1In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria. He reigned seventeen years.
2He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, and he did not turn away from them.
3So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel. He handed them over to Hazael king of Syria, and to Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4Then Jehoahaz begged the LORD, and the LORD listened to him. For he saw how Israel was crushed, because the king of Syria crushed them.
5(And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they escaped from the power of the Syrians. And the children of Israel lived in their tents, as they had before.
6Even so, they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but kept walking in them. And the grove also stayed standing in Samaria.)
7Of all the people, he left Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers. For the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like dust when grain is threshed.
8The rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his strength, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9Jehoahaz slept 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 the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria. He reigned sixteen years.
11He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but he walked in them.
12The rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and the strength 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 slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14Now Elisha had fallen ill with the illness he died of. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen."
15Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows.
16He said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
17He said, "Open the window to the east." And he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot." And he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, the arrow of deliverance from Syria. For you will strike the Syrians in Aphek until you have destroyed them."
18Then he said, "Take the arrows." And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times, and stopped.
19The man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had destroyed it. But now you will strike Syria only three times."
20And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land when the year came round.
21As some men were burying a man, they saw a band of raiders. So they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. And when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and stood up on his feet.
22But Hazael king of Syria crushed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23Yet the LORD was gracious to them. He had compassion on them and turned to them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He would not destroy them, and he did not cast them out from his presence, not yet.
24So Hazael king of Syria died, and Benhadad his son reigned in his place.
25And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took back from Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which Benhadad had taken in war from Jehoahaz his father. Three times Joash defeated him, and he won back the cities of Israel.