“ When you go to war against your enemies, be sure to stay away from anything that is impure.

“你出兵攻打仇敌，就要远避诸恶。

“你出兵攻打敌人，要远离一切恶事。

“你出兵攻打敌人，要远离一切恶事。

“你们出兵征战时，一定要远离恶事。

“你出兵安营攻打仇敌的时候，要谨守自己，远避一切恶事。

「你出兵攻打仇敵，就要遠避諸惡。

「你出兵攻打敵人，要遠離一切惡事。

「你出兵攻打敵人，要遠離一切惡事。

「你們出兵征戰時，一定要遠離惡事。

“你出兵安營攻打仇敵的時候，要謹守自己，遠避一切惡事。

『你出兵紮營攻打仇敵的時候、要謹守自己、避開各樣的壞事。

爾出列營攻敵、宜戒諸惡、

與敵戰時、慎勿行惡。

爾出徵攻敵、當自謹慎、戒諸惡事、

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.

There will be times when you are at war with your enemies. And your soldiers will be in camp. Then keep away from anything that isn’t pure and“ clean.”

“ When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.

“ When you are encamped against your enemies, be careful to avoid anything offensive.

“ When you go out as an army against your enemies, you shall be on guard against every evil thing.

“ When the army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.

When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing.

“ When you are encamped against your enemies, be careful to avoid anything offensive.

When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure.

When you go out and camp against your enemies, then you shall keep yourselves from every evil thing.

“ Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.

Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings.That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.“ Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God.In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out this work, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified towns, giving orders for his army to break through their walls.When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also intended to attack Jerusalem,he consulted with his officials and military advisers, and they decided to stop the flow of the springs outside the city.They organized a huge work crew to stop the flow of the springs, cutting off the brook that ran through the fields. For they said,“ Why should the kings of Assyria come here and find plenty of water?”Then Hezekiah worked hard at repairing all the broken sections of the wall, erecting towers, and constructing a second wall outside the first. He also reinforced the supporting terraces in the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields.He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate. Then Hezekiah encouraged them by saying:“ Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.While King Sennacherib of Assyria was still besieging the town of Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah and all the people in the city:“ This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you think you can survive my siege of Jerusalem?Hezekiah has said,‘ The Lord our God will rescue us from the king of Assyria.’ Surely Hezekiah is misleading you, sentencing you to death by famine and thirst!Don’t you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all the Lord’s shrines and altars? He commanded Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar at the Temple and to offer sacrifices on it alone.“ Surely you must realize what I and the other kings of Assyria before me have done to all the people of the earth! Were any of the gods of those nations able to rescue their people from my power?Which of their gods was able to rescue its people from the destructive power of my predecessors? What makes you think your God can rescue you from me?Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you! Don’t let him fool you like this! I say it again— no god of any nation or kingdom has ever yet been able to rescue his people from me or my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!”And Sennacherib’s officers further mocked the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah, heaping insult upon insult.The king also sent letters scorning the Lord, the God of Israel. He wrote,“ Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail.”The Assyrian officials who brought the letters shouted this in Hebrew to the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying to terrify them so it would be easier to capture the city.These officers talked about the God of Jerusalem as though he were one of the pagan gods, made by human hands.Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven.And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.That is how the Lord rescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the others who threatened them. So there was peace throughout the land.

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he went out among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging the people to return to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

“ What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied,“ Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

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,