4 כי לאלהי אביו דרש ובמצותיו הלך ולא כמעשה ישראל׃

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.

5 ויכן יהוה את הממלכה בידו ויתנו כל יהודה מנחה ליהושפט ויהי לו עשר וכבוד לרב׃

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.

6 ויגבה לבו בדרכי יהוה ועוד הסיר את הבמות ואת האשרים מיהודה׃

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.

7 ובשנת שלוש למלכו שלח לשריו לבן חיל ולעבדיה ולזכריה ולנתנאל ולמיכיהו ללמד בערי יהודה׃

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.

8 ועמהם הלוים שמעיהו ונתניהו וזבדיהו ועשהאל ושמרימות ויהונתן ואדניהו וטוביהו וטוב אדוניה הלוים ועמהם אלישמע ויהורם הכהנים׃

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.

9 וילמדו ביהודה ועמהם ספר תורת יהוה ויסבו בכל ערי יהודה וילמדו בעם׃

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,

10 ויהי פחד יהוה על כל ממלכות הארצות אשר סביבות יהודה ולא נלחמו עם יהושפט׃

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.

11 ומן פלשתים מביאים ליהושפט מנחה וכסף משא גם הערביאים מביאים לו צאן אילים שבעת אלפים ושבע מאות ותישים שבעת אלפים ושבע מאות׃

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.

12 ויהי יהושפט הלך וגדל עד למעלה ויבן ביהודה בירניות וערי מסכנות׃

Jehoshaphat continued to become more powerful/influential. His workers built forts and places to store supplies in various towns in Judah.

13 ומלאכה רבה היה לו בערי יהודה ואנשי מלחמה גבורי חיל בירושלם׃

Then they put large amounts of supplies in those storehouses. Jehoshaphat also placed in Jerusalem soldiers who were experienced.

14 ואלה פקדתם לבית אבותיהם ליהודה שרי אלפים עדנה השר ועמו גבורי חיל שלש מאות אלף׃

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.

15 ועל ידו יהוחנן השר ועמו מאתים ושמונים אלף׃

His assistant was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 soldiers.

16 ועל ידו עמסיה בן זכרי המתנדב ליהוה ועמו מאתים אלף גבור חיל׃

Next was Zicri’s son Amasiah, who volunteered to serve Yahweh in this way; he commanded 200,000 soldiers.

17 ומן בנימן גבור חיל אלידע ועמו נשקי קשת ומגן מאתים אלף׃

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.

18 ועל ידו יהוזבד ועמו מאה ושמונים אלף חלוצי צבא׃

Next was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 men who had weapons for fighting battles.

19 אלה המשרתים את המלך מלבד אשר נתן המלך בערי המבצר בכל יהודה׃

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.