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against them When the prophet had said, this, both the king and the multitude fell upon their faces, and gave thanks to God, and worshipped him; and the Levites continued singing hymns to God with their instruments of music.

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3. As soon as it was day, and the king was come into that wilderness which is under the city of Tekoa, he said to the multitude, That "they ought to give credit to what the pro"phet had said, and not to set themselves in array for fighting, but to set the priests with their trumpets, and the Le"vites, with the singers of hymns, to give thanks to God, as having already delivered our country from our enemies." This opinion of the king pleased [the people], and they did what he advised them to do. So God caused a terror and a commotion to arise among the Ammonites, who thought one another to be enemies, and slew one another, insomuch that not one man out of so great an army escaped; and when Jehoshaphat looked upon that valley wherein their enemies had been encamped, and saw it full of dead men, he rejoiced at so surprising an event, as was this assistance of God, while he himself by his own power, and without their labour, had given them the victory. He also gave his army leave to take the prey of the enemies camp, and to spoil their dead bodies; and indeed so they did for three days together, till they were weary, so great was the number of the slain; and on the fourth day, all the people were gathered together, unto a certain hollow place or valley, and blessed God for his power and assistance, from which the place had this name given it, The valley of [Berachah, or] blessing.

4. And when the king had brought his army back to Jerusalem, he betook himself to celebrate festivals, and offer sacrifices, and this for many days. And indeed, after this destruction of their enemies, and when it came to the ears of the foreign nations, they were all greatly affrighted, as supposing that God would openly fight for him hereafter. So Jehoshaphat from that time lived in great glory and splendour, on account of his righteousness and his piety towards God. He was also in friendship with Ahab's son, who was king of Israel; and he joined with him in the building of ships that were to sail to* Pontus, and the trafic cities of Thrace; but

* What are here Pontus and Thrace, as the places whither Jehoshaphat's fleet sailed, are in our other copies Ophir and Tarshish, and the place whence it sailed is in them Eziongeber, which lay on the Red Sea, whence it was impossible for any ships to sail to Pontus or Thrace; so that Josephus's copy differed from our other copies, as is farther plain from his own words, which render what we read, that the ships were broken at Exiongeber from their unwieldy greatness. But so far we may conclude, that Josephus thought one Ophir to be somewhere in the Mediterranean, and not in the South Sea, though perhaps there might be another Ophir in that South Sea also, and that fleets might then sail both from Phenicia, and from the Red Sea to fetch the gold of Ophir.

he failed of his gains, for the ships were destroyed by being so great [and unwieldy]; on which account he was no longer concerned about shipping And this is the history of Jehoshaphat, the king of Jerusalem.

CHAP. II.

Concerning Ahaziah the king of Israel; and again concerning the prophet Elijah.

§ 1 AND ND now Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel, and made his abode in Samaria. He was a wicked man, and in all respects, like to both his parents, and to Jeroboam, who first of all tran-gressed, and began to deceive the people. In the second year of his reign, the king of Moab fell off from his obedience, and left off paying those tributes which he before paid to his father Ahab. Now it happened that Ahaziah, as he was coming down from the top of his house, fell down from it, and in his sickness sent to the * Fly, which was the god of Ekron, for that was this god's name, to enquire about his recovery: But the god of the Hebrews appeared to Elijah the prophet, and commanded him to go and meet the messengers that were sent, and to ask them, "Whether the "people of Israel had not a God of their own, that the king "sent to a foreign god to inquire about his recovery? and to "bid them return and tell the king, that he would not escape "this disease." And when Elijah had performed what God had commanded him, and the messengers had heard what he said, they returned to the king immediately: and when the king wondered how they could return so soon, and asked them the reason of it, they said, that a" certain man met them, and "forbade them to go on any farther, but to return and tell thee "from the command of the God of Israel, that this disease "will have a bad end." And when the king bid them describe the man that said this to them, They replied, "that he was an hairy man, and was girt about with a girdle of leath"er." So the king understood by this, that the man who was described by the messengers was Elijah; whereupon he sent a captain to him, with fifty soldiers, and commanded them to bring Elijah to him; and when the captain that was sent found Elijah sitting upon the top of an hill, he commanded him to come down, and to come to the king, for so he had enjoined, but that in case he refused, they would carry him by force. Elijah said to him, " That you may have a trial whether I be

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*This god of flies seems to have been so called, as was the like god among the Greeks, from his supposed power over flies, in driving them away from the flesh of their sacrifices which otherwise would have been very troublesome to them.

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"a true prophet, I will pray that † fire may fall from heaven, "and destroy both the soldiers and yourself." So he prayed, and a whirlwind of fire fell [from heaven] and destroyed the captain, and those that were with him. And when the king was informed of the destruction of these men, he was very angry, and sent another captain with the like number of armed men that were sent be ore. And when this captain also threatened the prophet, that un'ess he came down of his own accord, he would take him and carry him away; upon his prayer against him, the fire [froin heaven] slew this captain as well as the other. And when upon inquiry, the king was informed of what happened to him, e sent out a third captain. But when this captain who was a wise man, aud of a mild disposition, came to the pace where Ejah happened to be, and spake civily to him; and said, That he knew that it was without his own consent, and only in submission to the "king's command that he cam to him; and that those that came before did not come willingly, but on the same account: He therefore desired him to have pity on those "armed men that were with him; and that he would come "down and follow him to the king." So Elijah accepted of his discreet words and courteous behaviour, and came down and followed him. And when he came to the king, he prophesied to him, and told him, that "God said, Since thou

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hast despised him as not being God, and so unable to "foretel the truth about thy distemper, but has sent to the "god of Ekron to enquire of him what wil be the end of this "thy distemper, know this, that thou shalt die.”

