⁸The Israelites captured 200,000 women, boys, and girls from their relatives ⸤the Judeans⸥. They also took a lot of goods from Judah and brought them to Samaria.

⁹A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went to meet the army coming home to Samaria. He said to them, “The Lord God of your ancestors handed Judah over to you in his anger. You killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. ¹⁰Now you intend to enslave the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But aren’t you also guilty of sinning against the Lord your God? ¹¹Listen to me. Return these prisoners you have captured from your relatives, because the Lord is very angry with you.”

¹²Then Azariah, son of Jehohan, Berechiah, son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, son of Shallum, and Amasa, son of Hadlai (some leaders of Ephraim) opposed those coming home from the army. ¹³They said to the army, “Don’t bring the prisoners here. You’ll make us responsible for this sin against the Lord. Do you intend to add to all our sins? The Lord is very angry with Israel because we have already sinned.”

¹⁴So the army left the prisoners and the loot in front of the leaders and the whole assembly. ¹⁵Then the men who were mentioned by name took charge of the prisoners and gave clothes from the loot to all the prisoners who were naked. They provided clothes for them, gave them sandals, gave them something to eat and drink, and let them bathe. They put everyone who was exhausted on donkeys and brought them to Jericho (the City of Palms) near their own people. Then they returned to Samaria.

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