2 Kings 13

13 ¹In year twenty-three of Joash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. ²He did evil in our Father's sight and followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. ³So our Father's anger burned against Israel, and he kept handing them to Hazael king of Aram and to Ben-Hadad son of Hazael. ⁴Jehoahaz pleaded with our Father, and our Father listened, seeing Israel's oppression by the king of Aram. ⁵So our Father gave Israel a rescuer; they escaped Aram's power and lived in their own homes as before. ⁶But they kept the sins of Jeroboam's house, who led Israel to sin; they walked in them. The Asherah pole also stayed standing in Samaria. ⁷Nothing was left to Jehoahaz of his army except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, for Aram's king had destroyed them and made them like dust at threshing time. ⁸The rest of Jehoahaz's acts, all he did, and his power—aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁹Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Joash reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns Over Israel

¹⁰Year thirty-seven of Judah's king Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became Israel's king in Samaria, reigning sixteen years. ¹¹He did evil in our Father's sight; he did not turn from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin, but continued in them. ¹²The rest of Joash's acts, all he did, his power in fighting Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the book of the annals of Israel's kings? ¹³Joash rested with his ancestors; Jeroboam took his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with Israel's kings.

The Father's Final Word Through Elisha

¹⁴Elisha became ill with the illness he would die from. Joash king of Israel went down to him, wept over him, and said, "My father, my father! Israel's chariots and horsemen!"

¹⁵Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. ¹⁶Then he told Israel's king, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. ¹⁷"Open the east window," he said. He opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said. He shot. Then Elisha said, "The arrow of our Father's victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! You will strike down Aram at Aphek until you destroy them."

¹⁸He said, "Take the arrows," and he did. He told Israel's king, "Strike the ground." He struck three times and stopped. ¹⁹But the man of our Father was angry with him: "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Aram until you destroyed it. But now you'll strike Aram only three times."

²⁰Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Now Moabite raiders used to invade the land every spring.

²¹As some men were burying a man, they saw a raiding band, so they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. When the dead man touched Elisha's bones, he revived and stood up.

²²Now Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. ²³But our Father was gracious to them; his heart went out to them in compassion, and he turned toward them for his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To this day he refuses to destroy them or cast them from his presence.

²⁴Then Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son became king in his place. ²⁵Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the cities Ben-Hadad had seized in war from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash beat him, recovering Israel's cities.