2 Chronicles 17  Legacy Standard Bible

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

17 ^(A)Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel. ² And he put military forces in all ^(B)the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim ^(C)which Asa his father had captured.

Jehoshaphat’s Kingdom Established

³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, ⁴ but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, ^(D)and did not act as Israel did. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and ^(E)he had great riches and honor. ⁶ And ^[a]his heart took great pride in the ways of Yahweh, and again he ^(F)took away the high places and the ^[b]Asherim from Judah.

⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ^(G)to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them ^(H)the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, having ^(I)the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰ Now ^(J)the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Indeed, some of the Philistines ^(K)brought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. ¹² So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. ¹³ And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ This was their muster according to their fathers’ households:

¹⁹ These are they who attended on the king, apart from ^(M)those whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.