Rebuke these enemy nations— these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.

求你叱喝芦苇中的野兽和群公牛，并列邦中的牛犊。把银块踹在脚下；神已经赶散好争战的列邦。

求你斥责芦苇中的野兽和公牛群，并万民中的牛犊。直到他们带着银块来朝贡；上帝已经赶散好战的万民。

求你斥责芦苇中的野兽和公牛群，并万民中的牛犊。直到他们带着银块来朝贡；神已经赶散好战的万民。

求你斥责那芦苇中的野兽，斥责成群的公牛和列邦的牛犊，使他们俯首献上贡银。求你驱散好战的列邦。

求你斥责芦苇中的野兽、成群的公牛和万民中的牛犊，并且把贪爱银块的人践踏在脚下；求你赶散那些喜爱战争的民族。

求你斥责芦苇中的野兽，斥责壮牛群以及万民中的牛犊；把贪爱银块的人践踏在脚下，驱散那喜好战斗的民众。

求你叱喝蘆葦中的野獸和羣公牛，並列邦中的牛犢。把銀塊踹在腳下；神已經趕散好爭戰的列邦。

求你斥責蘆葦中的野獸和公牛羣，並萬民中的牛犢。直到他們帶着銀塊來朝貢；上帝已經趕散好戰的萬民。

求你斥責蘆葦中的野獸和公牛羣，並萬民中的牛犢。直到他們帶着銀塊來朝貢；神已經趕散好戰的萬民。

求你斥責那蘆葦中的野獸，斥責成群的公牛和列邦的牛犢，使他們俯首獻上貢銀。求你驅散好戰的列邦。

求你斥責蘆葦中的野獸、成群的公牛和萬民中的牛犢，並且把貪愛銀塊的人踐踏在腳下；求你趕散那些喜愛戰爭的民族。

求你叱責蘆荻中的野獸、雄壯的公牛羣、別族之民的領主；將貪婪銀子的踹於腳下；趕散喜好接戰的別族之民。

求你斥責蘆葦中的野獸，斥責壯牛群以及萬民中的牛犢；把貪愛銀塊的人踐踏在腳下，驅散那喜好戰鬥的民眾。

其叱葦中之獸、牡牛之羣、民眾之犢、踐其銀於足下、驅散好鬥之民兮、

好鬥之人、如牛如犢、如葦間之獸、爾制伏之、爾離散之、俾輸金以歸附兮。

願主叱喝葦叢之野獸、與群牡牛、及似牛犢之異邦人、使之皆攜銀叩伏、喜爭鬥之列國、天主均已擊散、

以爾駐蹕。於我瑟琳。萬王賓貢。莫敢不勤。

Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.

Give a strong warning to Egypt, that beast among the tall grass. It is like a herd of bulls among the calves. May that beast bow down before you with gifts of silver. Scatter the nations who like to make war.

Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.

Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those with bars of silver. Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.

Rebuke the animals in the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Trampling the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.

Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, The multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples, Trampling under foot the pieces of silver: He hath scattered the peoples that delight in war.

Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those with bars of silver. Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people,[ till every one] submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people[ that] delight in war.

Sound your battle cry against the wild beast of the reeds, and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! They humble themselves and offer gold and silver as tribute. God scatters the nations that like to do battle.

Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples. Being humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations that delight in war.

My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.

Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:“ I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt— you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile. For you have said,‘ The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself.’

