2 Kings 13

1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Achazyahu the king of Judah became Jehoachaz the son of Jehu king over Israel in Samaria [for] 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 what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, who induced Israel to sin: he departed not therefrom.

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 anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; and he gave them up into the hand of Chazael the king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Chazael, all the time.

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 Jehoachaz besought the Lord; and the Lord hearkened unto him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed 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 Israel a deliverer, so that they came out from under the power of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as in times past.

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 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jerobo'am, who induced Israel to sin, therein the people walked: and the Asherah also remained standing 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 For he had left of people to Jehoachaz none but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand men on foot; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust at threshing.

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 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoachaz, and all that he did, and his mighty deeds, behold, they are 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 Jehoachaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son became king in his stead.

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

10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash the king of Judah became Jehoash the son of Jehoachaz king over Israel in Samaria, [for] 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 what is evil in the eyes of the Lord; he departed not from all the sins of Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, who induced Israel to sin: therein he walked.

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 Joash, and all that he did, and his mighty deeds wherewith he fought against Amazyah the king of Judah, behold, they are 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 Joash slept with his fathers; and Jerobo'am sat upon his throne: and Joash 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 Elisha' was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he had to die. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and their horsemen.

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 Elisha' said unto him, Fetch a bow and arrows. And he fetched unto him 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 of Israel, Place thy hand upon the bow. And he placed his hand [upon it]: and Elisha' laid 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. Then said Elisha', Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of victory from the Lord, and the arrow of victory over Syria; and thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till they be consumed.

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

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 angry with him, and said, Thou shouldst have struck five or six times; then wouldst thou have smitten the Syrians till they had been consumed: whereas now thou shalt smite the Syrians three times.

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 Elisha' died, and they buried him. And the predatory bands of Moabites frequently invaded the land at the coming in 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 the band; and they cast down the man into the sepulchre of Elisha': and as the man came, and touched the bones of Elisha', he revived, and rose 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 But Chazael the king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoachaz.

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

23 And the Lord became gracious unto them, and had mercy on them, and turned his regard unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, and he cast them not off from his presence even until now.

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 Chazael the king of Syria died: and Ben-hadad his son became king in his stead.

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

25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoachaz took again the cities out of the power of Ben-hadad the son of Chazael, which he had taken out of the power of Jehoachaz his father in the war. Three times did Joash beat 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.