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19 And Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah returned to his Bais (Palace) in shalom in Yerushalayim.
2 And Yehu ben Chanani HaChozer (the Seer) went out to meet him, and said to HaMelech Yehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the rasha, and love them that hate Hashem? Therefore ketzef (wrath) is upon thee from before Hashem.
3 Nevertheless there are devarim tovim (good things) found in thee, in that thou hast removed HaAsherot from HaAretz, and hast prepared thine lev to seek HaElohim.
4 And Yehoshaphat dwelt in Yerushalayim; and he went out again among HaAm from Beer Sheva to Mt Ephrayim, and he turned them back unto Hashem Elohei Avoteihem.
5 And he appointed Shofetim in HaAretz throughout all the fortified cities of Yehudah, city by city,
6 And said to the Shofetim, Take heed what ye do, for ye judge not for adam, but for Hashem, Who is with you in the devar mishpat (verdict).
7 Wherefore now let the Pachad Hashem be upon you; be shomer and do it, for there is no avlah (injustice) with Hashem Eloheinu, nor massa panim (respect of persons), nor mikkach shochad (taking of bribes).
8 Moreover in Yerushalayim did Yehoshaphat station Levi’im, and Kohanim, and Rashei HaAvot Yisroel, for the Mishpat Hashem, and for riv (disputes), and they returned to Yerushalayim.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the yirat Hashem, be’emunah and with a levav shalem.
10 And what riv soever shall come before you of your achim that dwell in your cities, between dahm and dahm, between torah and mitzvah, chukkot and mishpatim, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against Hashem, and so ketzef (wrath) come upon you, and upon your achim; this do, and ye shall not trespass.
11 And, hinei, Amaryahu Kohen HaRosh is over you in all matters of Hashem; and Zevadyahu ben Yishmael, the Nagid of the Bais Yehudah, for all the matters of HaMelech; also the Levi’im shall be shoterim (officers) before you. Deal courageously, and Hashem be with hatov.
20 It came to pass after this also, that the Bnei Moav, and the Bnei Ammon, and with them some Ammonim, came against Yehoshaphat to make milchamah.
2 Then there came some that told Yehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the Yam (Dead Sea), from Aram; and, hinei, they are in Chatzatzon-Tamar, which is Ein-Gedi.
3 And Yehoshaphat feared, and set his face to inquire of Hashem, and proclaimed a tzom throughout all Yehudah.
4 And Yehudah gathered themselves together, to ask help of Hashem, even from all the towns of Yehudah they came to seek help of Hashem.
5 And Yehoshaphat stood in the Kehal Yehudah and Yerushalayim, in the Beis Hashem, before the khatzer hachadashah,
6 And he said, Hashem Elohei Avoteinu, art not Thou Elohim in Shomayim? And moshel (rulest) not Thou over kol mamlechot haGoyim? And in Thine yad is there not ko’ach and gevurah, so that none is able to withstand thee?
7 Art not Thou Eloheinu, Who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Yisroel, and gavest it to the Zera Avraham ohav’cha l’olam (Thy friend forever)?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a Mikdash therein for Thy Shem, saying,
9 If, when ra’ah cometh upon us, as the cherev, shefot, or dever, or ra’av (famine), we stand before HaBeis HaZeh, and in Thy presence, (for Thy Shem is in HaBeis HaZeh,) and cry unto Thee in tzarateinu (our affliction), then Thou wilt hear and save.
10 And now, hinei, the Bnei Ammon and Moav and Mt Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Yisroel invade, when they came out of Eretz Mitzrayim, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not,
11 Hinei, what gomelim (ones repaying) they are to us, to come to drive us out of Thy yerushah (inheritance), which Thou hast given us.
12 O Eloheinu, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no ko’ach against this great multitude that cometh against us; neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.
13 And all Yehudah stood before Hashem, with their little ones, their nashim, and their banim.
14 Then upon Yachziel ben Zecharyahu ben Benayah ben Ye’i’el ben Matanyah, a Levi of the Bnei Asaph, came the Ruach Hashem in the midst of the Kahal,
15 And he said, Pay heed ye, all Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and thou Melech Yehoshaphat. Thus saith Hashem unto you: Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the milchamah is not yours, but that of Elohim.
16 Makhar (tomorrow) go ye down against them; hinei, they come up by the Ascent of Tzitz; and ye shall find them at the end of the wadi, before the midbar of Yeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this; take up your battle positions, stand ye firm, and see the Yeshuat Hashem with you, O Yehudah and Yerushalayim. Fear not, nor be dismayed; makhar (tomorrow) go out against them, for Hashem will be with you.
18 And Yehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fell down before Hashem, worshiping Hashem.
19 And the Levi’im, of the Bnei HaKehatim, and of the Bnei HaKorchim, stood up to praise Hashem Elohei Yisroel with an exceeding kol gadol.
20 And they rose early in the boker, and went forth into the Midbar Tekoa; and as they went forth, Yehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim. Ha’aminu BaHashem Eloheichem (Believe in Hashem Eloheichem), so shall ye be established; have faith in His Nevi’im, so shall ye be victorious.
21 And when he had consulted with HaAm, he appointed meshorarim (singers) unto Hashem, and that should praise the hadrat kodesh, as they went out before the army, and to say, Hodu L’Adonoi ki l’olam chasdo (Give thanks to Hashem, for His mercy endureth forever).
22 And when they began with rinnah and tehillah, Hashem set me’arevim (ambushers) against the Bnei Ammon, Moav, and Mt Seir, which were come against Yehudah, and they were struck down.
23 For the Bnei Ammon and Moav stood up against the inhabitants of Mt Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Yehudah came toward the mitzpeh (guard tower) in the midbar, they looked toward the multitude, and, hinei, they were pegarim (corpses) fallen on the ground, and there was no escapee.
25 And when Yehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder of them, they found among them in abundance both property with the pegarim, and articles of value, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away, and they were yamim shelosha in gathering of the plunder, it was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the Berachah Valley, for there they blessed Hashem; therefore the shem of that place was called, The Berachah Valley unto this day.
27 Then they returned, kol ish Yehudah and Yerushalayim, and Yehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Yerushalayim with simcha; for Hashem had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 And they came to Yerushalayim with nevalim and kinnorot and chatzotzerot unto the Beis Hashem.
29 And the Pachad Elohim was on all the kingdoms of those lands, when they had heard that Hashem fought against the oyevei Yisroel.
30 So the Malchut Yehoshaphat was at peace, for Elohav gave him rest on every side.
31 And Yehoshaphat reigned over Yehudah. He was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Azuvah bat Shilchi.
32 And he walked in the derech Aviv Asa, and departed not from it, doing that which was yashar in the sight of Hashem.
33 Howbeit the high places were not removed; for HaAm as yet had not set their hearts unto Elohei Avoteihem.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, harishonim and ha’acharonim, hinei, they are written in the Annals of Yehu ben Chanani, who is recorded in the Sefer of the Melachim of Yisroel.
35 And after this did Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah join himself in alliance with Achazyah Melech Yisroel, who did very wickedly;
36 And he joined himself with him to make oniyot (ships) to go to Tarshish, and they made the oniyot in Etzyon-Gever.
37 Then Eliezer ben Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Yehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself in alliance with Achazyahu, Hashem hath wrecked thy ma’asim. And the oniyot were wrecked, that they were not able to sail to Tarshish. [T.N. Yehoshaphat had a weakness for entangling himself with non-believers and suffering the consequences.]
14 How therefore shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone doing the hatafah (preaching)?
15 And how shall they do the hatafah (preaching) unless they have been sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach" Besuras HaGeulah YESHAYAH 52:7.
16 But not all have mishma’at (obedience) to the Besuras HaGeulah. For Yeshayah says (YESHAYAH 53:1): MI HE’EMIN LISHMU’ATEINU ("Who has believed that which is heard, our report?" [cf. DEVARIM 9:4]
17 So, then, emunah comes from hearing, and hearing comes through the Dvar HaMoshiach.
18 But I say, is it the case that they have not heard? On the contrary: "Their sound has gone out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the inhabited world" TEHILLIM 19:4.
19 But I say, is it the case that Yisroel has not known? First, Moshe Rabbeinu says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation; by a senseless nation I will make you angry." DEVARIM 32:21.
20 And Yeshayeh HaNavi is bold as to say: "I have been found by those who do not seek Me; I have revealed Myself to those who do not ask for Me"[YESHAYAH 65:1].
21 But concerning Yisroel he says: "All the day I stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people" YESHAYAH 65:2.
11 I ask, therefore, has Hashem repudiated His people? Not at all! Chas v’shalom! For I too am a ben Yisroel, of the zera Avraham (seed of Avraham Avinu), of the tribe of Binyamin.
2 Hashem has not repudiated His people whom He foreknew [TEHILLIM 94:14; Ro 8:29). Or do you not have da’as what the Kitvei Hakodesh says in the section about Eliyahu HaNavi, how he appeals to Hashem against Yisroel?
3 "Adonoi, they have killed your Nevi’im, they have torn down your mizbe’achot (altars), and I alone have been left, and they seek my life." [MELACHIM ALEF 19:10]
4 But what is Hashem’s answer to him? "I have kept for Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Ba’al." [MELACHIM ALEF 19:18]
5 Thus, therefore, also in the zman hazeh, there has come into being a she’erit (remnant, remainder) in accordance with the bechirah (election) of chesed (free, unmerited favor or grace).
6 But if on the mekor (basis) of chen v’chesed (unmerited favor, grace), then not on the mekor (basis) of [loin (wages), batsolen (pay) for] ma’asim (works), vi-bahlt (since) otherwise chesed would no longer be chesed (4:4-5).
7 What then? What Yisroel sought for, that is what it did not obtain; but hannivcharim (the elect, the chosen ones) obtained it. And the rest were hardened (9:17-18)
8 As it is written, "G-d gave to them a ruach tardemah (spirit of deep sleep), eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, until this very day" Isa 29:10.
9 And Dovid said, "Let their shulchan (table) become a snare and a net, a trap and a retribution for them;
10 " Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever." TEHILLIM 68:23-24 TARGUM HASHIVIM; [69:22-23].
11 I ask, therefore, have they stumbled so as to fall? Chas v’shalom! But by their peysha (transgression), Yeshu’at Eloheinu is coming to the Goyim in order to provoke them to jealousy.
12 And if their peysha (transgression) means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Goyim, how much more will their fullness mean!
21 (For the one directing. Mizmor Dovid) Melech shall have simcha in Thy strength, Hashem; and in Thy Yeshuah (salvation) how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 (3) Thou hast given him the desire of his lev, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
3 (4) For Thou meeteth him with the birkhot tov; Thou settest an ateret of pure gold on his head.
4 (5) He asked Chayyim of Thee, and Thou gavest it him, even length of yamim olam va’ed [see 1C 15:4; Ps 16:10];
5 (6) Gadol is his kavod in Thy Yeshuah (salvation); hod v’hadar hast Thou bestowed upon him.
6 (7) For Thou hast made him birkhot forever; Thou hast made him exceeding glad with simcha in Thy presence.
7 (8) For HaMelech trusteth in Hashem, and through the chesed of Elyon he shall not be moved.
8 (9) Thine yad shall find out all thine enemies; thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 (10) Thou shalt make them like an oven of eish in the time of thine presence; Hashem shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the eish shall devour them.
10 (11) Their fruit shalt Thou destroy from ha’aretz, and their zera from among Bnei Adam.
11 (12) For they intended ra’ah against Thee; they devised a plot, which they are not able to perform.
12 (13) Ki (therefore) shalt Thou make them turn their backs, when Thou shalt aim Thine bowstrings at their faces.
13 (14) Be Thou exalted, Hashem, in Thine Own Strength; so will we sing and praise Thy gevurah (power).
4 The atzel (sluggard, lazy one) will not plow by reason of choref (winter, cold); therefore shall he beg at katzir (harvest), and have nothing.
5 Etzah (purpose; see Yn 2:24-25 ) in the lev ish is like deep mayim, but an ish tevunah will draw it out.
6 Rav adam will proclaim every one his own chesed, but an ish emunim (faithful man, loyal man) who can find one?
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