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord.And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.They told him,“ This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby.But perhaps the Lord your God has heard the Assyrian chief of staff, sent by the king to defy the living God, and will punish him for his words. Oh, pray for those of us who are left!”After King Hezekiah’s officials delivered the king’s message to Isaiah,the prophet replied,“ Say to your master,‘ This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers.Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’”Meanwhile, the Assyrian chief of staff left Jerusalem and went to consult the king of Assyria, who had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah.Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:“ This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria.You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?Have the gods of other nations rescued them— such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel assar? My predecessors destroyed them all!What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord:“ O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.“ It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all— only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah:“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria,the Lord has spoken this word against him:“ The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee.“ Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel!By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said,‘ With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains— yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests.I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’“ But have you not heard? I decided this long ago. Long ago I planned it, and now I am making it happen. I planned for you to crush fortified cities into heaps of rubble.That is why their people have so little power and are so frightened and confused. They are as weak as grass, as easily trampled as tender green shoots. They are like grass sprouting on a housetop, scorched before it can grow lush and tall.“ But I know you well— where you stay and when you come and go. I know the way you have raged against me.And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came.”Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,“ Here is the proof that what I say is true:“ This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit.And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and grow up and flourish.For a remnant of my people will spread out from Jerusalem, a group of survivors from Mount Zion. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!“ And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:“‘ His armies will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. They will not march outside its gates with their shields nor build banks of earth against its walls.The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.‘ For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.’”That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.

I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?

Some time after this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king.David said,“ I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death. But when David’s ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon,the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, their master,“ Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so they can come in and conquer it!”So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.When David heard what had happened, he sent messengers to tell the men,“ Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.” For they felt deep shame because of their appearance.When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob.When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all his warriors to fight them.The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah positioned themselves to fight in the open fields.When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields.He left the rest of the army under the command of his brother Abishai, who was to attack the Ammonites.“ If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me,” Joab told his brother.“ And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you.Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away.And when the Ammonites saw the Arameans running, they ran from Abishai and retreated into the city. After the battle was over, Joab returned to Jerusalem.The Arameans now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped,they were joined by additional Aramean troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River. These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s forces.When David heard what was happening, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and led the army to Helam. The Arameans positioned themselves in battle formation and fought against David.But again the Arameans fled from the Israelites. This time David’s forces killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, including Shobach, the commander of their army.When all the kings allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites.

After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat,“ A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon tamar.”( This was another name for En gedi.)Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord.He prayed,“ O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name.They said,‘ Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’“ And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them.Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance.O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.He said,“ Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said,“ Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:“ Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other.So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables— more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies.They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.So Jehoshaphat ruled over the land of Judah. He was thirty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight.During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Jehu Son of Hanani, which is included in The Book of the Kings of Israel.Some time later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was very wicked.Together they built a fleet of trading ships at the port of Ezion geber.Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said,“ Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your work.” So the ships met with disaster and never put out to sea.

As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me.

When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years.Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God.He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands.Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.Asa told the people of Judah,“ Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion.King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well trained fighting men.Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God,“ O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too.They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.

“ You rejoice and are glad, you who plundered my chosen people. You frisk about like a calf in a meadow and neigh like a stallion.

It lies under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds in the marsh.

After this, David defeated and subdued the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest town.David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.David also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control along the Euphrates River.David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, and 20,000 foot soldiers. He crippled all the chariot horses except enough for 100 chariots.When Arameans from Damascus arrived to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them.Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.David brought the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers to Jerusalem,along with a large amount of bronze from Hadadezer’s towns of Tebah and Berothai.When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had destroyed the entire army of Hadadezer,he sent his son Joram to congratulate King David for his successful campaign. Hadadezer and Toi had been enemies and were often at war. Joram presented David with many gifts of silver, gold, and bronze.King David dedicated all these gifts to the Lord, as he did with the silver and gold from the other nations he had defeated—from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek— and from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.So David became even more famous when he returned from destroying 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. In fact, the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.Joab son of Zeruiah was commander of the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the court secretary.Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king’s bodyguard. And David’s sons served as priestly leaders.

I love God’s law with all my heart.

Even men as strong as wild oxen will die— the young men alongside the veterans. The land will be soaked with blood and the soil enriched with fat.

You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

All the escape routes are blocked. The marshes have been set aflame, and the army is in a panic.This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:“ Babylon is like wheat on a threshing floor, about to be trampled. In just a little while her harvest will begin.”