⁸ because ·Aram is led by the city of Damascus [^Lthe head of Aram/Syria is Damascus; ^Cits capital],
    and ·Damascus is led by its weak king, [^Lthe head of Damascus is] Rezin.
Within sixty-five years ·Israel [^LEphraim; v. 2] will no longer be a nation [^Cprobably 670 bc, when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought foreign settlers into Israel; their intermarriage with the remaining Israelites produced the Samaritans].
⁹ ·Israel is led by the city of Samaria [^LThe head of Ephraim is Samaria; ^Cits capital],
    and ·Samaria is led by its weak king, [^Lthe head of Samaria is] the son of Remaliah [^Cthese human kings were no match for God].
If ·your faith is not strong [you do not stand firm in faith],
    you will not ·have strength enough to last [endure/stand firm at all; ^Cthe words translated “your faith is strong” and “have strength enough to last” are related in Hebrew].’”