7 An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king’s son Maaseiah, the palace administrator Azrikam, and Elkanah, the king’s second in command.
8 The Israelites took captive two hundred thousand women, boys, and girls from their Judean relatives and seized enormous amounts of plunder, which they took back to Samaria.
9 One of the Lord’s prophets named Oded lived in Samaria. When the army arrived there, he went to meet them and said, "Don’t you see that the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them? But look what you’ve done! Your merciless slaughter of them stinks to high heaven!
10 And now you think you can enslave the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem? What about your own guilt before the Lord your God?
11 Listen to me! Send back the captives you took from your relatives, because the Lord is furious with you."
12 At this, some of the Ephraimite leaders—Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah, and Hadlai’s son Amasa—confronted those returning from battle.
13 "Don’t bring the captives here," they told them. "Your plan will only add to our sin and guilt before the Lord. We’re already guilty enough, and great anger is already directed at Israel."