2 Ahemfo 13
1 Ɛberɛ a Yehu babarima Yehoahas hyɛɛ aseɛ dii ɔhene wɔ Israel no, na ɔhene Yoas nso adi adeɛ mfeɛ aduonu mmiɛnsa wɔ Yuda. Ɔdii adeɛ mfeɛ dunson wɔ Samaria.
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 Nanso, ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so. Ɔdii Nebat babarima Yeroboam nhwɛsoɔ akyi, toaa ahonisom a ɔdii Israelfoɔ no anim yɛeɛ no so.
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 Enti, Awurade bo fuu Israelfoɔ, na ɔmaa ɔhene Hasael a ɔfiri Aram ne ne babarima Ben-Hadad kwan ma wɔdii wɔn so mfeɛ bebree.
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 Na Yehoahas bɔɔ Awurade mpaeɛ, srɛɛ ne mmoa. Awurade tiee ne mpaeɛbɔ. Na Awurade hunuu nhyɛsotrasoɔ a Aramhene de maa Israelfoɔ no.
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 Awurade yii ɔgyefoɔ bi ma ɔbɛgyee Israelfoɔ no firii Aramfoɔ nhyɛsotrasoɔ no ase. Na Israelfoɔ no tenaa ase ahotɔ mu bio, sɛdeɛ na wɔte kane no.
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 Nanso, wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ bɔne, wɔdii Yeroboam nhwɛsobɔne no akyi. Na mpo, wɔsii Asera afɔrebukyia wɔ 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 Ne korakora ne sɛ, Yehoahas akodɔm no so te bɛyɛɛ apɔnkɔsotefoɔ aduonum, nteaseɛnam edu ne anammɔntwa asraafoɔ ɔpedu. Na Aramhene akunkum nkaeɛ no, te sɛ deɛ wɔyɛ mfuturo wɔ ne nan ase.
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 Yehoahas ahennie mu nneɛma a ɛsisiiɛ, dwuma a ɔdiiɛ ne deɛ ne tumidie kɔsooɛ nyinaa, wɔatwerɛ wɔ Israel Ahemfo Abakɔsɛm Nwoma mu.
[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 Ɛberɛ a Yehoahas wuiɛ no, wɔsiee no Samaria wɔ ne mpanimfoɔ nkyɛn. Na ne babarima Yehoas dii nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene.
Jehoahaz died [EUP] and was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoash became the king.
10 Yehoahas babarima Yehoas hyɛɛ aseɛ dii Israel so wɔ ɛberɛ a na ɔhene Yoas adi adeɛ Yuda ne mfeɛ aduasa nson so. Ɔdii adeɛ Samaria mfeɛ dunsia.
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 Na ɔyɛɛ bɔne Awurade ani so. Wantwe ne ho amfiri abosonsom a Nebat babarima Yeroboam dii Israel anim ma wɔyɛeɛ no ho.
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 Yehoas dwuma a ɔdiiɛ no nkaeɛ wɔ nʼahennie mu ne ne mmaninyɛ nyinaa ne ne tumi a na ɔwɔ no ne ɔko a ɔne Yudahene Amasia koeɛ no, wɔatwerɛ wɔ Israel Ahemfo Abakɔsɛm Nwoma mu.
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 Ɛberɛ a Yehoas wuiɛ no, wɔsiee no Samaria wɔ ne mpanimfoɔ nkyɛn. Na ne babarima Yeroboam a ɔtɔ so mmienu dii nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene.
When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria where the [other] kings of Israel were buried. Then his son Jeroboam became king.
14 Ɛberɛ a yarewuo bɔɔ Elisa no, Israelhene Yehoas kɔsraa no, na ɔsuu no sɛ, “Mʼagya! Mʼagya! Israel nteaseɛnam ne nteaseɛnamkafoɔ!”
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 Elisa ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Hwehwɛ tadua ne bɛmma.” Na ɔhene no yɛɛ deɛ ɔkaeɛ no.
Elisha said to him, “Bring to me a bow and some arrows!” So the king did that.
16 Na Elisa ka kyerɛɛ Israelhene no sɛ ɔmfa ne nsa nto tadua no so. Na Elisa de ɔno ankasa ne nsa too ɔhene no nsa so.
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 Afei, ɔhyɛɛ sɛ, “Bue mpomma a ɛkyerɛ apueeɛ fam no.” Na ɔbueeɛ. Na ɔkaa sɛ, “To!” Na ɔtoeɛ. Na Elisa kaa sɛ, “Yei ne Awurade agyan a ɛyɛ Aram so nkonimdie, ɛfiri sɛ, wobɛdi Aramfoɔ so pasaa wɔ Afek.
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 Afei, tase bɛmma a aka no na toto wowɔ fam.” Enti, ɔhene no taseeɛ, na ɔtoto wowɔɔ fam mprɛnsa.
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 Nanso, Onyankopɔn onipa no bo fuu no, kaa sɛ, “Anka ɛsɛ sɛ wototo sisi fam mpɛn enum anaa nsia. Ɛno ansa a na anka wobɛdi Aram so, kɔsi sɛ wobɛtɔre wɔn ase. Enti, wobɛdi nkonim mprɛnsa.”
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 Elisa wuiɛ, na wɔsiee no. Na Moabfoɔ afomfafoɔ kɔfom asase no so nneɛma afe biara.
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 Ɛberɛ bi a Israelfoɔ resie obi no, wɔhunuu afomfafoɔ bi. Ɛno enti, wɔyɛɛ no ntɛm too amu no twenee Elisa ɔboda mu. Amu no kɔkaa Elisa nnompe ara pɛ na owufoɔ no nyaneeɛ, huri gyinaa ne nan so!
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 Na Aramhene Hasael hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ so ɛberɛ a Ɔhene Yehoahas dii adeɛ no nyinaa.
King Hazael of Syria [sent soldiers to] oppress the Israeli people all during the years that Jehoahaz [ruled Judah].
23 Nanso, Awurade hunuu Israelfoɔ mmɔbɔ enti, wɔn ase antɔre. Esiane apam a na ɔne Abraham, Isak ne Yakob ayɛ no enti, ɔhunuu wɔn mmɔbɔ. Na ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ, ɔntɔree wɔn ase, na ɔmpamoo wɔn mfirii nʼanim.
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 Afei, Aramhene Hasael wuiɛ, na ne babarima Ben-Hadad bɛdii nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene.
When Hazael the king of Syria died, his son Ben-Hadad became the king.
25 Na Yehoahas babarima Yehoas sane kɔgyegyee nkuro a Hasael gyegye firii nʼagya Yehoahas nsam. Yehoas dii Ben-Hadad so nkonim mprɛnsa, nam so gyegyee Israel nkuro no.
[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.
