<p class="poetry">Gad will be raided by marauding bands,p> <p class="poetry">but he will attack them at their heels.<n id="1" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" />with your help<n id="2" /> I can charge<n id="3" /> against an army;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">by my God&#8217;s power<n id="5" /> I can jump over a wall.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Can his armies be numbered?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">On whom does his light<n id="2" /> not rise?p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" /> with your help<n id="2" /> I can charge against<n id="3" /> an army;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">by my God&#8217;s power<n id="5" /> I can jump over a wall.<n id="6" />p>

Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman&#8217;s wife.

<p class="bodytext">Elisha died and was buried.<n id="1" /> Moabite raiding parties invaded<n id="2" /> the land at the beginning of the year.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">His troops<n id="1" /> advance together;p> <p class="poetry">they throw up<n id="2" /> a siege ramp against me,p> <p class="poetry">and they camp around my tent.p>

<p class="poetry">I chose<n id="1" /> the way for them<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and sat as their chief;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I lived like a king among his troops;p> <p class="poetry">I was like one who comforts mourners.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The company of priests is like a gang of robbers,p> <p class="poetry">lying in ambush to pounce on a victim.p> <p class="poetry">They commit murder on the road to Shechem;p> <p class="poetry">they have done heinous crimes!p>

David said to him, &#8220;Can you take us down to this raiding party?&#8221; He said, &#8220;Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to this raiding party.&#8221;p>

David inquired of the <sc>Lordsc>, saying, &#8220;Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?&#8221; He said to him, &#8220;Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!&#8221;p>

He gathered some men and organized a raiding band.<n id="1" /> When David tried to kill them,<n id="2" /> they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city.

So he threw a big banquet<n id="1" /> for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back<n id="2" /> to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel.p>

<p class="bodytext">According to the genealogical records of their families, they had 36,000 warriors available for battle, for they had numerous wives and sons.<n id="1" />

They helped David fight against raiding bands, for all of them were warriors and leaders in the army.

So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.<n id="1" /> They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed.

<p class="poetry">Let cries of terror be heard in their housesp> <p class="poetry">when you send bands of raiders unexpectedly to plunder them.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For they have virtually dug a pit to capture mep> <p class="poetry">and have hidden traps for me to step into.p>

<p class="poetry">whenever I want to heal Israel,p> <p class="poetry">the sin of Ephraim is revealed,p> <p class="poetry">and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed.p> <p class="poetry">For they do what is wrong;p> <p class="poetry">thieves break into houses,p> <p class="poetry">and gangs rob people out in the streets.p>

<p class="poetry"><v id="(4:14)" /><n id="1" /> But now slash yourself,<n id="2" /> daughter surrounded by soldiers!<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">We are besieged!p> <p class="poetry">With a scepter<n id="4" /> they strike Israel&#8217;s ruler<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">on the side of his face.p>