"The king of Syria will go back and gather a larger army than he had before. When the proper time comes, he will return with a large, well-equipped army.

After many years I will order him to invade a country where the people were brought back together from many nations and have lived without fear of war. He will invade the mountains of Israel, which were desolate and deserted so long, but where all the people now live in safety.

He and his army and the many nations with him will attack like a storm and cover the land like a cloud."

Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them.

"The king of Syria will go back and gather a larger army than he had before. When the proper time comes, he will return with a large, well-equipped army.

So the king of Syria will lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The soldiers of Egypt will not continue to fight; even the best of them will not have enough strength.

"When the king of Syria's final hour has almost come, the king of Egypt will attack him, and the king of Syria will fight back with all his power, using chariots, horses, and many ships. He will invade many countries, like the waters of a flood.

The light of day is too bright for the wicked and restrains them from doing violence.

The wicked succeed in everything. They cannot understand God's judgments; they sneer at their enemies.

"Mortal man," he said, "I have broken the arm of the king of Egypt. No one has bandaged it or put it in a sling so that it could heal and be strong enough to hold a sword again.

I have put a shepherd in charge of my flock, but he does not help the sheep that are threatened by destruction; nor does he look for the lost, or heal those that are hurt, or feed the healthy. Instead, he eats the meat of the fattest sheep and tears off their hoofs.