2 Kings 13

¹In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria seventeen years.

²And he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he walked after the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn aside from them.

³And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael, all their days.

⁴And Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Aram had oppressed them.

⁵And the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they went out from under the hand of Aram; and the people of Israel lived in their tents as before.

⁶But they did not turn aside from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had made Israel to commit -- in it they walked -- and also the Asherah pole stood in Samaria.

⁷For he had not left to Jehoahaz an army except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

⁹And Jehoahaz lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.

¹⁰In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz reigned over Israel in Samaria sixteen years.

¹¹He did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not turn aside from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he walked in them.

¹²Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

¹³And Joash lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁴Now Elisha had fallen ill with the illness by which he would die, and Joash king of Israel came down to him and wept over his face and said, 'My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and his horsemen!'

¹⁵And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and arrows. And he took a bow and arrows.

¹⁶And he said to the king of Israel, "Place your hand on the bow." So he placed his hand on it; and Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands.

¹⁷And he said, 'Open the window eastward.' And he opened it. And Elisha said, 'Shoot.' And he shot. And he said, 'An arrow of salvation from the Lord, and an arrow of salvation against Aram. You shall strike Aram at Aphek until you have finished it off.'

¹⁸And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. Then he said to the king of Israel, Strike the ground. And he struck three times and stopped.

¹⁹And the man of God was angry at him, and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Aram down to utter destruction. But now you will strike Aram only three times.'

²⁰And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land at the coming of the year.

²¹And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a raiding band, and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And as he went and touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood on his feet.

²²And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

²³But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and turned toward them for the sake of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he was not willing to destroy them, and he has not cast them from before his face until now.

²⁴And Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his place.

²⁵Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.