1tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some mss of the LXX, read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so NASB, NIV, NRSV). 2tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 3tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT). 4tc Most Hebrew mss read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this must be a corruption of “Edom,” which is the reading of the LXX and Vulgate. 5tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.” 6tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. 7tn Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash). 8tn Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash). 9map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 10tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33). 11tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation. 12tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse. 13tn Heb “permanently.” 14tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8. 15tn Or “sanctuary.” 16tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”). 17tn Heb “sword.” 18tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside. 19tn Or “so that you may.” 20tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.” 21tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.” 22tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.” 23tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah. 24tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all. 25tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.” 26tn Heb “look.” 27tn Heb “the deliverance of the Lord with you.” 28tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.” 29tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15. 30tn Heb “to worship the Lord.” 31tn Heb “arose to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice.” 32tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15. 33tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman). 34tn Or “consulted.” 35tn Or “is eternal.” 36tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack. 37tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.” 38tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.” 39tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.” 40tn Heb “residents.” 41tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר. 42tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah. 43tn Heb “turned toward.” 44tn Or “army.” 45tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (f˙garim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew mss and the Vulgate read בְגָדִים (v˙gadim, “clothing”), which fits the context much better. 46tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.” 47tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.” 48tn Heb “for there.” 49sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse. 50tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense. 51tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.” 52map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 53tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.” 54tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.” 55tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.” 56tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons. 57tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.” 58tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship. 59tn Heb “when.” 60tn Heb “to go to Tarshish.”
1tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some mss of the LXX, read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
2tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT).
4tc Most Hebrew mss read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this must be a corruption of “Edom,” which is the reading of the LXX and Vulgate.
5tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”
6tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
7tn Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
8tn Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
9map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
10tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
11tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
12tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
13tn Heb “permanently.”
14tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
15tn Or “sanctuary.”
16tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).
17tn Heb “sword.”
18tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
19tn Or “so that you may.”
20tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
21tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
22tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
23tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
24tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
25tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
26tn Heb “look.”
27tn Heb “the deliverance of the Lord with you.”
28tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
29tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
30tn Heb “to worship the Lord.”
31tn Heb “arose to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice.”
32tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
33tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
34tn Or “consulted.”
35tn Or “is eternal.”
36tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
37tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
38tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
39tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
40tn Heb “residents.”
41tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
42tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
43tn Heb “turned toward.”
44tn Or “army.”
45tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (f˙garim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew mss and the Vulgate read בְגָדִים (v˙gadim, “clothing”), which fits the context much better.
46tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
47tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
48tn Heb “for there.”
49sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
50tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
51tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
52map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
53tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”
54tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
55tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
56tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
57tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
58tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
59tn Heb “when.”
60tn Heb “to go to Tarshish.”