2 Chronicles 19

• 1. When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem,
• 2. Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.
• 3. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God."
• 4. Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
• 5. He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
• 6. He told them, "Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict.
• 7. Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."
• 8. In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.
• 9. He gave them these orders: "You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.
• 10. In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities-whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances-you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.
• 11. "Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage, and may the LORD be with those who do well."

2 Chronicles 20

• 1. After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.
• 2. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).
• 3. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
• 4. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
• 5. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard
• 6. and said: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
• 7. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?
• 8. They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,
• 9. 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'
• 10. "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.
• 11. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.
• 12. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
• 13. All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.
• 14. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
• 15. He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.
• 16. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
• 17. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'"
• 18. Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.
• 19. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.
• 20. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."
• 21. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."
• 22. As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
• 23. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
• 24. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.
• 25. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value-more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.
• 26. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
• 27. Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.
• 28. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets.
• 29. The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
• 30. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
• 31. So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
• 32. He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
• 33. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.
• 34. The other events of Jehoshaphat's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.
• 35. Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness.
• 36. He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber,
• 37. Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.

Revelation 8

• 1. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
• 2. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
• 3. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.
• 4. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.
• 5. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
• 6. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
• 7. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
• 8. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,
• 9. a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
• 10. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--
• 11. the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
• 12. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
• 13. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

Zechariah 4

• 1. Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep.
• 2. He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights.
• 3. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."
• 4. I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
• 5. He answered, "Do you not know what these are?No, my lord," I replied.
• 6. So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
• 7. "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'"
• 8. Then the word of the LORD came to me:
• 9. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
• 10. "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)"
• 11. Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"
• 12. Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?"
• 13. He replied, "Do you not know what these are?No, my lord," I said.
• 14. So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth."

New International Version

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