Psalms 68:30 Cross References - NSB

³⁰ Threaten the beast that is among the cattails, the herd of bulls with the calves of the nations, until it humbles itself with pieces of silver. Scatter the people who find joy in war.

¹ King David attacked the Philistines again. He defeated them and ended their control over Methegammah. ² He defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him. ³ David defeated the king of the Syrian state of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob. Hadadezer was on his way to restore his control over the territory by the upper Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured seventeen hundred of his cavalry and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled (hamstrung) all the rest. ⁵ The Syrians of Damascus sent an army to help King Hadadezer. David attacked it and killed twenty-two thousand men. ⁶ Then he set up military camps in their territory. They became his subjects and paid taxes to him. Jehovah made David victorious everywhere. ⁷ David captured the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s officials and took them to Jerusalem. ⁸ King David also took a large quantity of copper from Betah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities. ⁹ Soon King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated Hadadezer’s entire army. ¹⁰ He sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. There had often been war between Hadadezer and Toi. Joram brought articles of gold, silver, and copper with him. ¹¹ King David dedicated these articles to Jehovah, along with the silver and gold he dedicated from all the nations he conquered. ¹² These nation included: Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the goods taken from Zobah’s King Hadadezer, son of Rehob. ¹³ David made a name for himself by killing eighteen thousand Edomites in the Dead Sea region as he returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ He put troops everywhere in Edom. All the Edomites were David’s subjects. Everywhere David went Jehovah gave him victories. ¹⁵ So David ruled all Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records. ¹⁷ Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, were the priests. Seraiah was the secretary. ¹⁸ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of David’s bodyguard. David’s sons were priests.

¹ Later the king of Ammon died. His son Hanun became king in his place. ² David thought: »I will show kindness to Hanun since his father Nahash showed me kindness.« David sent his servants to comfort Hanun after his father’s death. When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory, ³ the Ammonite princes asked their master Hanun: »Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Perhaps David sent his men to explore the city, spy on it, and destroy it.« ⁴ Hanun seized David’s men and shaved off half of each man’s beard. He cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away. ⁵ David was told what happened. He sent someone to meet them because they were deeply humiliated. The king said to them: »Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then return to Jerusalem.« ⁶ The Ammonites realized they had made themselves repulsive to David. They hired the Arameans from Beth Rehob and Zobah, with twenty thousand foot soldiers. From the army of the king of Maacah they hired one thousand men, and twelve thousand men of Tob. ⁷ After David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the elite troops. ⁸ The Ammonites formed a battle line at the entrance of the city gate. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah remained by themselves in the open country. ⁹ Joab saw he was under attack in front and behind. He took the select troops of Israel and organized them for combat against the Arameans. ¹⁰ He put his brother Abishai in command of the rest of the army and had them fight the Ammonites. ¹¹ Joab told his brother: »If the Arameans are too much for me to handle, you can come and help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. ¹² »Be brave and fight hard to protect our people and the cities of our God. I pray that Jehovah will do whatever pleases him.« ¹³ Joab and his men advanced to attack the Syrians. The Syrians retreated. ¹⁴ The Ammonites saw the Syrians (Arameans) running away. They fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab turned back from fighting the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The Syrians knew they had been defeated by the Israelites. They called all their troops together. ¹⁶ King Hadadezer sent for the Syrians (Arameans) who were on the east side of the Euphrates River. They came to Helam under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah. ¹⁷ David heard of it. So he gathered the Israelite troops and crossed the Jordan River. They marched to Helam, where the Syrians took up their position facing him. The fighting began, ¹⁸ and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven hundred Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. They wounded Shobach, the enemy commander, who died on the battlefield. ¹⁹ As soon as the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they made peace with them and became their subjects. The Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.

