2 Kings 13

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, m which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. 3 n And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of o Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of p Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz q sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, r for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (Therefore the Lord gave Israel s a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in t their homes as formerly. 6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, m which he made Israel to sin, but walked 1 in them; and u the Asherah also remained in Samaria.) 7 For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust v at threshing. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash 2 the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, m which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. 12 w Now the rest of the acts of Joash x and all that he did, y and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The Death of Elisha

14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, z "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" 15 And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Draw the bow," and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, "Open the window eastward," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in a Aphek until you have made an end of them." 18 And he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them." And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then b the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only c three times."

20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of d Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

22 e Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 f But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, g and he turned toward them, h because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities i that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. j Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

  1. Cross References
    1 Kings 14:16
    And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.
  2. Cross References
    Judges 2:14
    So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.
  3. Cross References
    2 Kings 8:12
    And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.
    1 Kings 19:17
    And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.
  4. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:24 - 25
    When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place.
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 32:11
    But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
    Psalms 78:34
    When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
  6. Cross References
    2 Kings 14:26
    For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
    Exodus 3:7
    Then the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings.
    Exodus 3:9
    And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
  7. Cross References
    Judges 3:9
    But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
    Nehemiah 9:27
    Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
  8. Cross References
    2 Samuel 18:17
    And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.
  9. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:2
    He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 16:33
    And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
  11. Cross References
    Amos 1:3
    Thus says the Lord : "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.
  12. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:2
    He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
  13. Cross References
    2 Kings 14:15
    Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
  14. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:14 - 19
    Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!
    2 Kings 13:25
    Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
  15. Cross References
    2 Kings 14:8 - 14
    Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face.
  16. Cross References
    2 Kings 2:12
    And Elisha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
  17. Cross References
    1 Kings 20:26
    In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 33:1
    This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death.
  19. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:25
    Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
  20. Cross References
    2 Kings 1:1
    After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
    2 Kings 3:7
    And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?" And he said, "I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
    2 Kings 24:2
    And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets.
  21. Cross References
    2 Kings 8:12
    And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.
  22. Cross References
    2 Kings 14:27
    But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 2:24 - 25
    And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
  24. Cross References
    Exodus 32:13
    Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'
  25. Cross References
    2 Kings 10:32
    In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel:
    2 Kings 14:25
    He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
  26. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:18 - 19
    And he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them." And he struck three times and stopped.
    Amos 1:4
    So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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