Judah Invaded

20 Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the ^[a](A)Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. ² Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from ^[b]Aram; and behold, they are in ^(B)Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” ³ Jehoshaphat was afraid and ^[c](C)turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he ^(D)proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah. ⁴ So Judah gathered together to ^(E)seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.

¹³ All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children.

Jahaziel Answers the Prayer

¹⁴ Then in the midst of the assembly ^(A)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; ¹⁵ and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the Lord says to you: ‘^(B)Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for ^(C)the battle is not yours but God’s.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth

¹⁶ “Now ^(A)whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they ^[a]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. ^(B)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ¹⁷ But as for you, when you fast, ^[b](C)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your ^(D)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

First Missionary Journey

13 Now there were ^(A)prophets and ^(B)teachers at ^(C)Antioch, in the ^(D)church that was there: ^(E)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of ^(F)Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with ^(G)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were ^[a]serving the Lord and fasting, ^(H)the Holy Spirit said, “Set ^(I)Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for ^(J)the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted, ^(K)prayed, and ^(L)laid their hands on them, ^(M)they sent them away.