²³ Now in the spring, the army of the Aramaeans came up against him; they came against Judah and Jerusalem, putting to death all the great men of the people and sending all the goods they took from them to the king of Damascus.

¹⁷ Then Hazael, king of Aram, went up against Gath and took it; and his purpose was to go up to Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Then Jehoash, king of Judah, took all the holy things which Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had given to the Lord, together with the things he himself had given, and all the gold in the Temple store and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael, king of Aram; and he went away from Jerusalem.

³⁵ Punishment is mine and reward, at the time of the slipping of their feet: for the day of their downfall is near, sudden will be their fate.

²² Then the prophet came up to the king of Israel, and said to him, Now make yourself strong, and take care what you do, or a year from now the king of Aram will come up against you again.

²⁶ So, a year later, Ben-hadad got the Aramaeans together and went up to Aphek to make war on Israel.

¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada, the chiefs of Judah came and went down on their faces before the king. Then the king gave ear to them.

¹⁸ And they gave up the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and became worshippers of pillars of wood and of the images; and because of this sin of theirs, wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth.

¹¹ Give worship to the Lord with fear, kissing his feet and giving him honour,

¹⁰ The upright man will be glad when he sees their punishment; his feet will be washed in the blood of the evil-doer.

¹¹ So that men will say, Truly there is a reward for righteousness; truly there is a God who is judge on the earth.

⁶ I said, You are gods; all of you are the sons of the Most High:

⁷ But you will come to death like men, falling like one of the rulers of the earth.