Ngwa ye Bajuta ne Baedomu
1 Shule kwaikoku, bathu be Moabu ne be Amoni ne bamwe be nshanganyila bakazha kuwogwa na Jehoshafati. 2 Ngono bamwe balume bakazha kuna Jehoshafati bakati, “Kwaswika mbunga usinshoma kudwa seli ye gungwa unodwa ku Edomu kowogwa namwi, batjibe mu Hazazonitamari kale!” Hazazonitamari ilimwe zina le Enigedi. 3 Ngono Jehoshafati kapalukamoyo kwazo kabona kuti ashake gumbuludzo muna Yahwe kakale kalaula kuti kube ne kuzwinyima zojiwa mu Juda yose. 4 Bathu be Juda bakakubungana kukumbila bhatsho muna Yahwe, mizi mikulu ikabuya kuwoshaka gumbuludzo muna Yahwe. 5 Kudwapo Jehoshafati kamilika mbeli kwe gubungano le Juda ne Jerusalema lakabe lili pa tjibata tje Ng'umba ya Yahwe, 6 ngono kabe eti, “Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu bedu, apa ate imwi Ndzimu ukudzimu kene? Apa ate imwi munolaula mibuso yose ye zwitjaba kene? Simba lose limu luboko gwenyu ngono kakale akuna ungama mbeli kwenyu. 7 Awu Ndzimu wedu, apa ate imwi makatatila kutjena bagali be shango iyeyi mbeli kwe bathu benyu Baiziraela, muipa zwizekugwana ibo zwizekugwana zwa Abhurahama nkwinya wenyu kene? 8 Ngono bakagala muili bakabakila zina lenyu bugalo gwakayengemala, beti, 9 ‘Ha bubi gungatiwila kene thumo kene kusumikilisiwa kene bugwele kene bhamba towozha mu Ng'umba iyeyi mbeli kwenyu ngobe zina lenyu limu ng'umba iyeyi, tikalilila kumuli mu buyendasi gwedu, ngono imwi mowohwa mukatitjidza.’
10 “Koga ngwenu bonani bathu be Amoni ne Moabu ne Dombo le Seiri ibo bamusakaletja Iziraela ikabanginilila tjibaka Iziraela idwa ku shango ye Egipiti, ibo babakaleya bakasibalobese, 11 bonani, botjitiboka nge kuzha betola shango yamakatipa iyo ili thaka. 12 Awu Ndzimu wedu modwa kuti amungabasumikilise kene? Atina simba le kulingisana ne babhayani bangapa batinginilila. Atitoziba kuti tithame tjini koga tolinga kumuli kutibhatsha.”
13 Balume bose be Juda bakama mbeli kwa Yahwe, kose ne ngawana dzabo ne bakadzi babo ne bana babo. 14 Kukati pakati gwe gubungano meya ya Yahwe ikadelukila muna Jahaziele nkololo wa Zekariya, Zekariya ali nkololo wa Bhenaya, Bhenaya ali nkololo wa Jeyele, Jeyele ali nkololo wa Mataniya, Jahaziele wakabe ali Nlevi we nsha wa Asafa. 15 Ngono kalebeleka kati, “Bhulutanani imwi mose Bajuta na bose banogala mu Jerusalema na Mambo Jehoshafati! Yahwe bakati kumuli, ‘Musitje kakale musitemeke mafupa ngoti babhayani ibaba bali banjinji. Ngwa iyeyi ate yenyu koga ngeye Ndzimu. 16 Mangwana delukilani ku bali kunobanginilila, bonani, ibo banowotathila nge matathilo e Zizi ngono mowobawana ku bupelo gwe nkuku, bhezhuba kwe tjilambanyika tje Jeruele. 17 Akutowosheteka kuti mugwe ngwa iyeyi, imwi muswike mume nge mamo yenyu koga, mudzikame ngono mowobona kuti Yahwe banokunda tjini. Bathu be Juda ne Jerusalema wee! Musitje kene kuli kutemeka mafupa, mukani muyende mangwana, Yahwe banamwi.’ ” 18 Ipapo Jehoshafati kathigama buso gugwe kwakakutha pasi ne Juda yose ne bagali bose be Jerusalema bakawa nge zwidwi mbeli kwa Yahwe benamata Yahwe. 19 Balevi be Bakohati ne Bakora bakamilika bakakudza Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela nge mahwi apezhugwi.
