¹⁹ The Lord was with^(A) the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country,^(B) but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.^(C)

²³ Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods^(A) of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. ²⁵ You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.