2. Accordingly the king in a very little time died, as Elijah had foretold; but Jehoram his brother succeeded him in the kingdom, for he died without children: but for this Jehoram, he was like his father Ahab in wickedness, and reigned twelve

But

+ It is commonly esteemed a very cruel action of Elijah's, when he called for fire from heaven, and consumed no fewer than two captains and an hundred soldiers, and this for no other crime than obeying the orders of their king, in attempting to seize him; and it is owned by our Saviour that it was an instance of greater severity than the spirit of the New Testament allows, Luke ix. 54 then we must consider, that it is not unlikely that these captains and soldiers be lieved that they were sent to fetch the prophet, that he might be put to death for for telling the death of the king. and this while they knew him to be the probe of the true God, the supreme king of Israel (for they were still under the theocracy,) which was no less than impiety, rebellion, and treason, in the highest degree: Nor would the command of a subaltern, or inferior captain contradicting the commands of th general, when the captain and the soldiers both knew it to be so, as, I suppose, justify or excuse such gross rebellion and disobedience in soldiers at this day Accordingly, when Saul com nanded his guards to slay Ahimelech, and the priests at Nob, they knew it to be an unlawful command, and would not obey it. 1 Sam. xxii 17. From which cases both officers and soldiers may learn, that the commands of their leaders or kings cannot justify or excuse them in doing what is wicked in the sight of God, or in fighting in an unjust cause, when they know it so to be.

years, indulging himself in all sorts of wickedness and impiety towards God, for leaving off his worship, he worshipped foreign gods, but in other respects he was an active man. Now at this time it was that Elijah disappeared from among men, and no one knows of his death to this very day; but he left behind him his disciple Elisha, as we have formerly declared. And indeed, as to Elijah, and as to Enoch, who was before the deluge, it is written in the sacred books that they disappeared, but so that nobody knew that they died.

CHAP. III.

How Joram and Jehoshaphat made an expedition against the Moabites: As also concerning the wonders of Elisha; and the death of Jehoshaphat.

§ 1. WHEN Joram had taken upon him the kingdom, he determined to make an expedition against the king of Moab, whose name was Mesha; for as we told you before, he was departed from his obedience to his brother [Ahaziah], while he paid to his father Ahab two hundred thousand sheep, with their fleeces of wool. When therefore he had gathered his own army together, he sent also to Jehoshaphat, and entreated him, that since he had from the beginning been a friend to his father, he would assist him in the war that he was entering into against the Moabites, who had departed from their obedience; who not only himself promised to assist him, but would also oblige the king of Edom, who was under his authority, to make the same expedition also. When Joram had received these assurances of assistance from Jehoshaphat, he took his army with him, and came to Jerusalem; and when he had been sumptuously entertained by the king, of Jerusalem, it was resolved upon by them to take their march against their enemies through the wilderness of Edom: And when they had taken a compass of seven days journey, they were in distress for want of water for the cattle, and for the army, from the mistake of their roads by the guides that conducted them, insomuch that they were all in an agony, especially Joram; and cried to God, by reason of their sorrow, and [desired to know] what wickednes had been committed by them, that induced him to deliver three kings together, without fighting, unto the king of Moab. But Jehoshaphat, who was a righteous man, encouraged him, and bid him send to the camp, and know whether any prophet of God was come along with them, that we might by him learn from God what we should do. And when one of the servants of Joram said, that he had seen there Elisha, the son of Shaphat, the disciple of

Elijah, the three kings went to him, at the entreaty of Jehoshaphat; and when they were come at the prophet's tent, which tent was pitched out of the camp, they asked him, "What would become of the army?" and Joram was particularly very pressing with him about it. And when he replied to him, That " he should not trouble him, but go to his "father's and mother's prophets, for they [to be sure] were "true prophets," he still desired him to prophecy, and to save them. So he swore by God, that he would not answer him, unless it were on account of Jehoshaphat, who was an holy and righteous man; and when, at his desire, they brought him a man that could play on the psaltery, the divine spirit came upon him, as the music played, and he commanded them to dig many trenches in the valley; for, said he, "Though there appear neither cloud, nor wind, nor storm "of rain, ye shall see this river full of water, till the army and the cattle be saved for you by drinking of it: Nor will "this be all the favour that you shall receive from God, but you shall also overcome your enemies, and take the best "and strongest cities of the Moabites, and you shall* cut "down their fruit trees, and lay waste their country, and stop 66 up their fountains and rivers."

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2. When the prophet had said this, the next day, before the sun was risen, a great torrent ran strongly : for God had caused it to rain very plentifully at the distance of three days journey in Edom, so that the army and the cattle found water to drink in abundance. But when the Moabites heard that the three kings were coming upon them, and made their approach though the wilderness, the king of Moab gathered his army together presently; and commanded them to pitch their camp upon the mountains, that when the enemies should attempt to enter their country, they might not be concealed from them. But when at the rising of the sun they saw the water in the torrent, for it was not far from the land of Moab, and that it was of the colour of blood, for at such a time the water especially looks red, by the shining of the sun upon it they formed a false notion of the state of their enemies, as if they had slain one another for thirst; and that the river ran with their blood. However, supposing that this was the

*This practice of cutting down, or plucking up by the roots the fruit trees was forbidden, even in ordinary wars, by the law of Moses, Deut. xx. 19, 20, and only allowed by God in this particular case, when the Moabites were to be punished and cut off in an extraordinary manner for their wickedness. See Jer. xlviii. 11, 12, 13. and many the like prophecies against them. Nothing could therefore justify this practice but a particular commission from God by his prophet, as in the present case, which was ever a sufficient warrant for breaking any such ritual or ceremonial law whatsoever.

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