2 Kings 13

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, began Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, to reign over Israel, 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 the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —and went after the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat which he caused, Israel, to commit, 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 Then was kindled the anger of Yahweh against Israel—and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael, continually.

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 Jehoahaz appeased the face of Yahweh, —and Yahweh hearkened unto him, because he had seen the oppression of Israel, for that, 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 So Yahweh gave unto Israel a saviour, and they went forth from under the hand of Syria, —and the sons of Israel dwelt in their own homes, as aforetime.

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 Howbeit they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam which he caused, Israel, to commit, therein, they walked, —moreover also, the Sacred Stem, still stood 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 not left remaining unto Jehoahaz a people, save only fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, —for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like dust in 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 story 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?

[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 So then Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, —and, Joash 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 Joash king of Judah, began Jehoash son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel, in Samaria, [and he reigned] 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 wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —he turned not away from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused, Israel, to commit, 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 Now, the rest of the story of Joash, and all that he did, and his might, wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are, they, not 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 So then Joash slept with his fathers, and, Jeroboam, took his seat on 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, had fallen sick of his sickness whereof he was about to die, —so then Joash king of Israel came down unto him, and wept upon his face, and said, My father! my father! The chariots of Israel and the horsemen 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 Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. So he took unto him bow and arrows.

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

16 Then said he unto the king of Israel, Let thy hand rest upon the bow. So he let his hand rest thereon. Then Elisha put his own hands upon the hands of the king;

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 said—Open the lattice eastward. And he opened it. Then said Elisha—Shoot! And he shot. Then he said, —The arrow of victory by Yahweh, yea the arrow of victory over Syria, therefore shalt thou smite Syria in Aphek, till it 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. So he took them. Then said he unto the king of Israel—Smite unto the ground. So he smote three times, and then 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 Then was the man of God wroth against him, and said—Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times, then, hadst thou smitten Syria, until it had been consumed; But, now, three times, shalt thou smite Syria.

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, —now, troops of Moabites, used to enter 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, lo! they saw a troop, so they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha, —and, as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life again, 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 And, Hazael king of Syria, had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

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

23 Then was Yahweh gracious unto them, and had compassion upon them, and turned unto them, for the sake of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, —and was not willing to destroy them, nor to cast them off from his presence, as yet.

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 So then Hazael king of Syria died; and, Ben-hadad his son, reigned, in his stead.

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

25 And Jehoash son of Jehoahaz again took the cities out of the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father, in war, —three times, did Joash smite him, and recover 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.