CHAPTER 13
1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash*, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, reigned upon Israel, in Samaria seven-teen years.
2 And he did evil before the Lord, and he pursued [or followed] the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that made Israel to do sin; and he bowed not away from those sins.
3 And the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth against Israel, and he betook them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and in the hand of Benhadad, son of Hazael, in all days.
4 Forsooth Jehoahaz besought the face of the Lord, and the Lord heard him; for he saw the anguish of Israel, for the king of Syria had all-broken them.
5 And the Lord gave a saviour to Israel, and he was delivered from the hand of the king of Syria; and the sons of Israel dwelled in their tabernacles, as yesterday and the third day ago.
6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jero-boam, that made Israel to do sin; but they went in those sins; soothly also the [maumet] wood dwelled in Samaria.
7 And to Jehoahaz were not left of the people, but five hundred knights, and ten chariots, and ten thousand of footmen; for the king of Syria had slain them, and had driven them [down] as into powder in the threshing of a corn-floor.
8 Forsooth the residue of [the] words of Jehoahaz, and all things that he did, and the strength of him, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of [the] days of the kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Jehoash†, his son, reigned for him.
10 In the seven and thirtieth year of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, reigned upon Israel in Samaria sixteen years‡.
11 And he did that, that is evil in the sight of the Lord; for he bowed not away from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that made Israel to do sin; but he went in those sins.
12 Forsooth the residue of [the] words of Jehoash, and all things that he did, but also his strength, how he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of [the] days of the kings of Israel?
13 And Jehoash slept with his fathers; forsooth Jeroboam II sat upon his throne. And Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel§.
14 Forsooth Elisha was sick in a sickness, by which and he was dead; and Jehoash, king of Israel, went down to him, and wept before him, and said, My father! my father! the chariot of Israel, and the charioteer thereof!
15 And Elisha said to him, Bring thou a bow and arrows. And when he had brought to Elisha a bow and arrows,
16 he said to the king of Israel, Set [or Put] thine hand on the bow. And when he had set [or put] his hand, Elisha setted [or put] his hands on the hands of the king,
17 and said, Open thou the east window. And when he had opened, Elisha said, Shoot thou an arrow; and he shot. And Elisha said, This is an arrow of [the] health or victory of the Lord, and an arrow of health against Syria; and thou shalt smite Syria in Aphek, till thou waste it.
18 And Elisha said, Take away the arrows. And when he had taken away, Elisha said to him, Smite thou the earth with a dart. And when he had smitten three times, and had stood,
19 the man of God was wroth against him, and said, If thou haddest smitten five times, either six times, either seven times, thou shouldest have smitten Syria unto the ending; now forsooth thou shalt smite it three times.
20 Then Elisha was dead, and they buried him. And the thieves of Moab came into the land in that year.
21 Forsooth some men buried a man, and they saw the thieves, and they cast forth the dead body into the sepulchre of Elisha; and when it had touched the bones of Elisha, the man lived again, and stood up on his feet.
22 Then Hazael, king of Syria, tormented Israel in all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 And the Lord had mercy on them, and turned again to them for his covenant, that he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he would not destroy them, neither cast them away utterly, into this present time.
24 And Hazael, king of Syria, died; and Benhadad, his son, reigned for him.
25 Forsooth Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, took away [the] cities from the hand of Benhadad, the son of Hazael, which he had taken by the right of battle from the hand of Jehoahaz, his father; Jehoash smote him three times, and he yielded those cities to Israel.
* CHAPTER 13:1 Also known as Jehoash. † CHAPTER 13:9 Also known as Joash. ‡ CHAPTER 13:10 Joash, king of Judah, was also known as Jehoash; Jehoash, king of Israel, was also known as Joash! For a time they reigned concurrently. § CHAPTER 13:13 Compare verses 13:12-13 with 14:15-16.