“ 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.”

“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.”

“ 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.”

“ 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.

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.”

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

In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of Israel’s elders came to consult the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.Then the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Are you coming to consult Me? As I live, I will not be consulted by you.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: This is what you will say to Judah’s king, who is sending you to inquire of Me: Watch: Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

So Jeremiah the prophet said to them,“ I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and every word that the Lord answers you I will tell you; I won’t withhold a word from you.”And they said to Jeremiah,“ As for every word the Lord your God sends you to tell us, if we don’t act accordingly, may the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us.Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us. We will certainly obey the voice of the Lord our God!”

“ Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul.“ I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul.“ The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore, either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”

He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.

Then the Israelites inquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,

God, we have heard with our ears— our ancestors have told us— the work You accomplished in their days, in days long ago:to plant them, You drove out the nations with Your hand; to settle them, You crushed the peoples.For they did not take the land by their sword— their arm did not bring them victory— but by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You were pleased with them.You are my King, my God, who ordains victories for Jacob.

Jeroboam said to his wife,“ Go disguise yourself, so they won’t know that you’re Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who told about me becoming king over this people.Take with you 10 loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died.So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.It was her custom to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her for judgment.

They again inquired of the Lord,“ Has the man come here yet?” The Lord replied,“ There he is, hidden among the supplies.”

Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together.They looked and froze with fear; they fled in terror.Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of Yahweh of Hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever. Selah

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

Indeed, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear.But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to it.In the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into.

King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah,“ I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah,“ If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.”King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private,“ As the Lord lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:‘ If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’”But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,“ I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”“ They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied.“ Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live.But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict that the Lord has shown me:‘ All the women who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say: Your trusted friends misled you and overcame you. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans. You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.’”Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah,“ Don’t let anyone know about these things or you will die.If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come and demand of you,‘ Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?’then you will tell them,‘ I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because nothing had been heard.

“ Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put sinful stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all?“ Therefore, speak to them and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart, puts a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I, Yahweh, will answer him appropriately. I will answer him according to his many idols,so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from Me because of their idols.“ Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things.For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in Israel separates himself from Me, setting up idols in his heart and putting a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I, Yahweh, will answer him Myself.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love is eternal.Give thanks to the God of gods. His love is eternal.Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love is eternal.He alone does great wonders. His love is eternal.He made the heavens skillfully. His love is eternal.He spread the land on the waters. His love is eternal.He made the great lights: His love is eternal.the sun to rule by day, His love is eternal.the moon and stars to rule by night. His love is eternal.He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians His love is eternal.and brought Israel out from among them His love is eternal.with a strong hand and outstretched arm. His love is eternal.He divided the Red Sea His love is eternal.and led Israel through, His love is eternal.but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His love is eternal.He led His people in the wilderness. His love is eternal.He struck down great kings His love is eternal.and slaughtered famous kings— His love is eternal.Sihon king of the Amorites His love is eternal.and Og king of Bashan— His love is eternal.and gave their land as an inheritance, His love is eternal.an inheritance to Israel His servant. His love is eternal.He remembered us in our humiliation His love is eternal.and rescued us from our foes. His love is eternal.He gives food to every creature. His love is eternal.Give thanks to the God of heaven! His love is eternal.

Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,you offspring of Abraham His servant, Jacob’s descendants— His chosen ones.He is the Lord our God; His judgments govern the whole earth.He remembers His covenant forever, the promise He ordained for a thousand generations—the covenant He made with Abraham, swore to Isaac,and confirmed to Jacob as a decree and to Israel as an everlasting covenant:“ I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.”When they were few in number, very few indeed, and temporary residents in Canaan,wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,He allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:“ Do not touch My anointed ones, or harm My prophets.”He called down famine against the land and destroyed the entire food supply.He had sent a man ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave.They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar.Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the Lord tested him.The king sent for him and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free.He made him master of his household, ruler over all his possessions—binding his officials at will and instructing his elders.Then Israel went to Egypt; Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.The Lord made His people very fruitful; He made them more numerous than their foes,whose hearts He turned to hate His people and to deal deceptively with His servants.He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen.They performed His miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.He sent darkness, and it became dark— for did they not defy His commands?He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die.Their land was overrun with frogs, even in their royal chambers.He spoke, and insects came— gnats throughout their country.He gave them hail for rain, and lightning throughout their land.He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their territory.He spoke, and locusts came— young locusts without number.They devoured all the vegetation in their land and consumed the produce of their land.He struck all the firstborn in their land, all their first progeny.Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among His tribes stumbled.Egypt was glad when they left, for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.He spread a cloud as a covering and gave a fire to light up the night.They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with bread from heaven.He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a stream in the desert.For He remembered His holy promise to Abraham His servant.He brought His people out with rejoicing, His chosen ones with shouts of joy.He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.All this happened so that they might keep His statutes and obey His instructions. Hallelujah!

Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth.He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; He burns up the chariots.“ Stop your fighting— and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall against it all around.The city was under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

David said to the Philistine:“ You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies— you have defied Him.Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.”When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

Oh, Lord God! You Yourself made the heavens and earth by Your great power and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!

Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his weapons,“ Come on, let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will help us. Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”His armor-bearer responded,“ Do what is in your heart. You choose. I’m right here with you whatever you decide.”“ All right,” Jonathan replied,“ we’ll cross over to the men and then let them see us.If they say,‘ Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stay where we are and not go up to them.But if they say,‘ Come on up,’ then we’ll go up, because the Lord has handed them over to us— that will be our sign.”They let themselves be seen by the Philistine garrison, and the Philistines said,“ Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they’ve been hiding!”The men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor-bearer.“ Come on up, and we’ll teach you a lesson!” they said.“ Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer,“ for the Lord has handed them over to Israel.”Jonathan climbed up using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. Jonathan cut them down, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off.In that first assault Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about 20 men in a half-acre field.

“ Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.”So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah, wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. They spoke with her.

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to fight against Jehoshaphat.People came and told Jehoshaphat,“ A vast number from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come to fight against you; they are already in Hazazon-tamar”( that is, En-gedi).Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord’s temple before the new courtyard.He said: Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.Are You not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and who gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?They have lived in the land and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name and have said,“ If disaster comes on us— sword or judgment, pestilence or famine— we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your name is in this temple. We will cry out to You because of our distress, and You will hear and deliver.”Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.Look how they repay us by coming to drive us out of Your possession that You gave us as an inheritance.Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.All Judah was standing before the Lord with their infants, their wives, and their children.In the middle of the congregation, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel( son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants),and he said,“ Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says:‘ Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.Tomorrow, go down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.’”Then Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him.Then the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel shouting with a loud voice.In the morning they got up early and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said,“ Hear me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in Yahweh your God, and you will be established; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithful love endures forever.The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated.The Ammonites and Moabites turned against the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely annihilated them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped destroy each other.When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped.Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to gather the plunder. They found among them an abundance of goods on the bodies and valuable items. So they stripped them until nobody could carry any more. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.They assembled in the Valley of Beracah on the fourth day, for there they praised the Lord. Therefore, that place is still called the Valley of Beracah today.Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem turned back with Jehoshaphat their leader, returning joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord enabled them to rejoice over their enemies.So they came into Jerusalem to the Lord’s temple with harps, lyres, and trumpets.The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel.Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side.

Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, treating Ai and its king as he had Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them.So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,“ Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”So the five Amorite kings— the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon— joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal:“ Don’t abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.”So Joshua and his whole military force, including all the fighting men, came from Gilgal.The Lord said to Joshua,“ Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal.The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.

Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million men and 300 chariots. They came as far as Mareshah.So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God:“ Lord, there is no one besides You to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on You, and in Your name we have come against this large army. Yahweh, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder You.”So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.Then Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell until they had no survivors, for they were crushed before Yahweh and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great supply of loot.

Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining,“ The Lord has helped us to this point.”

Then the Lord spoke to Moses:“ Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea.Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites did this.When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said:“ What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”So he got his chariot ready and took his troops with him;he took 600 of the best chariots and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in each one.The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out triumphantly.The Egyptians— all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army— chased after them and caught up with them as they camped by the sea beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians coming after them. Then the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help.They said to Moses:“ Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”But Moses said to the people,“ Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.”The Lord said to Moses,“ Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to break camp.

Look! Siege ramps have come against the city to capture it, and the city, as a result of the sword, famine, and plague, has been handed over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened. Look, You can see it!

The king of Israel had said to his servants,“ Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”So he asked Jehoshaphat,“ Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel,“ I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,“ First, please ask what the Lord’s will is.”So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, and asked them,“ Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?” They replied,“ March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”But Jehoshaphat asked,“ Isn’t there a prophet of Yahweh here anymore? Let’s ask him.”The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“ There is still one man who can ask Yahweh, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”“ The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

Because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He finally banished them from His presence. Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall all around it.The city was under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the people of the land had no food.

But Jehoshaphat said,“ Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of Yahweh through him.” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered,“ Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”Jehoshaphat affirmed,“ The Lord’s words are with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him.However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel,“ We have nothing in common. Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” But the king of Israel replied,“ No, because it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”Elisha responded,“ As the Lord of Hosts lives, I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look at you; I wouldn’t take notice of you.

and the Lord sent an angel who annihilated every brave warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned in disgrace to his land. He went to the temple of his god, and there some of his own children struck him down with the sword.