¹⁸ He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest^(A) on every side?^(B) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people.

²⁵ For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest^(A) to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,

⁶ He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.^(A)

⁷ “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest^(A) on every side.” So they built and prospered.