2Sa 8, 2Sa 10, 2Ch 14, 2Ch 20, Isa 37 | ESV | STEP | After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines .

1 ^aAfter this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took ^bMetheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 ^cAnd he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites ^dbecame servants to David and ^ebrought tribute.

3 David also defeated ^fHadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^gZobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 ^hAnd David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David ⁱhamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 ^jAnd when the ^kSyrians of Damascus came to help ^lHadadezer king of ^mZobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians ⁿbecame servants to David and brought tribute. ^oAnd the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took ^pthe shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Toi king of ^qHamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 ^rThese also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, ^sMoab, ^tthe Ammonites, ^uthe Philistines, ^vAmalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^wZobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in ^xthe Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, ^yand all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Officials

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 ^zJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and ^aaJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and ^abZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and ^acSeraiah was secretary, 18 and ^adBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over ^{▼▼Compare 20:23, 1 Chronicles 18:17, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks was over} the ^afCherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

2 Samuel 10

David Defeats Ammon and Syria

1 ^agAfter this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal loyally ^{▼▼Or kindly; twice in this verse} with Hanun the son of ^aiNahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, ^ajat their hips, and sent them away. 5 When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of ^akBeth-rehob, and ^althe Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^amMaacah with 1,000 men, and the men of ^anTob, 12,000 men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of ^aothe mighty men. 8 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and ^apthe Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and ^aqthe men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 10 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 ^arBe of good courage, and ^aslet us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and ^atmay the Lord do what seems good to him.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. 14 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

15 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ^authe Euphrates. ^{▼▼Hebrew the River} They came to Helam, with ^awShobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded ^axShobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19 And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel ^ayand became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

2 Chronicles 14

Asa Reigns in Judah

1 ^{▼▼Ch 13:23 in Hebrew} ^baAbijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 ^{▼▼Ch 14:1 in Hebrew} And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars ^bcand the high places and broke down ^bdthe pillars and cut down the ^beAsherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah ^bfthe high places and the ^bgincense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built ^bhfortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, ^bifor the Lord gave him peace. 7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with ^bjwalls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, ^bkand he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of ^bl300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

9 Zerah ^bmthe Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as ^bnMareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and ^bothey drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at ^bpMareshah. 11 And Asa ^bqcried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, ^brfor we rely on you, ^bsand in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 ^btSo the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as ^buGerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah ^{▼▼Hebrew They} carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around ^bwGerar, ^bxfor the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 20

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

1 After this ^bythe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, ^{▼▼Compare 26:7; Hebrew Ammonites} came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, ^{▼▼One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (Syria)} from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in ^cbHazazon-tamar” (that is, ^ccEngedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face ^cdto seek the Lord, and ^ceproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not ^cfGod in heaven? You ^cgrule over all the kingdoms of the nations. ^chIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, ^cidrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of ^cjAbraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ^ck‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, ^{▼▼Or the sword of judgment} or pestilence, or famine, ^cmwe will stand before this house and before you— ^cnfor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of ^coAmmon and Moab and ^cpMount Seir, whom ^cqyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, ^crand whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 behold, they reward us ^csby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not ^ctexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but ^cuour eyes are on you.”

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And ^cvthe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ^cw‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, ^cxfor the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of ^cythe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 ^czYou will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ ^daDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, ^dband the Lord will be with you.”

18 Then Jehoshaphat ^dcbowed 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 And the Levites, of the ^ddKohathites and the ^deKorahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into ^dfthe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! ^dgBelieve in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him ^dhin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

^di“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ^djan ambush against the men of ^dkAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, ^dlthey all helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there ^{▼▼Hebrew they} were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, ^{▼▼ Beracah means blessing} for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, ^dofor the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 ^dpAnd the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, ^dqfor his God gave him rest all around.

31 ^drThus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 ^dsThe high places, however, were not taken away; ^dtthe people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of ^duJehu the son of Hanani, ^dvwhich are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

35 ^dwAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go to ^dxTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ^dy“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

1 ^dzAs soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet ^eaIsaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a ^ebday of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; ^ecchildren have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 ^edIt may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for ^eethe remnant that is left.’”

5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, ^efI will put a spirit in him, so that ^eghe shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and ^ehI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^eiLibnah, for he had heard that the king had left ^ejLachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of ^ekCush, ^{▼▼Probably Nubia} “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ^em‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 ^enHave the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, ^eoGozan, ^epHaran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 ^eqWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer for Deliverance

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, ^erenthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; ^esyou have made heaven and earth. 17 ^etIncline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear ^euall the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, ^evthe kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Sennacherib’s Fall

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
^ewthe virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.
23 “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
Against ^exthe Holy One of Israel!
24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
and you have said, ^eyWith my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon,
^ezto cut down its tallest cedars,
its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
its most fruitful forest.
25 I dug wells
and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
all ^fathe streams ^fbof Egypt.
26 ^fc“‘Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
blighted ^{▼▼Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts like a field} before it is grown.
28 “‘I know your sitting down
and your going out and coming in,
and your raging against me.
29 ^feBecause you have raged against me
and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and ^ffI will turn you back on the way
by which you came.’
30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah ^fgshall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 ^fhFor out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. ^fiThe zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or ^fjcast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 ^fkFor I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for ^flthe sake of my servant David.”

36 ^fmAnd the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at ^fnNineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of ^foArarat, ^fpEsarhaddon his son reigned in his place.