Human wisdom, brilliance, insight---they are of no help if the LORD is against you.

You can get horses ready for battle, but it is the LORD who gives victory.

Being wise is better than being strong; yes, knowledge is more important than strength.

After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.

So the LORD was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the emperor of Assyria and refused to submit to him.

While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, and for three years Jehoiakim was forced to submit to his rule; then he rebelled.

When Sanballat, Tobiah, and an Arab named Geshem heard what we were planning to do, they laughed at us and said, "What do you think you're doing? Are you going to rebel against the emperor?"

I answered, "The God of Heaven will give us success. We are his servants, and we are going to start building. But you have no right to any property in Jerusalem, and you have no share in its traditions."

The LORD became so angry with the people of Jerusalem and Judah that he banished them from his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia,

But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!