Kings IV 13

1 In the twenty-third year of Joas son of Ochozias king of Juda began Joachaz the son of Ju to reign in Samaria, [and he reigned] seventeen years.

After Joash had been ruling Judah for almost 23 years, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria [city] for 17 years.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who led Israel to sin; he departed not from them.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil and committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins which led the people of Israel to sin. He did not stop committing those sins.

3 And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and delivered them into the hand of Azael king of Syria, and into the hand of the son of Ader son of Azael, all their days.

So Yahweh became very angry with the Israeli people, and he allowed the army of King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-Hadad to defeat the Israelis many times.

4 And Joachaz implored the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the affliction of Israel, because the king of Syria afflicted them.

Then Jehoahaz prayed to Yahweh [for help], and Yahweh heeded him, because he saw that the army of the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelis.

5 And the Lord gave deliverance to Israel, and they escaped from under the hand of Syria: and the children of Israel lived in their tents as heretofore.

Yahweh sent a leader to Israel, who enabled them to be freed from being controlled by Syria. After that, the Israeli people lived peacefully as they had done previously.

6 Only they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who led Israel to sin: they walked in them—moreover the grove also remained in Samaria.

But they still continued to commit the same kind of sins that Jeroboam and his family had committed and which led the Israelis to [also] sin. And the statue of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.

7 Whereas there was not left any army to Joachaz, except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry: for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and they made them as dust for trampling.

Jehoahaz had only 50 men who rode on horses and ten chariots and 10,000 other soldiers, because the army of Syria had killed all the rest, trampling them like people walk on dirt.

8 And the rest of the acts of Joachaz, and all that he did, and his mighty acts [are] not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

[If you want to read about] [RHQ] everything else that Jehoahaz did, you can read about it in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

9 And Joachaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria: and Joas his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoahaz died [EUP] and was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoash became the king.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joas king of Juda, Joas the son of Joachaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria sixteen years.

Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, started to rule in Israel after King Joash had been ruling in Judah for 23 years. Jehoash ruled in Samaria for 17 years.

11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord; he departed not from all the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who led Israel to sin: he walked in it.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He refused to turn away from worshiping idols, which was the sin that [many years earlier King] Jeroboam had told the Israeli people to commit.

12 And the rest of the acts of Joas, and all that he did, and his mighty acts which he performed together with Amessias king of Juda, [are] not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

The other things that happened while Jehoash was king and all the things that he did are written in the book called ‘The Account of What the Kings of Israel Did’. In that account they wrote about Jehoash’s [army’s] victories, and their war with [the army of] King Amaziah of Judah.

13 And Joas slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his throne, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria where the [other] kings of Israel were buried. Then his son Jeroboam became king.

14 Now Elisaie was sick of his sickness, whereof he died: and Joas king of Israel went down to him, and wept over his face, and said, [My] father, [my] father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof!

Elisha became very ill. Just before he died, King Jehoash went to Elisha and cried in front of him. [Saying the same words that Elisha had said when Elijah was taken to heaven], he said, “My father/master! My father/master! The chariots of us Israeli people and their drivers [are taking my master away]!”

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

Elisha said to him, “Bring to me a bow and some arrows!” So the king did that.

16 And he said to the king, Put your hand on the bow. And Joas put his hand upon [it]: and Elisaie put his hands upon the king's hands.

Then Elisha told the king to put his hands on the bow [and prepare to shoot some arrows]. And then Elisha put his own hands on the king’s hands.

17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. And Elisaie said, Shoot. And he shot. And [Elisaie] said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; and you shall strike the Syrians in Aphec until you have consumed them.

Then Elisha told him, “[Have someone] open that window toward the east.” So they opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So the king did. Then Elisha said, “That is the arrow that [indicates that your army] will defeat the Syrian army. Your army will completely defeat their [army] at Aphek [town].”

18 And Elisaie said to him, Take bow and arrows. And he took them. And [he] said to the king of Israel, Strike upon the ground. And the king struck three times, and stayed.

Then Elisha said, “Pick up the other arrows and strike the ground with them!” So the king picked up the arrows and struck the ground three times.

19 And the man of God was grieved at him, and said, If you had struck five or six times, then you should have struck Syria till you had consumed them; but now you shall strike Syria [only] thrice.

But Elisha was angry with him. He exclaimed, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! If you had done that, your army would have defeated the Syrian [army] until they were completely wiped out! But now, [because you struck the ground only three times, ] your army will defeat them only three times!”

20 And Elisaie died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites came into the land, at the beginning of the year.

Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of raiders from Moab came to Israel each year during (spring/the time when the cold season was ending).

21 And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a band [of men], and they cast the man into the grave of Elisaie: and as soon as he touched the bones of Elisaie, he revived and stood up on his feet.

One year, when some Israeli people were burying a man’s body, they saw a group of those raiders. [They were afraid, ] so quickly they threw that man’s body into the tomb where Elisha [had been buried, and they ran away]. But as soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man became alive again and jumped up!

22 And Azael greatly afflicted Israel all the days of Joachaz.

King Hazael of Syria [sent soldiers to] oppress the Israeli people all during the years that Jehoahaz [ruled Judah].

23 And the Lord had mercy and compassion upon them, and had respect to them because of his covenant with Abraam, and Isaac, and Jacob; and the Lord would not destroy them, and did not cast them out from his presence.

But Yahweh was very kind [DOU] to the Israeli people. He helped them because of the agreement that he had made with [their ancestors] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He did not get rid of the Israelis, and he still has not rejected them.

24 And Azael king of Syria died, and the son of Ader his son reigned in his stead.

When Hazael the king of Syria died, his son Ben-Hadad became the king.

25 And Joas the son of Joachaz returned, and took the cities out of the hand of the son of Ader the son of Azael, which he had taken out of the hand of Joachaz his father in the war: thrice did Joas strike him, and he recovered the cities of Israel.

[The army of] King Jehoash of Israel defeated [the army of] King Ben-Hadad three times, and recaptured the cities that Ben-Hadad’s army had captured during the time that Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.