2 KingsChapter 13

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¹Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel. This was in the twenty-third year that Joash son of Ahaziah ruled over Judah. Jehoahaz ruled in Samaria for seventeen years. ²He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. He did not turn away from them. ³So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. Again and again he handed them over to Hazael king of Aram and to his son Ben-hadad. ⁴Then Jehoahaz begged the LORD for help. The LORD listened to him. He saw how cruelly the king of Aram was treating Israel. ⁵So the LORD gave Israel someone to rescue them. They escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes, as they had before. ⁶But they did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam's family had led Israel to commit. They kept on living in them. The Asherah pole even stayed standing in Samaria. ⁷Jehoahaz had almost no army left. He had only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest. He had made them like dust blown away at threshing time. ⁸The rest of what Jehoahaz did, all he achieved, and his power, is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ⁹Jehoahaz died and joined his ancestors. He was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash became king in his place. ¹⁰Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria. This was in the thirty-seventh year that Joash ruled over Judah. Jehoash ruled for sixteen years. ¹¹He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. He kept on living in them. ¹²The rest of what Jehoash did, all he achieved, and his power, is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. That includes his war against Amaziah king of Judah. ¹³Jehoash died and joined his ancestors. Jeroboam became king after him. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. ¹⁴Elisha had become sick with the illness that he would die from. Jehoash king of Israel came down to see him. He cried over him. He said, "My father, my father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" ¹⁵Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows." So Jehoash got a bow and some arrows. ¹⁶Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So the king put his hand on the bow. Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. ¹⁷"Open the east window," Elisha said. So he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said. So he shot. Then Elisha said, "This is the LORD's arrow of victory. It is the arrow of victory over Aram! You will strike the Arameans at Aphek until you have wiped them out." ¹⁸Then Elisha said, "Pick up the arrows." So the king picked them up. Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Hit the ground with them!" He hit the ground three times and stopped. ¹⁹The man of God was angry with him. He said, "You should have hit the ground five or six times! Then you would have struck down Aram until you wiped it out. But now you will defeat Aram only three times." ²⁰Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring. ²¹One time some Israelites were burying a man. Suddenly they saw a group of raiders. So they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. As soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came back to life. He stood up on his feet. ²²Hazael king of Aram was cruel to Israel the whole time Jehoahaz was king. ²³But the LORD was kind to Israel. He had pity on them. He turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To this day the LORD has not wanted to destroy them. He has not thrown them away from his presence. ²⁴Hazael king of Aram died. His son Ben-hadad became king in his place. ²⁵Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back some cities from Ben-hadad son of Hazael. Hazael had taken these cities in war from Jehoash's father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times. So he got back the cities of Israel.