displeased with him for so doing, but that he delivered him from
the enemy, notwithstanding he had sinned, because of his own proper
disposition, which was good. Whereupon the king betook himself to
thanksgivings and sacrifices to God; after which he presently went over
all that country which he ruled round about, and taught the people, as
well the laws which God gave them by Moses, as that religious worship
that was due to him. He also constituted judges in every one of the
cities of his kingdom; and charged them to have regard to nothing so
much in judging the multitude as to do justice, and not to be moved by
bribes, nor by the dignity of men eminent for either their riches or
their high birth, but to distribute justice equally to all, as knowing
that God is conscious of every secret action of theirs. When he had
himself instructed them thus, and gone over every city of the two
tribes, he returned to Jerusalem. He there also constituted judges out
of the priests and the Levites, and principal persons of the multitude,
and admonished them to pass all their sentences with care and justice
[1] And that if any of the people of his country had differences of
great consequence, they should send them out of the other cities
to these judges, who would be obliged to give righteous sentences
concerning such causes; and this with the greater care, because it
is proper that the sentences which are given in that city wherein the
temple of God is, and wherein the king dwells, be given with great care
and the utmost justice. Now he set over them Amariah the priest, and
Zebadiah, [both] of the tribe of Judah; and after this manner it was
that the king ordered these affairs.

2. About the same time the Moabites and Ammonites made an expedition
against Jehoshaphat, and took with them a great body of Arabians,
and pitched their camp at Engedi, a city that is situate at the lake
Asphaltiris, and distant three hundred furlongs from Jerusalem. In that
place grows the best kind of palm trees, and the opobalsamum. [2] Now
Jehoshaphat heard that the enemies had passed over the lake, and had
made an irruption into that country which belonged to his kingdom; at
which news he was aftrighted, and called the people of Jerusalem to a
congregation in the temple, and standing over against the temple itself,
he called upon God to afford him power and strength, so as to inflict
punishment on those that made this expedition against them [for that
tho