CHAPTER 13
1In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, for seventeen years. 2And he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and went after the offenses of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to offend. He did not swerve from it. 3And the LORD’s wrath flared up against Israel, and He gave them continuously into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-Hadad son of Hazael. 4And Jehoahaz implored the LORD, and the LORD heeded him, for He saw Israel’s oppression, for the king of Aram oppressed them. 5And the LORD gave Israel a rescuer, and they came out from under the hand of Aram, and the Israelites dwelled in their tents as in former days. 6But they did not swerve from the offenses of the house of Jeroboam, who had led Israel to offend, the way in which he had gone, and the asherah, too, stood in Samaria. 7For Jehoahaz was left no troops except fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like dust to be trampled. 8And the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did and his valor, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of the Kings of Israel? 9And Jehoahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son was king in his stead.
10In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Joash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years. 11And he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, he did not swerve from all the offenses of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to offend, the way in which he had gone. 12And the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his valor with which he battled against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of the Kings of Israel? 13And Joash lay with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne, and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14And Elisha had fallen ill with the illness of which he would die, and Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept in his presence and said, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” 15And Elisha said to him, “Fetch a bow and arrows.” And he fetched him a bow and arrows. 16And he said to the king of Israel, “Set your hand on the bow.” And he set his hand, and Elisha placed his hands over the king’s hands. 17And he said, “Open the window to the east,” and he opened it. And Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “An arrow of rescue for the LORD, and an arrow of rescue against Aram! And you shall strike Aram in Aphek till its destruction.” 18And he said, “Take the arrows.” And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike to the ground!” And he struck three times and he stopped. 19And the man of God was furious with him, and he said, “To strike five or six times—then you would have struck Aram till its destruction! And now, three times you shall strike Aram.” 20And Elisha died and they buried him, and the raiding parties of Moab came into the land, they came for a year. 21And as they were burying a man, they saw a raiding party and they flung the man into Elisha’s grave, and the man went and touched Elisha’s bones, and he revived and rose up on his feet. 22And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz, 23and the LORD showed grace to them and pitied them and turned to them for the sake of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He did not desire to destroy them, He did not fling them away from His presence till now. 24And Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son became king in his stead. 25And Joash came back and took the towns from the hand of Ben-Hadad son of Hazael which he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father in battle. Three times did Joash strike him, and he brought back Israel’s towns.