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[16]
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 aftrighted,
as supposing that God would openly fight for him hereafter. So Jehoshaphat
from that time lived in great glory and splendor, 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 traffic cities of Thrace 1
but 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.
2
1 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 further plain from his own words, which render what we read, that "the ships were broken at Eziongeber, from their unwieldy greatness." But so far we may conclude, that Josephus thought one Ophir to be some where 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 Phoenicia and from the Red Sea to fetch the gold of Ophir.
2 CONCERNING AHAZIAH; THE KING OF ISRAEL; AND AGAIN CONCERNING THE PROPHET ELIJAH.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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