20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah 3 and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. 4 20:19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. 5
20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah 6 and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! 7 Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 20:21 He met 8 with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.” 9
20:22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked 10 the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir 11 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
1 tn Heb “the deliverance of the
2 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
3 tn 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.
4 tn Heb “to worship the
5 tn Heb “arose to praise the
6 tn 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.
7 tn 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).
8 tn Or “consulted.”
9 tn Or “is eternal.”
10 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
11 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”