Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate YAHWEH1? Because of this, wrath is on you from before YAHWEH. 3Nevertheless there are good things found in you, in that you have put away the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God2.”
4Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back to YAHWEH, the God of their fathers. 5He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6and said to the judges, “Consider what you do: for you do not judge for man, but for YAHWEH; and he is with you in the judgment. 7Now therefore let the fear of YAHWEH be on you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with YAHWEH our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.”
8Moreover in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed certain of the Levites3 and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel, to give judgment for YAHWEH, and for controversies. They returned to Jerusalem. 9He charged them, saying, “Thus shall you do in the fear of YAHWEH, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10Whenever any controversy shall come to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them, that they not be guilty towards YAHWEH, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers: do this, and you shall not be guilty. 11Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of YAHWEH; and Zebadiah son of Ismail, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and YAHWEH be with the good.
- 19:2 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 19:3 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 19:8 Levites, the descendants of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Prophet Yaqub (Jacob), from whose family line came all the priests who served in the Holy House of God, the Temple at Jerusalem. ↩︎