2 Chronicles 17

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judahⓘ

Jehoshaphat strengthens Judah¹Asaʼs son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ²He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

³Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways^a of his father David. He did not seek out the Baals, ⁴but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel. ⁵So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an abundance of riches and honor. ⁶And his heart took delight^b in the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

Officials teach the Law throughout Judah⁷In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah, ⁸accompanied by certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah—along with the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.

¹⁰And the dread of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

¹²Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah ¹³and kept vast supplies in the cities of Judah. He also had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty men of valor. Jehoshaphat's army¹⁴These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers:

¹⁹These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.