And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”

And over the king’s treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jehonathan the son of Uzziah:

Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.

And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.

He strengthened their fortresses and put officers in them, with supplies of food, oil, and wine.

And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store.

Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah

Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”

And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.

And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

Her towers will be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches.

Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

Rise up, let us attack by night and destroy her fortresses!’”

For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.

For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.

Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.

Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.

And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.

“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-hadad.”

Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be no more.

But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

And in their place, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing the land for a price.

Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.

the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children.

All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln!

Then the strangers, that were in the fortresses which Bacchides had built, fled away;

In the mean time Jonathan sent unto king Demetrius, that he would cast those of the tower out of Jerusalem, and those also in the fortresses: for they fought against Israel.