מלכים ב 13

1 בשנת עשרים ושלש שנה ליואש בן אחזיהו מלך יהודה--מלך יהואחז בן יהוא על ישראל בשמרון שבע עשרה שנה

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 ויעש הרע בעיני יהוה וילך אחר חטאת ירבעם בן נבט אשר החטיא את ישראל--לא סר ממנה

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 ויחר אף יהוה בישראל ויתנם ביד חזאל מלך ארם וביד בן הדד בן חזאל--כל הימים

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 ויחל יהואחז את פני יהוה וישמע אליו יהוה כי ראה את לחץ ישראל כי לחץ אתם מלך ארם

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 ויתן יהוה לישראל מושיע ויצאו מתחת יד ארם וישבו בני ישראל באהליהם כתמול שלשום

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 אך לא סרו מחטאת בית ירבעם אשר החטי את ישראל--בה הלך וגם האשרה עמדה בשמרון

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 כי לא השאיר ליהואחז עם כי אם חמשים פרשים ועשרה רכב ועשרת אלפים רגלי כי אבדם מלך ארם וישמם כעפר לדש

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 ויתר דברי יהואחז וכל אשר עשה וגבורתו הלוא הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים--למלכי ישראל

[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 וישכב יהואחז עם אבתיו ויקברהו בשמרון וימלך יואש בנו תחתיו

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

10 בשנת שלשים ושבע שנה ליואש מלך יהודה--מלך יהואש בן יהואחז על ישראל בשמרון שש עשרה שנה

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 ויעשה הרע בעיני יהוה לא סר מכל חטאות ירבעם בן נבט אשר החטיא את ישראל--בה הלך

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 ויתר דברי יואש וכל אשר עשה וגבורתו אשר נלחם עם אמציה מלך יהודה הלא הם כתובים על ספר דברי הימים--למלכי ישראל

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 וישכב יואש עם אבתיו וירבעם ישב על כסאו ויקבר יואש בשמרון עם מלכי ישראל

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

14 ואלישע חלה את חליו אשר ימות בו וירד אליו יואש מלך ישראל ויבך על פניו ויאמר אבי אבי רכב ישראל ופרשיו

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 ויאמר לו אלישע קח קשת וחצים ויקח אליו קשת וחצים

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

16 ויאמר למלך ישראל הרכב ידך על הקשת וירכב ידו וישם אלישע ידיו על ידי המלך

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 ויאמר פתח החלון קדמה--ויפתח ויאמר אלישע ירה ויור ויאמר חץ תשועה ליהוה וחץ תשועה בארם והכית את ארם באפק עד כלה

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 ויאמר קח החצים ויקח ויאמר למלך ישראל הך ארצה ויך שלש פעמים ויעמד

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 ויקצף עליו איש האלהים ויאמר להכות חמש או שש פעמים אז הכית את ארם עד כלה ועתה שלש פעמים תכה את ארם

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 וימת אלישע ויקברהו וגדודי מואב יבאו בארץ בא שנה

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 ויהי הם קברים איש והנה ראו את הגדוד וישליכו את האיש בקבר אלישע וילך ויגע האיש בעצמות אלישע ויחי ויקם על רגליו

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 וחזאל מלך ארם לחץ את ישראל כל ימי יהואחז

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

23 ויחן יהוה אתם וירחמם ויפן אליהם למען בריתו את אברהם יצחק ויעקב ולא אבה השחיתם ולא השליכם מעל פניו עד עתה

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 וימת חזאל מלך ארם וימלך בן הדד בנו תחתיו

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

25 וישב יהואש בן יהואחז ויקח את הערים מיד בן הדד בן חזאל אשר לקח מיד יהואחז אביו במלחמה שלש פעמים הכהו יואש וישב את ערי ישראל

[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.