¹² “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.

“Because I know the harm^(A) you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash^(B) their little children^(C) to the ground, and rip open^(D) their pregnant women.”

²⁹ so King Joram returned to Jezreel^(A) to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth^[a] in his battle with Hazael^(B) king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah^(C) son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.

³² In those days the Lord began to reduce^(A) the size of Israel. Hazael^(B) overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory

¹⁷ About this time Hazael^(A) king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem.

³ So the Lord’s anger^(A) burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power^(B) of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad^(C) his son.

⁷ Nothing had been left^(A) of the army of Jehoahaz except fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust^(B) at threshing time.

²² Hazael king of Aram oppressed^(A) Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.