King Jehoahaz of Israel
1 Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in the twenty-third year of Joash's rule in Judah. Jehoahaz ruled 17 years from Samaria 2 and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He never stopped following the example of Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
3 The Lord was angry with the Israelites, so he let King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad rule over them for a long time. 4 Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord for help, and the Lord saw how terribly Hazael was treating the Israelites. He answered Jehoahaz 5 by sending Israel a leader who rescued them from the Syrians, and the Israelites lived in peace as they had before. 6-7 But Hazael had defeated Israel's army so badly that Jehoahaz had only 10 chariots, 50 cavalry troops, and 10,000 regular soldiers left in his army.
The Israelites kept sinning and following the example of Jeroboam's family. They did not tear down the sacred poles that had been set up in Samaria for the worship of the goddess Asherah.
8 Everything else Jehoahaz did while he was king, including his brave deeds, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 9 Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash became king.
King Jehoash of Israel
10 Jehoash became king of Israel in the thirty-seventh year of Joash's rule in Judah, and he ruled 16 years from Samaria. 11 He disobeyed the Lord by doing just like Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
12 Everything else Jehoash did while he was king, including his war against King Amaziah of Judah, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 13 Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria beside the other Israelite kings. His son Jeroboam then became king.
Elisha the Prophet Dies
14 Some time before the death of King Jehoash, Elisha the prophet was very sick and about to die. Jehoash went in and stood beside him, crying. He said, “Master, what will Israel's chariots and cavalry be able to do without you?”
15-16 “Grab a bow and some arrows,” Elisha told him, “and hold them in your hand.” Jehoash grabbed the bow and arrows and held them. Elisha placed his hand on the king's hand 17 and said, “Open the window facing east.” When it was open, Elisha shouted, “Now shoot!” Jehoash shot an arrow and Elisha said, “That arrow is a sign that the Lord will help you completely defeat the Syrian army at Aphek.”
18 Elisha said, “Pick up the arrows and hit the ground with them.” Jehoash grabbed the arrows and hit the ground three times, then stopped. 19 Elisha became angry with the king and exclaimed, “If you had struck it five or six times, you would completely wipe out the Syrians. Now you will defeat them only three times.”
20 Elisha died and was buried.
Every year in the spring, Moab's leaders sent raiding parties into Israel. 21 Once, while some Israelites were burying a man's body, they saw a group of Moabites. The Israelites quickly threw the body into Elisha's tomb and ran away. As soon as the man's body touched the bones of Elisha, the man came back to life and stood up.
Israel Defeats Syria
22 Israel was under the power of King Hazael of Syria during the entire rule of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was kind to the Israelites and showed them mercy because of his solemn agreement with their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fact, he has never turned his back on them or let them be completely destroyed.
24 Hazael died, and his son Benhadad then became king of Syria. 25 King Jehoash of Israel attacked and defeated the Syrian army three times. He took back from Benhadad all the towns Hazael had captured in battle from his father Jehoahaz.
يوأحاز ملك إسرائيل
1 في السَّنةِ الثَّالثةِ والعِشرينَ ليوآشَ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، ملَكَ يوأحازُ بنُ ياهو على إِسرائيلَ بِالسَّامِرةِ سَبعَ عَشْرةَ سنَةً. 2 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، وما حادَ عَنْ خطايا يَرُبعامَ بنِ نَباطَ الّذي جعَلَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ يَخطَأُ، 3 فاشتَدَّ غضَبُ الرّبِّ على شعبِ إِسرائيلَ وأسلَمَهُم إلى يَدِ حَزائيلَ مَلِكِ أرامَ وبَنهَدَدَ ابنِهِ. 4 فتَضَرَّعَ يوأحازُ إلى الرّبِّ، فسَمِعَ لَه لأنَّهُ رأى كم جارَ مَلِكُ آرامَ على مَملكَةِ إِسرائيلَ. 5 وأعطى الرّبُّ بَني إِسرائيلَ مُنقِذا فحَرَّرَهُم مِنْ سيطرةِ الآراميِّينَ، وأقاموا في ديارِهِم بِسلامٍ كما كانَ مِنْ قَبلُ. 6 إلاَّ أنَّهُم ما حادوا عَنْ خطايا بَيتِ يَرُبعامَ الّذي خَطِـئَ وجعَلَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ يَخطَأُ، بل ثابَروا علَيها وبَقيَ تِمثالُ أشيرةَ قائِما في السَّامِرةِ. 7 ولم يَبقَ ليوأحازَ سِوى خمسينَ فارِسا وعَشْرِ مَركباتٍ وعشَرَةِ آلافِ رَجُلٍ، لأنَّ مَلِكَ آرامَ أبادَ كُلَّ شيءٍ آخَرَ وجعَلَهُ مِثلَ التُّرابِ الّذي يُداسُ. 8 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ يوأحازُ وبَسالَتِه وأعمالِهِ مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفْرِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ لِمُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ. 9 وماتَ يوأحازَ ودُفِنَ معَ آبائِهِ في السَّامِرةِ، وملَكَ يوآشُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
يوآش يخلف يوأحاز
10 في السَّنةِ السَّابِــعةِ والثَّلاثينَ ليوآشَ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، ملَكَ يوآشُ بنُ يوأحازَ على إِسرائيلَ بِالسَّامِرةِ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ سنَةً. 11 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، وما حادَ عَنْ خطايا يَرُبعامَ بنِ نَباطَ الّذي خَطِـئَ وجعَلَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ يَخطَأُ. 12 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ يوآشَ وبَسالَتِه وأعمالِه، وحُروبِهِ ضدَّ أمَصْيا مَلِكِ يَهوذا، مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفْرِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ لِمُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ. 13 وماتَ يوآشُ ودُفِنَ في السَّامِرةِ معَ مُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ، وجلَسَ يَرُبعامُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
موت النبـي أليشع
14 وسقَطَ أليشَعُ في مرضٍ أدَّى إلى موتِهِ فيما بَعدُ، فقدِمَ إليهِ يوآشُ مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ، وقالَ: «يا أبـي يا أبـي، يا حامي حِمى إِسرائيلَ». 15 فقالَ لَه أليشَعُ: «خُذْ قوسا وسِهاما»، فأخذَ قوسا وسِهاما. 16 ثُمَّ قالَ لَه: «ضَعْ يدَكَ على القوسِ»، فوضَعَ يدَهُ. ووضَعَ أليشَعُ يدَهُ على يَدِ المَلِكِ 17 وقالَ لَه: «إفتَحِ النَّافِذَةَ مِنْ جِهَةِ الشَّرقِ»، ففَتَحَها. ثُمَّ قالَ: «إرمِ السَّهْمَ»، فرَماهُ. فقالَ أليشَعُ: «هذا سَهمُ نَصْرