7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: 'Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen ? Yet when you relied on the Lord , he delivered them into your hand.
9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.'
10 Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.
11 The events of Asa's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord , but only from the physicians.
13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers.
14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honor.
17 Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel.
2 He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals
4 but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel.
5 The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.
6 His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord ; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah.
8 With them were certain Levites-Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah-and the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord ; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10 The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.
11 Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
12 Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah
13 and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem.
14 Their enrollment by families was as follows: From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;
15 next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;
16 next, Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord , with 200,000.
17 From Benjamin: Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;
18 next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.
19 These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
18 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
2 Some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 'Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?' Jehoshaphat replied, 'I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.'
4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, 'First seek the counsel of the Lord .'
5 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-four hundred men-and asked them, 'Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?' 'Go,' they answered, 'for God will give it into the king's hand.'
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, 'Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can
