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2 Crônicas 19

ARC · Chapter 19/36

1E Josaphat, rei de Judah, voltou á sua casa em paz a Jerusalem.

2E Jehu, filho d'Hanani, o vidente, lhe saiu ao encontro, e disse ao rei Josaphat: Devias tu ajudar ao impio, e amar aquelles que ao Senhor aborrecem? por isso virá sobre ti grande ira de diante do Senhor.

3Boas coisas comtudo se acharam em ti; porque tiraste os bosques da terra, e preparaste o teu coração, para buscar a Deus.

4Habitou pois Josaphat em Jerusalem: e tornou a passar pelo povo desde Berseba até as montanhas d'Ephraim, e fez com que tornassem ao Senhor Deus de seus paes.

5E estabeleceu juizes na terra, em todas as cidades fortes, de cidade em cidade.

6E disse aos juizes: Vede o que fazeis; porque não julgaes da parte do homem, senão da parte do Senhor, e elle está comvosco no negocio do juizo.

7Agora pois, seja o temor do Senhor comvosco: guardae-o, e fazei-o; porque não ha no Senhor nosso Deus iniquidade nem acceitação de pessoas, nem acceitação de presentes.

8E tambem estabeleceu Josaphat a alguns dos levitas e dos sacerdotes e dos chefes dos paes d'Israel sobre o juizo do Senhor, e sobre as causas judiciaes: e tornaram a Jerusalem.

9E deu-lhes ordem, dizendo: Assim fazei no temor do Senhor com fidelidade, e com coração inteiro.

10E em toda a differença que vier a vós de vossos irmãos que habitam nas suas cidades, entre sangue e sangue, entre lei e mandamento, entre estatutos e juizos, e admoestae-os, que se não façam culpados para com o Senhor, e não venha grande ira sobre vós, e sobre vossos irmãos: fazei assim, e não vos fareis culpados

11E eis que Amarias, o summo sacerdote, presidirá sobre vós em todo o negocio do Senhor; e Zebadias, filho d'Ishmael, principe da casa de Judah, em todo o negocio do rei; tambem os officiaes, os levitas, estão perante vós: esforçae-vos, pois, e fazei-o; e o Senhor será com os bons.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

After returning safely from the disastrous battle, Jehoshaphat is rebuked by a prophet for his dangerous alliance with Ahab. He responds by organizing a system of judges throughout the territory of Judah, instructing them to judge with integrity and the fear of God.

Explanation

The rebuke from the prophet Jehu, questioning why Jehoshaphat would help 'the ungodly' and love 'them that hate the Lord,' shows that even generally faithful kings can make serious errors of judgment in political alliances. Jehoshaphat's mature response is not defensive but constructive: he uses this correction as a spur to further strengthen justice within the kingdom, establishing an organized judicial system with clear instructions on integrity, impartiality, and the fear of God. His instruction to the judges — 'ye judge not for man, but for the Lord' — establishes a timeless principle that human justice should reflect the standards of divine justice, not personal interests or pressures.

Fun facts

  • Jehoshaphat's judicial reform, creating a system of judges in every fortified city with specific ethical instructions, is considered one of the earliest detailed biblical examples of a systematic reform of a nation's judiciary.
  • The distinction Jehoshaphat establishes between religious cases (led by the high priest Amariah) and the king's civil cases (led by Zebadiah) shows a sophisticated organizational separation between spiritual matters and purely administrative ones.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crônicas 19:1Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem in peace after the disastrous battle in which Ahab died — he survived, but he is about to be confronted over the alliance he chose to make.
  2. 2 Crônicas 19:2The seer Jehu confronts Jehoshaphat as soon as he returns from the war: “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?” — a direct reference to his alliance with Ahab in the previous chapter, which nearly cost Jehoshaphat his own life in battle.
  3. 2 Crônicas 19:3Despite the rebuke, Jehu acknowledges there is good in Jehoshaphat too: he removed the sacred poles from the land and truly set his heart to seek God.
  4. 2 Crônicas 19:4Jehoshaphat settles in Jerusalem and goes out again through the land, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, bringing the people back to the God of their ancestors.
  5. 2 Crônicas 19:5Jehoshaphat appoints judges throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, setting up an organized judicial system across the whole territory.
  6. 2 Crônicas 19:6Jehoshaphat instructs these judges with an important reminder: they do not judge for man, but for the Lord, who is present in every judgment.
  7. 2 Crônicas 19:7Jehoshaphat asks the judges to act in the fear of the Lord, because with Him there is no injustice, no partiality, and no acceptance of bribes.
  8. 2 Crônicas 19:8Jehoshaphat sets up a formal system of judges and priests stationed throughout the cities to judge the people’s cases, with specific instructions against corruption and favoritism. It is a justice reform, not only a religious one, rarely laid out in this much detail in a biblical account.
  9. 2 Crônicas 19:9Jehoshaphat’s charge to the judges is clear: act faithfully and with a whole heart, always in the fear of the Lord.
  10. 2 Crônicas 19:10Jehoshaphat instructs the judges to rule carefully on every dispute that comes from the cities, whether concerning bloodshed, law, commandment, or statute, so that no one becomes guilty before God.
  11. 2 Crônicas 19:11Jehoshaphat sets up a clear structure: the high priest Amariah leads in religious matters, and the official Zebadiah in the king’s matters, with Levites supporting both sides of the system.

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