1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king 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 son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin; he did not give them up.
3 So the LORD's anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Syria and of Ben-hadad son of Hazael.
4 Then Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD heeded him, for he saw how the king of Syria was oppressing Israel.
5 The LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they got free of Syria's power. So the children of Israel lived in their tents as they had before.
6 Even so, they did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam's house, by which he caused Israel to sin; they kept walking in them. The Asherah, too, still stood in Samaria.
7 Of the army of Jehoahaz there was left only fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like dust at threshing time.
8 As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoahaz and all he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 Jehoahaz lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Joash became king in his place.
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
11 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin; he kept walking in them.
12 As for the rest of the deeds of Joash and all he did, 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 Joash lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam took his seat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 When Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he would die, Joash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him, crying, "My father, my father! Israel's chariots and horsemen!"
15 Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he got a bow and arrows.
16 "Take the bow in your hand," he told the king of Israel. When he had done so, Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
17 "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. Elisha declared, "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! You will strike the Syrians at Aphek until you have finished them off."
18 Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. He told the king of Israel, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and then stopped.
19 The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times! Then you would have struck Syria until you had finished it off. Now you will strike Syria only three times."
20 Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties used to come into the land every spring.
21 Once, as some men were burying a man, they suddenly saw a raiding party, so they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. As soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
22 Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
23 But the LORD was gracious to them, showed them compassion and turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was unwilling to destroy them and has not yet thrown them out of his presence.
24 Hazael king of Syria died, and his son Ben-hadad became king in his place.
25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the towns that Hazael had taken in war from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash defeated him, and he recovered the towns of Israel.