2 Kings 13

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria; 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 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; and Jehoahaz did not turn away 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 The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben Hadad son of Hazael.

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 So Jehoahaz implored Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him because he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram was oppressing 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 Israel a rescuer, and they escaped from the hand of the Arameans, and the people of Israel began to live in their homes as they had before.

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 did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, and they continued in them; and the Asherah pole 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 The Arameans left Jehoahaz with only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the chaff at threshing time.

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 As for the other matters concerning Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his power, are they not written in the book of the events 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 Jehoahaz slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. Johoash his son became king in his place.

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, the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz began over Israel in Samaria; 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 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not leave behind any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he had made Israel to sin, but he walked in them.

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 As for the other matters concerning Jehoash, and all that he did, and his might by which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the events 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 Jehoash slept with his ancestors, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Jehoash 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 became sick with an illness by which he later died, so Jehoash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him. He said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen are taking you away!”

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 Elisha said to him, “Pick up a bow and some arrows,” so Joash picked up a bow and some arrows.

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

16 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow,” so he put his hand on it. Then Elisha laid his hands on 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 Elisha said, “Open the window eastward,” so he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!”, and he shot. Elisha said, “This is Yahweh's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you will attack the Arameans in Aphek 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 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows,” so Joash took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them,” and he struck the ground three times, then 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 But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have hit the ground five or six times. Then you would have attacked Aram until you annihilated it, but now you will attack Aram only 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 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Now groups of Moabites invaded 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 As they were burying a certain man, they saw a group of Moabites, so they threw the body into Elisha's grave. As soon as the man touched Elisha's bones, 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 Hazael king of Aram 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 But Yahweh was gracious to Israel, and had compassion on them and concern for them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Yahweh did not destroy them, and he still has not driven them away 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 Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben Hadad his son became king in his place.

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

25 Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that had been taken from Jehoahaz his father by war. Jehoash attacked him three times, and he recovered those 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.