¹² God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.^(A) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord,^(B) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”^(C)

¹⁸ The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied^(A) on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite^(A) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.^{(B) 10} Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa called^(C) to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,^(D) Lord our God, for we rely^(E) on you, and in your name^(F) we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail^(G) against you.”

¹² The Lord struck down^(H) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, ¹³ and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.^(I) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed^(J) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.^{(K) 14} They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror^(L) of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.

⁹ For the eyes^(A) of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish^(B) thing, and from now on you will be at war.^(C)”

¹⁵ He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged^(A) because of this vast army. For the battle^(B) is not yours, but God’s.

¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see^(A) the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

²² As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes^(A) against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

²³ The Ammonites^(A) and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir^(B) to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.^(C)

² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,^(A)