1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and followed after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
3 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 So Jehoahaz entreated Jehovah, and Jehovah gave heed to his face; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 And Jehovah gave Israel a savior, 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, but walked in them; and the groves also remained in Samaria.
7 For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any of the people except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
9 And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
11 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them.
12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, 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.
13 So Joash rested with his fathers. And Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha had become sick with the illness from which he would die. And 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 And he 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 kings hands.
17 And he said, Open the east window; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, The arrow of Jehovahs deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.
18 Then he said, Take the arrows; so he took them. 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 to finish them off! But now you will strike Syria only three times.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the beginning of the year.
21 And so it was, as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a band of raiders; and they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let go and hit the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet.
22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 But Jehovah was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.
24 Then Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took back from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father in battle. Three times Joash struck him and restored the cities of Israel.