20 Bakamuka bebinduka beyenda ku tjilambanyika tje Tekowa ngono bakati bemilika, betangisa gwendo Jehoshafati kama ngono kabe eti, “Munditeedze imwi bathu be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema! Galanibgwe muna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ngono mowosima, galanibgwe mu balebesambeli babo ngono mowokunda.” 21 Wakati apedza lebeleka ne bathu Jehoshafati kashalula balume kuti bambile Yahwe babakudze bali mu gudzo lakayengemala se bakabe bali mbeli kwe bhayani beti, “Kudzani Yahwe! Ngobe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike gugelile tjatjose.”
22 Bakati betangisa kumba ne kukudza Yahwe, Yahwe bakakomba bathu be Amoni ne Moabu ne bagali be Dombo le Seiri bakabe bazha kuwonginilila bathu be Juda ngono bakabakunda. 23 Ngobe bathu be Amoni ne Moabu bakamukila bagali be Dombo le Seiri bakabalobesa tjoselele ngono bakati balobesa bagali be Seiri bakamukilana tjekwabo ngono bakalobesana. 24 Ngono babhayani be Juda bakati bazha pa thungamakole yakabe yakalingisana ne ku tjilambanyika kulingisana ne babhayani babo basi bashoma, bakawana kuli kuti bose bakakandalala pasi, kusina ndodwa ne limbelimbe.
25 Ndizo Jehoshafati ne babhayani babe bakati bezha kunotapa thundu yabo, bakawana matanga e ng'ombe ne thundu dze zwija ne zwiambalo ne zwimwe zwe ntengo upezhugwi ngono bakazwitolegwa izo kudzina bema pabanoshaka. Bakatola mazhuba ali matatu betuta ngoti kwakabe kuli kunjinji. 26 Mu zhuba le bunna bakanokubunganila pa Nkuku we Bheraka ngono ikoku bakakudza Yahwe, ndizo zina le pathu ipapo lakadang'wa kuyi Nkuku we Bheraka kuswikila nasi. 27 Kudwapo Jehoshafati katungamila balume be Juda ne Jerusalema mmwe ne mmwe kabgwilila ku Jerusalema akashatha ngobe Yahwe bakabe babashathisa ngokunda zwita zwabo. 28 Bakaswika ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe mu Jerusalema belidza zwilidzo zwe matende ne nyele ne nyanga. 29 Ngono kutja Ndzimu kukawila mibuso yose ye shango abehwa kuti Yahwe bakagwa ne zwita zwe Iziraela. 30 Ndizo mbuso wa Jehoshafati ukabe ne kunyalala ngobe Ndzimu wakabe wampa kunyaluluka kose koga.
Bhelelo lekubusa kwa Jehoshafati
(1 Bomambo 22:41-50)31 Ndizo Jehoshafati kabusa Juda. Wakabe ana makole ali makumi matatu ana bushanu (35) ha ebe mambo we Juda ngono kabusa mu Jerusalema kwe makole ali makumi mabili ana bushanu (25). Mmeyabe bakabe bedang'wa Azuba, Azuba ali nkololokadzi wa Shilihi. 32 Jehoshafati kangina mu thambo dza Asa tate babe, kasipambuke mu dzili kathama tjakabe tjakalulwama mbeli kwa Yahwe, 33 nenguba magalo apezhugwi e kunamata asakakolomogwa, bathu bakabe basinga namate Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo nge mimoyo yabo yose.
34 Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakashingwa ndi Jehoshafati kudwa tjose mu kutangisa kwe mbuso uwe kunoti ku bhelelo le mbuso uwe zwakakwagwa mu zwiyitikalo zwa Jehu nkololo wa Hanani izo zwakatshambisiwa mu Lukwalo gwa Bomambo be Iziraela.
35 Ngono shule kwa ikoku Jehoshafati kathama nshanganyila na Ahaziya mambo we Iziraela, Ahaziya wakabe ethama mbipo inotjenamisa. 36 Bakashanganyila kuthama zwikepe zwinoyenda ku Tashishi, bakathama zwikepe zwe gungwa be zwithamila ku mamilo e zwikepe e Eziyonigeberi. 37 Koga Eliezeri nkololo wa Dodavahu wakabe edwa ku nzi we Mareshahi kalebelambeli Jehoshafati nge kwako ngono kandwa kati, “Ngoti wathama nshanganyila na Ahaziya, Yahwe bawokolomola kose kwawathama.” Ngono zwikepe zwikafa kukasheta ne tjayenda ku Tashishi.
