Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
1 In the twenty-third year ofJoash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah,Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedseventeen years.
2 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, and followed thesins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
3 Thenthe anger of theLordwas aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand ofHazael king of Syria, and into the hand ofBen-Hadad the son of Hazael, alltheirdays.
4 So Jehoahazpleaded with theLord, and theLordlistened to him; forHe saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 Then theLordgave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin,butwalked in them;and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.
7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed themand made themlike the dust at threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.
Jehoash Reigns in Israel
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedsixteen years.
11 And he did evil in the sight of theLord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin,butwalked in them.
12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash,all that he did, andhis might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
13 So Joashrested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Death of Elisha
14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father,the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”
15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows.
16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his handonit,and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he openedit.Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of theLord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians atAphek till you have destroyedthem.”
18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he tookthem.And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyedit!But now you will strike Syriaonlythree times.”
20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And theraidingbands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a bandofraiders;and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
Israel Recaptures Cities from Syria
22 AndHazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 But theLordwasgracious to them, had compassion on them, andregarded them,because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.
24 Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war.Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.