CHAPTER 17

¹And Jehoshaphat his son was king in his stead, and he became strong over Israel. ²And he stationed forces in all the fortified towns of Judah and stationed garrisons in the land of Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. ³And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek the Baalim, ⁴but the God of his fathers he sought and by His commands he walked, not like the acts of Israel. ⁵And the LORD made the kingship firm in his hand, and all Judah offered tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had wealth and honor in abundance. ⁶And his heart was exalted in the ways of the LORD, and what is more, he removed the high places and the cultic poles from Judah. ⁷In the third year of his kingship he sent out to his commanders Ben-Hail and Obadiah and Zechariah and Nethaneel and Michaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. ⁸And with them were the Levites 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. ⁹And they taught in Judah, and with them was the book of the LORD’s teaching, and they went round in all the towns of Judah and taught among the people. ¹⁰And the terror of the LORD was upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round Judah, and they did not do battle with Jehoshaphat. ¹¹And from the Philistines they were bringing tribute to Jehoshaphat, tribute of loads of silver. The Arabs, too, were bringing him flocks—seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats. ¹²And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortress towns and storehouse towns in Judah. ¹³And he had vast tasks in the towns of Judah, and men of war, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And this was their muster by their patriarchal houses in Judah, over the commanders of the thousands Adnah was commander, and with him were three hundred thousand valiant warriors. ¹⁵And by him was Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred eighty thousand. ¹⁶And by him was Amasiah son of Zichri the commander, who answered the call for the LORD, and with him were two hundred thousand valiant warriors. ¹⁷And from Benjamin: Eliada the valiant warrior, and with him armed with bow and buckler two hundred thousand. ¹⁸And by him Jehozabad, and with him were a hundred eighty thousand vanguard fighters. ¹⁹These were the ones ministering to the king besides those the king had stationed in the fortress towns throughout Judah.