And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.
And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken.
And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim,
but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and honor in abundance.
And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
And {Or, a terror from Jehovah}the fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats.
And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store.
And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.
And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand;
and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand;
and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto Jehovah; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
And of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;
and next to him Jehozabad and with him a hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war.
These were they that waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Querverweise zu 2. Chronika 17,6 2Chr 17,6
Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,And have not wickedly departed from my God.
for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the {Or, obelisks}pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,
For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
For all his ordinances were before me,And I put not away his statutes from me.
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
א ALEPH.Blessed are they that are {Or, upright in way}perfect in the way,Who walk in the law of Jehovah.
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God.
Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah;For great is the glory of Jehovah.
Howbeit the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
Who is wise, that he may understand these things? prudent, that he may know them? for the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them; but transgressors shall fall therein.
Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake in pieces the {Or, obelisks}pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and brake down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.
and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, {Or, as otherwise read, with their axes The Hebrew is obscure.}in their ruins round about.
And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; He turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah: howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.