1 His son Jehoshaphat became king after him and made himself strong against Israel.
2 He placed forces in every fortress city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim his father Asa had taken.
3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, for he followed the early ways of his father David and did not seek the Baals.
4 He sought his father's God and followed his commandments rather than the deeds of Israel.
5 So the LORD made the kingdom secure under his control. All Judah gave Jehoshaphat gifts, and he gained great wealth and honor.
6 His heart was emboldened in the LORD's ways, and he also took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent out his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in Judah's cities,
8 accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 They taught throughout Judah, taking the book of the LORD's law with them; they traveled to every city of Judah and taught the people.
10 A dread of the LORD came over all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat.
11 Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and a load of silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks too: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
12 Jehoshaphat kept on growing more and more powerful; he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah
13 and had much work in hand in the cities of Judah, with soldiers, strong warriors, in Jerusalem.
14 Here is their count by fathers' houses. From Judah, the leaders of thousands: Adnah the leader, with three hundred thousand strong warriors;
15 beside him Jehohanan the leader, with two hundred and eighty thousand;
16 beside him Amasiah son of Zichri, who offered himself willingly to the LORD, with two hundred thousand strong warriors.
17 From Benjamin: Eliada, a strong warrior, with two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;
18 beside him Jehozabad, with a hundred and eighty thousand ready for battle.
19 These were the men in the king's service, not counting those the king had stationed in the fortress cities all over Judah.