People from other lands make them weaker and weaker. But they don’t realize it. Their hair is becoming gray. But they don’t even notice it.

外邦人吞吃他劳力得来的，他却不知道；头发斑白，他也不觉得。

外邦人消耗他的力量，他却不知道；头发斑白，他也不觉得。

外邦人消耗他的力量，他却不知道；头发斑白，他也不觉得。

外族人耗尽了他的力量，他却茫然不知。他头发斑白，却浑然不觉。

外族人吞吃了他的力量，他却不知道；他头上满是白发，他也不晓得。

外邦人吞吃他勞力得來的，他卻不知道；頭髮斑白，他也不覺得。

外邦人消耗他的力量，他卻不知道；頭髮斑白，他也不覺得。

外邦人消耗他的力量，他卻不知道；頭髮斑白，他也不覺得。

外族人耗盡了他的力量，他卻茫然不知。他頭髮斑白，卻渾然不覺。

外族人吞吃了他的力量，他卻不知道；他頭上滿是白髮，他也不曉得。

外族人吞喫了他的力量，他卻不知道；斑白頭髮散布他頭上，他也不覺得。

外人食其力、而彼不知、首髮頒白、而彼不覺、

彼與異邦人爭競、已竭其力、而彼不自覺、首髮斑白、而彼不自知、

異邦人吞其竭力所得、而彼不自覺、髮己頒白、髮已頒白或作彼已衰老而彼不自知、

Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.

Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.

Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak.

Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice.

Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.

Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not.

Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not notice.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth[ it] not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it!

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn’t realize it. Indeed, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he doesn’t realize it.

The Lord says,“ Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind. It is like planting worthless seeds. Assyria is like a windstorm. That is all my people will harvest. There are no heads of grain on the stems that will come up. So they will not produce any flour. Even if they did produce grain, the Assyrians would eat all of it up.

“ They hit me,” you will say.“ But I’m not hurt! They beat me. But I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

Those who are right with God die. And no one really cares about it. People who are faithful to the Lord are swept away by trouble. And no one understands why that happens to those who do what is right.

Your country has been deserted. Your cities have been burned down. The food from your fields is being eaten up by outsiders. They are doing it right in front of you. Your land has been completely destroyed. It looks as if strangers have taken it over.

Enemies have carried off everything they own. All my people are trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They themselves have become like stolen goods. No one can save them. They have been carried off. And there is no one who will say,“ Send them back.”Family of Jacob, who among you will listen to what I’m saying? People of Israel, which one of you will pay close attention in days to come?Who allowed you to be carried off like stolen goods? Who handed you over to robbers? The Lord did it! We have sinned against him. Israel, you wouldn’t follow his ways. You didn’t obey his law.So he poured out his great anger on you. He had many of you killed in battle. You were surrounded by flames. But you didn’t realize what was happening. Many of you were destroyed. But you didn’t learn anything from it.

So the Lord was very angry with Israel. For a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael, the king of Aram. The Lord also kept them under the power of his son Ben- Hadad.Then Jehoahaz asked the Lord for help. The Lord listened to him. The Lord saw how badly the king of Aram was treating Israel.The Lord provided someone to save Israel. And they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes, just as they had before.But the people didn’t turn away from the sins of the royal house of Jeroboam. He had caused Israel to commit those same sins. The people continued to commit them. And the pole used to worship the female god named Asherah remained standing in Samaria.The army of Jehoahaz had almost nothing left. All it had was 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 soldiers on foot. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest of them. He had made them like dust at threshing time.

Then Tiglath- Pileser marched into the land of Israel. He was king of Assyria. Menahem gave him 38 tons of silver to get his help. He wanted to make his control over the kingdom stronger.

Hazael, the king of Aram, treated Israel badly. He did it the whole time Jehoahaz was king.