2 Kings 13

1 After Joash had been ruling Judah for almost 23 years, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria [city] for 17 years.

In the three and twentieth yeere of Ioash the sonne of Ahaziah King of Iudah, Iehoahaz the sonne of Iehu began to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seuenteene yeere.

2 He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil and committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins which led the people of Israel to sin. He did not stop committing those sins.

And he did euil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne, and departed not therefrom.

3 So Yahweh became very angry with the Israeli people, and he allowed the army of King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-Hadad to defeat the Israelis many times.

And the Lord was angry with Israel, and deliuered them into the hand of Hazael King of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the sonne of Hazael, all his dayes.

4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to Yahweh [for help], and Yahweh heeded him, because he saw that the army of the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelis.

And Iehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord heard him: for he saw the trouble of Israel, wherewith the King of Aram troubled them.

5 Yahweh sent a leader to Israel, who enabled them to be freed from being controlled by Syria. After that, the Israeli people lived peacefully as they had done previously.

(And the Lord gaue Israel a deliuerer, so that they came out from vnder the subiection of the Aramites. And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before time.

6 But they still continued to commit the same kind of sins that Jeroboam and his family had committed and which led the Israelis to [also] sin. And the statue of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.

Neuerthelesse they departed not from the sinnes of the house of Ieroboam which made Israel sinne, but walked in them. euen the groue also remayned still in Samaria)

7 Jehoahaz had only 50 men who rode on horses and ten chariots and 10,000 other soldiers, because the army of Syria had killed all the rest, trampling them like people walk on dirt.

For he had left of the people to Iehoahaz but fiftie horsemen, and tenne charets, and tenne thousand footemen, because the King of Aram had destroyed them, and made them like dust beaten to pouder.

8 [If you want to read about] [RHQ] everything else that Jehoahaz did, you can read about it in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehoahaz and all that he did, and his valiant deedes, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

9 Jehoahaz died [EUP] and was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoash became the king.

And Iehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Ioash his sonne reigned in his steade.

10 Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, started to rule in Israel after King Joash had been ruling in Judah for 23 years. Jehoash ruled in Samaria for 17 years.

In the seuen and thirtieth yere of Ioash King of Iudah began Iehoash the sonne of Iehoahaz to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteene yeere,

11 He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He refused to turn away from worshiping idols, which was the sin that [many years earlier King] Jeroboam had told the Israeli people to commit.

And did euil in the sight of the Lord: for he departed not from all the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat that made Israel to sinne, but he walked therein.

12 The other things that happened while Jehoash was king and all the things that he did are written in the book called ‘The Account of What the Kings of Israel Did’. In that account they wrote about Jehoash’s [army’s] victories, and their war with [the army of] King Amaziah of Judah.

Concerning the rest of the actes of Ioash and all that he did, and his valiant deedes, and how he fought against Amaziah King of Iudah, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

13 When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria where the [other] kings of Israel were buried. Then his son Jeroboam became king.

And Ioash slept with his fathers, and Ieroboam sate vpon his seate: and Ioash was buryed in Samaria among the Kings of Israel.

14 Elisha became very ill. Just before he died, King Jehoash went to Elisha and cried in front of him. [Saying the same words that Elisha had said when Elijah was taken to heaven], he said, “My father/master! My father/master! The chariots of us Israeli people and their drivers [are taking my master away]!”

When Elisha fell sicke of his sickenesse whereof he dyed, Ioash the King of Israel came downe vnto him, and wept vpon his face, and sayd, O my father, my father, the charet of Israel, and the horsemen of the same.

15 Elisha said to him, “Bring to me a bow and some arrows!” So the king did that.

Then Elisha sayde vnto him, Take a bowe and arrowes. And he tooke vnto him bowe and arrowes.

16 Then Elisha told the king to put his hands on the bow [and prepare to shoot some arrows]. And then Elisha put his own hands on the king’s hands.

And he sayde to the King of Israel, Put thine hand vpon the bowe. And he put his hand vpon it. And Elisha put his hands vpon the Kings hands,

17 Then Elisha told him, “[Have someone] open that window toward the east.” So they opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So the king did. Then Elisha said, “That is the arrow that [indicates that your army] will defeat the Syrian army. Your army will completely defeat their [army] at Aphek [town].”

And saide, Open the windowe Eastward. And when he had opened it, Elisha said, Shoote. And he shot. And he sayd, Beholde the arrowe of the Lordes deliuerance and the arrowe of deliuerance against Aram: for thou shalt smite the Aramites in Aphek, till thou hast consumed them.

18 Then Elisha said, “Pick up the other arrows and strike the ground with them!” So the king picked up the arrows and struck the ground three times.

Againe he said, Take the arrowes. And he tooke them. And he sayde vnto the King of Israel, Smite the ground. And he smote thrise, and ceased.

19 But Elisha was angry with him. He exclaimed, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! If you had done that, your army would have defeated the Syrian [army] until they were completely wiped out! But now, [because you struck the ground only three times, ] your army will defeat them only three times!”

Then the man of God was angry with him, and sayde, Thou shouldest haue smitten fiue or sixe times, so thou shouldest haue smitten Aram, till thou haddest consumed it, where nowe thou shalt smite Aram but thrise.

20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of raiders from Moab came to Israel each year during (spring/the time when the cold season was ending).

So Elisha dyed, and they buryed him. And certaine bandes of the Moabites came into the land that yeere.

21 One year, when some Israeli people were burying a man’s body, they saw a group of those raiders. [They were afraid, ] so quickly they threw that man’s body into the tomb where Elisha [had been buried, and they ran away]. But as soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man became alive again and jumped up!

And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw the souldiers: therfore they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha. And when the man was downe, and touched the bones of Elisha, he reuiued and stoode vpon his feete.

22 King Hazael of Syria [sent soldiers to] oppress the Israeli people all during the years that Jehoahaz [ruled Judah].

But Hazael King of Aram vexed Israel all the dayes of Iehoahaz.

23 But Yahweh was very kind [DOU] to the Israeli people. He helped them because of the agreement that he had made with [their ancestors] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He did not get rid of the Israelis, and he still has not rejected them.

Therefore the Lord had mercy on them and pitied them, and had respect vnto them because of his couenant with Abraham, Izhak, and Iaakob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from him as yet.

24 When Hazael the king of Syria died, his son Ben-Hadad became the king.

So Hazael the King of Aram dyed: and Ben-hadad his sonne reigned in his stead.

25 [The army of] King Jehoash of Israel defeated [the army of] King Ben-Hadad three times, and recaptured the cities that Ben-Hadad’s army had captured during the time that Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.

Therefore Iehoash the sonne of Iehoahaz returned, and tooke out of the hand of Ben-hadad the sonne of Hazael the cities which he had taken away by warre out of the hand of Iehoahaz his father: for three times did Ioash beate him, and restored the cities vnto Israel.