Jehoshaphat's Prayer

20 After this ^(A)the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,^[a] came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ² Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,^[b] from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in ^(B)Hazazon-tamar” (that is, ^(C)Engedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face ^(D)to seek the Lord, and ^(E)proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶ and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not ^(F)God in heaven? You ^(G)rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. ^(H)In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. ⁷ Did you not, our God, ^(I)drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of ^(J)Abraham your friend? ⁸ And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ^9 (K)‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,^[c] or pestilence, or famine, ^(L)we will stand before this house and before you—^(M)for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ ¹⁰ And now behold, the men of ^(N)Ammon and Moab and ^(O)Mount Seir, whom ^(P)you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, ^(Q)and whom they avoided and did not destroy— ¹¹ behold, they reward us ^(R)by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will you not ^(S)execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but ^(T)our eyes are on you.”

¹³ Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ And ^(U)the Spirit of the Lord came^[d] upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ^(V)‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, ^(W)for the battle is not yours but God's. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of ^(X)the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ^17 (Y)You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ ^(Z)Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, ^(AA)and the Lord will be with you.”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat ^(AB)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Levites, of the ^(AC)Kohathites and the ^(AD)Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ And they rose early in the morning and went out into ^(AE)the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! ^(AF)Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him ^(AG)in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

²² And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ^(AI)an ambush against the men of ^(AJ)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.

The Narrow Door

^22 (A)He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and ^(B)journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to him, “Lord, ^(C)will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ^24 (D)“Strive ^(E)to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ^25 (F)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ^(G)‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ^(H)‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ^(I)‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, ^(J)I do not know where you come from. ^(K)Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ^28 (L)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see ^(M)Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but ^(N)you yourselves cast out. ²⁹ And ^(O)people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and ^(P)recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, ^(Q)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹ At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from ^(R)here, for ^(S)Herod wants to kill you.”