Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 20

Judah Invaded

¹ Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the ^(F1)(C1)Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.² Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from ^(F1)Aram; and behold, they are in ^(C1)Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi)."³ Jehoshaphat was afraid and ^(F1)(C1)turned his attention to seek the LORD; and he ^(C2)proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah.⁴ So Judah gathered together to ^(C1)seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.

Jehoshaphat's Prayer

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard;⁶ and he said, "LORD, God of our fathers, ^(C1)are You not God in the heavens? And ^(C2)are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.⁷ "Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and ^(C1)give it to the descendants of ^(C2)Your friend Abraham forever?⁸ "They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,⁹ '^(C1)If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for ^(C2)Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'¹⁰ "Now behold, ^(C1)the sons of Ammon, Moab, and ^(F1)Mount Seir, ^(C2)whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (for they turned aside from them and did not destroy them),¹¹ see how they are rewarding us by ^(C1)coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.¹² "Our God, ^(C1)will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but ^(C2)our eyes are on You."

¹³ All Judah was standing before the LORD, with their infants, their wives, and their children.

Jahaziel Answers the Prayer

¹⁸ Jehoshaphat ^(C1)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.¹⁹ The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Enemies Destroy Themselves

²⁰ They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: ^(C1)Put your trust in the LORD your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed."²¹ When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who ^(C1)praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, "^(C2)Give thanks to the LORD, for His faithfulness is everlasting."²² When they began singing and praising, the LORD ^(C1)set ambushes against the sons of ^(C2)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down.²³ For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, ^(C1)they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴ When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor.²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, ^(F1)garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.

Triumphant Return to Jerusalem

^31 (C1)Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.³² He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not deviate from it, doing right in the sight of the LORD.^33 (C1)The high places, however, were not removed; ^(C2)the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first ^(F1)to last, behold, they are written in the annals of ^(C1)Jehu the son of Hanani, which is ^(F2)recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

Alliance Displeases God

^35 (C1)After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly ^(F1)in so doing.³⁶ So he allied himself with him to make ships to go ^(C1)to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.³⁷ Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." So the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.

Chapter 78

⁵⁶ Yet they ^(F1)(C1)tempted and ^(C2)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,

⁵⁷ But turned back and ^(C1)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They ^(C2)turned aside like a treacherous bow.

⁵⁸ For they ^(C1)provoked Him with their ^(C2)high places
And ^(C3)moved Him to jealousy with their ^(C4)carved images.

⁵⁹ When God heard them, He ^(F1)was filled with ^(C1)wrath
And He utterly ^(C2)rejected Israel;

⁶⁰ So that He ^(C1)abandoned the ^(C2)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent ^(F1)which He had pitched among people,

⁶¹ And He gave up His ^(C1)strength to captivity
And His glory ^(C2)into the hand of the enemy.

⁶² He also ^(C1)turned His people over to the sword,
And ^(F1)was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

^63 (C1)Fire devoured ^(F1)His young men,
And ^(F1)His ^(C2)virgins had no wedding songs.

^64 (F1)His ^(C1)priests fell by the sword,
And ^(F1)His ^(C2)widows could not weep.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord ^(C1)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a ^(C2)warrior ^(F1)overcome by wine.

⁶⁶ He ^(F1)(C1)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.

⁶⁷ He also ^(C1)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

⁶⁸ But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount ^(C1)Zion, which He loved.

⁶⁹ And He ^(C1)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.

⁷⁰ He also ^(C1)chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;

⁷¹ From ^(F1)(C1)the care of the ^(F2)ewes ^(C2)with nursing lambs He brought him
To ^(C3)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel ^(C4)His inheritance.

⁷² So he shepherded them according to the ^(C1)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.

Chapter 14

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

¹ "^(C1)Do not let your heart be troubled; ^(F1)believe in God, believe also in Me.² "In My Father's house are many ^(F1)rooms; if that were not so, ^(F2)I would have told you, because ^(C1)I am going there to prepare a place for you.³ "And if I go and prepare a place for you, ^(C1)I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that ^(C2)where I am, there you also will be.⁴ "And you know the way where I am going."^5 (C1)Thomas ^(*)said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?"⁶ Jesus ^(*)said to him, "I am ^(C1)the way, and ^(C2)the truth, and ^(C3)the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Oneness with the Father

^8 (C1)Philip ^(*)said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."⁹ Jesus ^(*)said to him, "Have I been with ^(F1)you for so long a time, and yet ^(F2)you have not come to know Me, Philip? ^(C1)The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?¹⁰ "Do you not believe that ^(C1)I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? ^(C2)The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works.¹¹ "Believe Me that ^(C1)I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise ^(C2)believe because of the works themselves.¹² "Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and ^(C1)greater works than these he will do; because ^(C2)I am going to the Father.¹³ "And ^(C1)whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that ^(C2)the Father may be glorified in the Son.¹⁴ "If you ask Me anything ^(C1)in My name, I will do it.<