⁵ Thus says the Lord:

The Folly of Not Trusting God

⁸ With him is an ^(A)arm of flesh; but ^(B)with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

¹¹ And Asa ^(A)cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is ^(B)nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and ^(C)in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

¹² O our God, will You not ^(A)judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but ^(B)our eyes are upon You.”

¹³ Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.

¹⁴ Then ^(C)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ^(D)‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, ^(E)for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ^[a]brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. ^17 (F)You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, ^(G)for the Lord is with you.”

¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat ^(H)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: ^(I)Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”