“against the house with which I have war.” Pharaoh Neco left Egypt to go to the aid of Assyria in their battle against Babylon. It seems that Egypt, which had not been at war with Assyria, feared that Babylon’s successful attacks on Assyria would continue and would open the door for Babylon to gain control of Palestine and then attack Egypt. Assyria had attacked and destroyed Israel and had attacked and destroyed many cities in Judah when Hezekiah was king, and so Josiah would not have wanted to see Assyria helped. There is no mention of him asking God if he should attack Egypt, to him it seemed like the logical thing to do. However, God was with Babylon, and Neco’s warning that God would be with him and not Josiah if Josiah attacked him went unheeded (2 Chron. 35:21). Actually, Babylon defeated both Assyria and Egypt at Carchemish, which opened the door for the Babylonian conquest of Israel and Judah.