¹ Abijah slept in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king. In Asa’s time the land had peace for ten years. ² Asa did what Jehovah his God considered good and right. ³ He got rid of the altars of foreign gods. He broke down the sacred stones. He cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. ⁴ He told the people of Judah to dedicate their lives to Jehovah. They were to serve the God of their ancestors and observe (obey) his teachings and commandments. ⁵ He got rid of the illegal places of worship and destroyed the altars for incense in all the cities of Judah. The kingdom was at peace during his reign. ⁶ He built fortified cities in Judah and the land had peace. There was no war during those years because Jehovah gave him a time of peace. ⁷ Asa told Judah: »Let us build these cities and make walls around them with towers and doors that can be barred. The country is still ours because we have dedicated our lives to serve Jehovah our God. We have dedicated our lives to him. He has surrounded us with peace.« So they built the cities, and everything went well. ⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand Judeans who were armed with large shields and spears and two hundred and eighty thousand Benjaminites who were armed with small shields and bows. All of these men were strong fighting men. ⁹ Zerah from Ethiopia led an army of a million soldiers and three hundred chariots to the town of Mareshah in Judah. ¹⁰ Asa met him there. The two armies prepared for battle in Zephathah Valley near Mareshah. ¹¹ Asa prayed: »Jehovah, only you can help a powerless army defeat a stronger one. We depend on you to help us. We will fight against this powerful army to honor your name! We know that you will not be defeated. You are Jehovah our God. Do not let man prevail against you.« ¹² Jehovah helped Asa and his army defeat the Ethiopians. The enemy soldiers ran away, ¹³ Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. It was a total defeat! The Ethiopians could not even fight back! The soldiers from Judah took everything that had belonged to the Ethiopians. ¹⁴ Asa and his army attacked all the cities around Gerar because the cities were in dread of Jehovah. The army looted all the cities because there were many things to take. ¹⁵ They also attacked those who were letting their cattle graze and captured many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

¹ Shortly after that the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. ² Some men reported to Jehoshaphat: »A large crowd is coming against you from the other side of the Dead Sea, from Edom. The crowd is already in Hazazon Tamar (En Gedi).« ³ Jehoshaphat was frightened and decided to ask for Jehovah’s help. He announced a fast throughout Judah. ⁴ The people of Judah gathered to seek Jehovah’s help. They came from every city in Judah. ⁵ In the new courtyard at Jehovah’s Temple, Jehoshaphat stood in front of the people. ⁶ He prayed aloud: »O Jehovah, God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty. No one can oppose you. ⁷ »You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs from generation to generation. ⁸ »Our ancestors lived in this land and built a Temple to honor you. ⁹ »They believed that whenever this land is struck by war, judgement, disease, or famine, your people can pray to you at the Temple. You will hear their prayer and save them. ¹⁰ »You can see that the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Edom are attacking us! Those are the nations you would not let our ancestors invade on their way from Egypt. Consequently these nations were not destroyed. ¹¹ »They are now paying us back by coming to force us out of your land that you gave to us. ¹² »You are our God. Will you judge them? We do not have the strength to face this large crowd that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, so we are looking to you.« ¹³ All the people from Judah, their infants, wives, and children were standing in front of Jehovah. ¹⁴ Then Jehovah’s Spirit came to Jahaziel. He was the son of Zechariah, grandson of Benaiah, great-grandson of Jeiel, whose father was Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph. ¹⁵ Jahaziel said: »Pay attention to me, everyone from Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what Jehovah says to you: ‘Do not be frightened or terrified by this large crowd. The battle is not yours. It is God’s. ¹⁶ »‘Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. Meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel. ¹⁷ »‘You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait. You will see Jehovah give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid.’ Go out to battle. Jehovah will be with you! ¹⁸ »Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low. His face was touching the ground. All the people bowed with him and worshiped Jehovah. ¹⁹ »The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised Jehovah, the God of Israel. ²⁰ »Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. Before they began Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: ‘People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in Jehovah your God. You will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed. ²¹ »After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army. They sang: ‘Praise Jehovah! His love is eternal!’« ²² As soon as they began singing, Jehovah confused the enemy camp, ²³ The Ammonite and Moabite troops attacked and completely destroyed those from Edom. Then they turned against each other and fought until the entire camp was wiped out! ²⁴ Judah’s army reached the tower that overlooked the desert. They saw that every soldier in the enemy’s army was lying dead on the ground. ²⁵ Jehoshaphat and his troops came to take the loot. They found among them a lot of goods, clothes, and valuables. They found more than they could carry. They spent three days collecting the loot. ²⁶ They gathered in the valley of Beracah on the fourth day. Because they thanked Jehovah there, that place is still called the »Valley of Beracah« (Thanks) today. ²⁷ All the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem. They rejoiced while Jehoshaphat led them. Jehovah gave them a reason to rejoice about what had happened to their enemies. ²⁸ They brought harps, lyres, and trumpets to Jehovah’s Temple in Jerusalem. ²⁹ Deep respect for Jehovah came over the kingdoms in that area when they heard how Jehovah waged war against Israel’s enemies. ³⁰ Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was peaceful, since his God surrounded him with peace. ³¹ Jehoshaphat ruled as king of Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to rule. He ruled for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. ³² Jehoshaphat carefully followed the example his father Asa had set and did what Jehovah considered right. ³³ However the illegal worship sites on the hills were not torn down. The people still did not have their hearts set on the God of their ancestors. ³⁴ Everything else about Jehoshaphat from first to last is written in the records of Jehu, son of Hanani, which is included in the Book of the Kings of Israel. ³⁵ After this, King Jehoshaphat of Judah allied himself with King Ahaziah of Israel, who led him to do evil. ³⁶ Jehoshaphat joined him in making ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion Geber. ³⁷ Eliezer was the son of Dodavahu from Mareshah. He prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said: »Jehovah will destroy your work because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah.« The ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.

