1 In the year twenty-three of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, began to reign over Israel in Samaria and reigned seventeen years. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; and he did not depart from them. 3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad, the son of Hazael, all their days. 4 But Jehoahaz grieved before the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians, and the sons of Israel dwelt in their tents as beforetime. 6 With all this, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the grove also remained in Samaria.) 7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like dust to be tread upon. 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 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash, his son, reigned in his stead.
10 In the year thirty-seven of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign over Israel in Samaria and reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he walked in them. 12 And the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his 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 And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness of which he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof! 15 And Elisha said unto him, Take the bow and the arrows. And he took unto him the bow and the arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it; and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. 17 And he said, Open the window towards the east. And when he opened it Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s salvation, and the arrow of salvation from Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, until thou have consumed them. 18 And he said again, Take the arrows. And he took them. Then he said to the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote three times, and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, If thou would have smitten five or six times; then thou would have smitten Syria until thou had consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria three times.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and when the dead man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
22 So Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was merciful unto them, and had compassion on them, and looked upon them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and did not desire to destroy them or to cast them from his presence as yet.
24 And Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead. 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father, by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and he recovered the cities of Israel.