“ Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

“请你为我们求问耶和华；因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒来攻击我们，或者耶和华照他一切奇妙的作为待我们，使巴比伦王离开我们上去。”

“请你为我们求问耶和华，因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒前来攻击我们；或者耶和华照他一切奇妙的作为待我们，使巴比伦王离开我们而去。”

“请你为我们求问耶和华，因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒前来攻击我们；或者耶和华照他一切奇妙的作为待我们，使巴比伦王离开我们而去。”

“请你为我们求问耶和华，因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒来攻打我们，或许耶和华会像以往一样行神迹，使敌人撤军。”

“请你替我们求问耶和华，因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒来攻击我们；也许耶和华会为我们行奇事，使尼布甲尼撒离开我们回去。”

「請你為我們求問耶和華；因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來攻擊我們，或者耶和華照他一切奇妙的作為待我們，使巴比倫王離開我們上去。」

「請你為我們求問耶和華，因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒前來攻擊我們；或者耶和華照他一切奇妙的作為待我們，使巴比倫王離開我們而去。」

「請你為我們求問耶和華，因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒前來攻擊我們；或者耶和華照他一切奇妙的作為待我們，使巴比倫王離開我們而去。」

「請你為我們求問耶和華，因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來攻打我們，或許耶和華會像以往一樣行神蹟，使敵人撤軍。」

“請你替我們求問耶和華，因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來攻擊我們；也許耶和華會為我們行奇事，使尼布甲尼撒離開我們回去。”

『請為我們求問永恆主，因為巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒來攻擊我們；或者永恆主照他一切奇妙的作為來待我們，使巴比倫王撤圍離開我們而上去、也不一定。』那時有話語出於永恆主，而傳與耶利米。

巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒將與我戰、求爾為我詢於耶和華、或耶和華依其奇行待我、使彼離我而去、

巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒攻我、爾為我禱耶和華、庶幾耶和華仍顯異跡、俾不攻予、時耶利米奉耶和華命、

“ Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

“ Ask the Lord to help us. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. In the past the Lord did wonderful things for us. Maybe he’ll do them again. Then Nebuchadnezzar will pull his armies back from us.”

“ Please speak to the Lord for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lord will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.”

“ Inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all his past wondrous works so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

“ Please inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us in accordance with all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”

“ Please inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us.”

Inquire, I pray thee, of Jehovah for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us: peradventure Jehovah will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

“ Ask the Lord on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will perform for us something like all His past wonderful works so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

“ Please ask the LORD to come and help us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the LORD will perform one of his miracles as in times past and make him stop attacking us and leave.”

“ Please inquire of Yahweh for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps Yahweh will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may withdraw from us.”

King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,“ Please pray for us to the Lord our God.”

In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.And the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

“ Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me,‘ Behold, Pharaoh’s army that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land.

Jeremiah the prophet said to them,“ I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.”Then they said to Jeremiah,“ May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us.Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

Then Samuel said to Saul,“ Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered,“ I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”

And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord( for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!

And Jeroboam said to his wife,“ Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died.And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.

So they inquired again of the Lord,“ Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said,“ Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,“ Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them,‘ Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it.In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.

King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah,“ I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.”Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“ If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah,“ As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“ Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.”King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,“ I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.”Jeremiah said,“ You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.But if you refuse to surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me:Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying,“‘ Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you; now that your feet are sunk in the mud, they turn away from you.’All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.”Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,“ Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you,‘ Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’then you shall say to them,‘ I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard.

“ Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols,that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.“ Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever;and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever;but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever;and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever;and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever;a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever.It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,saying,“ To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,saying,“ Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free;he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.And the Lord made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel against his words.He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number,which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground.He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.“ Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

Then David said to the Philistine,“ You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.

‘ Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor,“ Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”And his armor-bearer said to him,“ Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”Then Jonathan said,“ Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.If they say to us,‘ Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them.But if they say,‘ Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said,“ Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said,“ Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer,“ Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him.And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.

“ Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe( now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her.

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.Some men came and told Jehoshaphat,“ A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar”( that is, Engedi).Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,and said,“ O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying,‘ If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you— for your name is in this house— and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit.O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.And the 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.And he said,“ Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you,‘ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.You 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.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”Then Jehoshaphat 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.And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said,“ Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,“ Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.”And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.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, they all helped to destroy one another.When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped.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.On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies.They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.And 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.So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,“ Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.”Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying,“ Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.”So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.And the Lord said to Joshua,“ Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal.And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.And Asa cried 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, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil.

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said,“ Till now the Lord has helped us.”

Then the Lord said to Moses,“ Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel,‘ They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said,“ What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.They said to Moses,“ Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?Is not this what we said to you in Egypt:‘ Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”And Moses said to the people,“ Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”The Lord said to Moses,“ Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it.

And the king of Israel said to his servants,“ Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?”And he said to Jehoshaphat,“ Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,“ I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,“ Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them,“ Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said,“ Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”But Jehoshaphat said,“ Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?”And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“ There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said,“ Let not the king say so.”

For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

And Jehoshaphat said,“ Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered,“ Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”And Jehoshaphat said,“ The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.And Elisha said to the king of Israel,“ What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him,“ No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”And Elisha said,“ As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.

And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword.