Midrash su II Cronache 20:1

“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentations 1:10).
“The adversary extended his hand.” You find that when the enemies entered the Temple, Amonites and Moavites entered with them. Everyone was running to plunder silver and gold, and the Amonites and Moavites were running to plunder the Torah, in order to remove “An Amonite and Moavite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:4). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Perata: This is analogous to a conflagration that was ignited in a king’s palace. Everyone was running to plunder the silver and the gold while a slave ran to plunder his writ of servitude. So too, when the enemies entered the Temple, Amonites and Moavites entered with them. Everyone was running to plunder silver and gold, and the Amonites and Moavites were running to plunder the Torah, in order to remove “An Amonite and Moavite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.”
Abraham bestowed four good things upon Lot. That is what is written: “Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him” (Genesis 12:4). And it says: “Lot, too, who was going with Abram [had sheep, cattle and tents]” (Genesis 13:5). And it says: “He returned all the property, [and also his brother Lot and his property he returned]” (Genesis 14:16). And it says: “It was when God destroyed the cities of the plain [God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot from the midst of the upheaval]” (Genesis 19:29). Correspondingly, they should have repaid them with goodness;¹⁴³Lot’s descendants, the nations of Amon and Moav, should have been kind to Abraham’s descendants. however, they performed acts of wickedness. That is what is written: “He sent messengers to Bilam…now, please go and curse for me…. The elders of Moav and the elders of Midian went…” (Numbers 22:5–7). “He gathered to him the children of Amon and Amalek, [and he went and smote Israel]” (Judges 3:13).¹⁴⁴The verse is stated regarding Eglon, king of Moav. “It was thereafter, the children of Moav, and the children of Amon, and with them some Amonites, came against Yehoshafat” (II Chronicles 20:1). And this: “The adversary extended his hand...”
Correspondingly, their sins are written in four places. “An Amonite and Moavite [shall not enter the assembly of the Lord]…because they did not greet you with bread and with water…” (Deuteronomy 23:4–5). “My people, remember now what Balak king of Moav devised…” (Micah 6:5). “Because they did not greet the children of Israel with bread and with water, and hired Bilam against them, to curse them” (Nehemiah 13:2). “He sent and summoned Bilam son of Beor to curse you” (Joshua 24:9).
Correspondingly, four prophets stood and sealed their sentence, and they were: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah. Isaiah said: “A prophecy of Moav: For on the night that Ar of Moav is plundered, it is ruined; for on the night that Kir of Moav is plundered, it is ruined” (Isaiah 15:1). Jeremiah said: “Behold, days are coming, the utterance of the Lord, and I will sound to Raba of the children of Amon an alarm of war, and it will become a mound of desolation, and its environs will be burned in fire, and Israel will inherit its inheritors, said the Lord” (Jeremiah 49:2). Ezekiel said: “To the children of the east, against the children of Amon, and I will give it as a heritage, so that the children of Amon will not be remembered among the nations. I will administer punishments to Moav, and they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:10–11). Zephaniah said: “Therefore, as I live, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, Moav will be like Sodom and the children of Amon like Gomorrah, a rustling thornbush, a salt mine, a desolate wasteland forever. The remnant of My people will plunder them and the rest of My nation will inherit them” (Zephaniah 2:9).

Rabbi Yoḥanan interpreted the verse regarding the incense of the house of Avtinas.²⁸⁴The house of Avtinas was a priestly family that would prepare the incense to be used in the Temple. See, e.g., Mishna Shekalim 5:1. “A bundle of myrrh,” this is one of the eleven spices that one places in it. Rabbi Huna said in its regard: “The Lord said to Moses: Take spices for you [stacte and onycha and galbanum; spices and pure frankincense; each part shall be equal]” (Exodus 30:34). [Take spices for you], these are two.²⁸⁵The word spices is plural. “Stacte and onycha and galbanum,” these make five. “Spices,” if you say that these are two, “spices” was already stated. “Each part shall be equal,” give five corresponding to five, these are ten. “And pure frankincense,” these are eleven. From here, the Sages examined and found that these eleven spices alone are optimal for incense.
“Lying between my breasts,” as it was confined between the two staves of the Ark.²⁸⁶The cloud created by the burning of incense in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur was confined to the area between the two staves of the Ark (Matnot Kehuna). “A cluster of henna [eshkol hakofer],” as it atones [mekhaper] for the iniquities of Israel. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Cluster, as it would rise in a column until the rafters and then spread and descend like a cluster. Hakofer, as it atones [mekhaper] for the iniquities of Israel.
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “The incense cloud will cover” (Leviticus 16:13). We did not know what this covering was until David came and explained it: “You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered [all of their sins]” (Psalms 85:3). “In the vineyards of Ein Gedi,” due to the conditions that I stipulated to Abraham your patriarch between the pieces, as it is stated: “On that day, the Lord established a covenant with Abram, saying…” (Genesis 15:18).²⁸⁷The covenant was based on the animals that would be sacrificed by Abraham’s descendants, including the kid [gedi].
The verse is speaking of Abraham, as it is stated: “After these matters, the word of the Lord was to Abram in a vision” (Genesis 15:1). Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama: There were ruminations that took place there.²⁸⁸This was after Abraham’s victory over the four kings (see Genesis chapter 14). Who ruminated? Abraham ruminated, and said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, You made a covenant with Noah that You would not eliminate his descendants from the world, and I arose and amassed good deeds before You, and the covenant with me overrode the covenant with him.²⁸⁹Abraham had just eliminated a significant number of his descendants. Perhaps another man will arise and amass more mitzvot and good deeds than me, and the covenant with him will override the covenant with me.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘“Fear not, [Abram,] I am your shield” (Genesis 15:1). From Noah I did not produce protectors and righteous people, but from you I will produce protectors and righteous people. Moreover, when your descendants perform transgressions and evil deeds, I will see who the great man among them is, who is able to say to the attribute of justice: Enough, and I will take him as collateral on their behalf, as it is stated: Eshkol, a man in whom there is everything [ish shehakol bo], Bible, Mishna, Talmud, Tosefta, and aggadot. Hakofer, who atones for the sins of Israel. “In the vineyards of Ein Gedi,”²⁹⁰The Hebrew can also be translated “for the sake of the vineyard…” and it is understood here as a reference to Israel, which is referred to as God’s vineyard (see Isaiah 5:7) (Matnot Kehuna). I take them as collateral on their behalf.’
Another matter, eshkol—ben Gezira said: This is the Holy One blessed be He, a Man in whom there is everything. Hakofer, who renounced the nations of the world and acknowledged Israel. When did He renounce the nations of the world? Say it was during the war of Yehoshafat; that is what is written: “It was thereafter that the children of Moav and the children of Amon, and with them some Amonites, came against Yehoshafat to war” (II Chronicles 20:1). You find Israel coming by virtue of Abraham, and Amon and Moav coming by virtue of Lot. These waged war with those and these fell into the hands of those. Yehoshafat, his God aided him and he prevailed. That is [what is stated] that He renounced the nations of the world. If a person will say to you that the verse is not speaking of Yehoshafat, say to him: “Ein Gedi” is stated here, and it is stated below: “In Hatzetzon Tamar, which is Ein Gedi” (II Chronicles 20:2). Just as Ein Gedi, that is stated below, the verse is speaking of the war of Yehoshafat, here, too, the verse is speaking of the war of Yehoshafat. Rabbi Levi bar Zekharya said: If, in this world, where it is written regarding the Holy One blessed be He: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a zealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24), He renounced the nations of the world and acknowledged Israel, in the future, where He is likened to dew, as it is stated: “I will be like dew for Israel” (Hosea 14:6), all the more so.

... R’ Shimon bar Aba said in the name of R’ Yochanan: any where that it says ‘and it was’ (vayehi) it indicates distress and joy. If it is distress there is no distress like it and if it is joy there is no joy like it. R’ Shmuel ben Nachmani came and split the teaching in half. Anywhere that it says ‘and it was’ (vayehi) indicates distress, ‘and it will be’ (v’haya) indicates joy…The brought a challenge from this verse “…and he was [there] (v’haya) when Jerusalem was taken.” (Jeremiah 38:28) He said to them: this is still a cause of joy because on that very day Israel received full payment for their sins. As R’ Shmuel ben Nachmani said: Israel received full payment for their sins on the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, as it says “Your iniquity is finished, O daughter of Zion…” (Lamentations 4:22)