²¹ »He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed (happy) are all who take refuge (put trust) in him.

⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me. Foreigners will cringe in front of me.

¹² Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls from Bashan have encircled me. ¹³ They opened their mouths to attack me like ferocious, roaring lions.

¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like one who is slain. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm (power).

⁷ I am for peace, but when I talk about it, they only talk about war.

⁷ Wild oxen will be killed with them, young bulls along with rams. Their land will be drenched with blood. Their dust will be covered with fat.

¹ King Hezekiah heard it and he tore his clothes. He covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of Jehovah. ² Hezekiah sent Eliakim the palace administrator along with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ³ They said to him: »Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and rejection. Children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver. ⁴ »‘Perhaps Jehovah your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh. His master the king of Assyria has sent him to reproach the living God! He will rebuke the words Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that survives.’« ⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶ Isaiah said to them: »Say to your master: ‘Jehovah says: »Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard from the servants of the king of Assyria. For they have blasphemed me. ⁷ »‘»Listen! I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.«’« ⁸ Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard a report that the king had left Lachish. ⁹ He heard this concerning Tirhakah king of Cush: »He has come out to fight against you.« So he sent messengers to Hezekiah and said: ¹⁰ »Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you. He says to you: »Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.« ¹¹ »‘You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries. He destroyed them completely. And will you be delivered? ¹² »‘Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them? And what about the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? ¹³ »‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?’« ¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. He went to the temple of Jehovah and spread it out before Jehovah. ¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah: ¹⁶ »O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ »Give ear, O Jehovah, and hear! Open your eyes, O Jehovah, and see! Listen to all the words Sennacherib said to insult the living God. ¹⁸ »It is true, Jehovah, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. ¹⁹ »They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them. But they were not gods! They were only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. ²⁰ »Now, O Jehovah our God, deliver us from his hand. That way all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Jehovah, are God. ²¹ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: »This is what Jehovah, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, ²² this is the word Jehovah spoke against him: »The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. ²³ »Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? It is against the Holy One of Israel! ²⁴ »By your messengers you have heaped insults on Jehovah. You said: With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I reach its remotest heights, the finest of its forests. ²⁵ »I dug wells and drank the water there. With the bottom of my feet I dried up all the streams of Egypt. ²⁶ »Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it! And now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. ²⁷ »Their people are drained of power. They are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, parched before it grows. ²⁸ »I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. ²⁹ »For the reason that you rage against me and because your insolence (arrogance) has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the way you came.« ³⁰ »‘This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: ‘This year you will eat what grows by itself. The second year you will eat what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ³¹ »‘Again a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. ³² »‘Out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Jehovah will accomplish this. ³³ »‘Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning the king of Assyria: »He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield, or build a siege ramp against it. ³⁴ »‘He will return by the way that he came. He will not enter this city, declares Jehovah. ³⁵ »‘I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!’« ³⁶ The angel of Jehovah put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. The people got up the next morning and saw all the dead bodies! ³⁷ So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. ³⁸ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword. They escaped to the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.

¹¹ »You are happy and excited. You have looted the people who belong to me. You dance around like calves on the grass and neigh like stallions.

³² The river crossings have been taken. The enemy has burned its marshes, and its soldiers are terrified. ³³ »I am the All-Powerful Jehovah, the God of Israel, and I make this promise: Soon Babylon will be leveled and packed down like a threshing place at harvest time.

³ »Say this, ‘The Lord Jehovah says: »I am against you Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great monster (Egypt) (Psalm 74:13,14) that lies in the midst of his rivers. You have said: ‘My Nile is mine! I have made it!’«

²² My inner person delights in the law of God.

¹ What causes wars and fighting among you? Is the cause of fighting your sensual lusts for pleasure that battle within you?