Josaphat Instructs the Judges and Levites¹

It is the Lord's Judgment the Judge Wields

(from the Second Book of Paralipomenon [Chronicles], Chapter 19:1-10.)

Douay-Rheims

Vulgate

1 And Josaphat king of Juda returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer met him, and said to him: Thou helpest the ungodly, and thou art joined in friendship with them that hate the Lord, and therefore thou didst deserve indeed the wrath of the Lord: 3 But good works are found in thee, because thou hast taken away the groves out of the land of Juda, and hast prepared thy heart to seek the Lord the God of thy fathers. 4 And Josaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again to the people from Bersabee to mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord the God of their fathers. 5 And he set judges of the land in all the fenced cities of Juda, in every place. 6 And charging the judges, he said: Take heed what you do: for you exercise not the judgment of man, but of the Lord: and whatsoever you judge, it shall redound to you. 7 Let the fear of the Lord be with you, and do all things with diligence: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, a nor respect of persons, nor desire of gifts. 8 In Jerusalem also Josaphat appointed Levites, and priests and chiefs of the families of Israel, to judge the judgment and the cause of the Lord for the inhabitants thereof. 9 And he charged them, saying: Thus shall you do in the fear of the Lord faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10 Every cause that shall come to you of your brethren, that dwell in their cities, between kindred and kindred, wheresoever there is question concerning the law, the commandment, the ceremonies, the justifications: show it them, that they may not sin against the Lord, and that wrath may not come upon you and your brethren: and so doing you shall not sin.

1 reversus est autem Iosaphat rex Iuda domum suam pacifice in Hierusalem 2 cui occurrit Hieu filius Anani videns et ait ad eum impio praebes auxilium et his qui oderunt Dominum amicitia iungeris et idcirco iram quidem Domini merebaris 3 sed bona opera inventa sunt in te eo quod abstuleris lucos de terra Iuda et praeparaveris cor tuum ut requireres Dominum 4 habitavit ergo Iosaphat in Hierusalem rursumque egressus est ad populum de Bersabee usque ad montem Ephraim et revocavit eos ad Dominum Deum patrum suorum 5 constituitque iudices terrae in cunctis civitatibus Iuda munitis per singula loca 6 et praecipiens iudicibus videte ait quid faciatis non enim hominis exercetis iudicium sed Domini et quodcumque iudicaveritis in vos redundabit 7 sit timor Domini vobiscum et cum diligentia cuncta facite non est enim apud Dominum Deum nostrum iniquitas nec personarum acceptio nec cupido munerum 8 in Hierusalem quoque constituit Iosaphat Levitas et sacerdotes et principes familiarum ex Israhel ut iudicium et causam Domini iudicarent habitatoribus eius 9 praecepitque eis dicens sic agetis in timore Dei fideliter et corde perfecto 10 omnem causam quae venerit ad vos fratrum vestrorum qui habitant in urbibus suis inter cognationem et cognationem ubicumque quaestio est de lege de mandato de caerimoniis de iustificationibus ostendite eis ut non peccent in Dominum et ne veniat ira super vos et super fratres vestros sic ergo agetis et non peccabitis

Endnotes

¹ 2 Paralipomenon [Chronicles] 19:1-10 (English is Douay-Rheims and Latin is Vulgate). ⇑