Moab and Ammon Are Defeated
1 Some time later, the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with the Meunites, went to war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers told Jehoshaphat, “A large army from Edom east of the Dead Sea has invaded our country. They have already reached En-Gedi.”
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he asked the Lord what to do. He then told the people of Judah to go without eating to show their sorrow. 4 They immediately left for Jerusalem to ask for the Lord's help.
5 After everyone from Judah and Jerusalem had come together at the Lord's temple, Jehoshaphat stood in front of the new courtyard 6 and prayed:
You, Lord, are the God our ancestors worshiped, and from heaven you rule every nation in the world. You are so powerful that no one can defeat you. 7 Our God, you forced out the nations who lived in this land before your people Israel came here, and you gave it to the descendants of your friend Abraham forever. 8 Our ancestors lived in this land and built a temple to honor you. 9 They believed that whenever this land is struck by war or disease or famine, your people can pray to you at the temple, and you will hear their prayer and save them.
10 You can see that the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Edom are attacking us! Those are the nations you would not let our ancestors invade on their way from Egypt, so these nations were not destroyed. 11 Now they are coming to take back the land you gave us. 12 Aren't you going to punish them? We won't stand a chance when this army attacks. We don't know what to do—we are begging for your help.
13 While every man, woman, and child of Judah was standing there at the temple, 14 the Lord's Spirit suddenly spoke to Jahaziel, a Levite from the Asaph clan. 15 Then Jahaziel said:
Your Majesty and everyone from Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you don't need to be afraid or let this powerful army discourage you. God will fight on your side! 16 So here's what you must do. Tomorrow the enemy armies will march through the desert around the town of Jeruel. March down and meet them at the town of Ziz as they come up the valley. 17 You won't even have to fight. Just take your positions and watch the Lord rescue you from your enemy. Don't be afraid. Just do as you're told. And as you march out tomorrow, the Lord will be there with you.
18 Jehoshaphat bowed low to the ground and everyone worshiped the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohath and Korah clans stood up and shouted praises to the Lord God of Israel.
20 Early the next morning, as everyone got ready to leave for the desert near Tekoa, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Listen my friends, if we trust the Lord God and believe what these prophets have told us, the Lord will help us, and we will be successful.” 21 Then he explained his plan and appointed men to march in front of the army and praise the Lord for his holy power by singing:
“Praise the Lord!
His love never ends.”
22 As soon as they began singing, the Lord confused the enemy camp, 23 so that the Ammonite and Moabite troops attacked and completely destroyed those from Edom. Then they turned against each other and fought until the entire camp was wiped out!
24 When Judah's army reached the tower that overlooked the desert, they saw that every soldier in the enemy's army was lying dead on the ground. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his troops went into the camp to carry away everything of value. They found a large herd of livestock, a lot of equipment, clothes, and other valuable things. It took them three days to carry it all away, and there was still some left over.
26 Then on the fourth day, everyone came together in Beracah Valley and sang praises to the Lord. That's why that place was called Praise Valley.
27-28 Jehoshaphat led the crowd back to Jerusalem. And as they marched, they played harps and blew trumpets. They were very happy because the Lord had given them victory over their enemies, so when they reached the city, they went straight to the temple.
29 When the other nations heard how the Lord had fought against Judah's enemies, they were too afraid 30 to invade Judah. The Lord let Jehoshaphat's kingdom be at peace.
Jehoshaphat Dies
(1 Kings 22.41-50)31 Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32 Jehoshaphat obeyed the Lord, just as his father Asa had done, 33 but he did not destroy the local shrines. So the people still worshiped foreign gods, instead of faithfully serving the God their ancestors had worshiped.
34 Everything else Jehoshaphat did while he was king is written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani that are included in The History of the Kings of Israel.
35 While Jehoshaphat was king, he signed a peace treaty with Ahaziah the wicked king of Israel. 36 They agreed to build several seagoing ships at Ezion-Geber. 37 But the prophet Eliezer warned Jehoshaphat, “The Lord will destroy these ships because you have supported Ahaziah.” The ships were wrecked and never sailed.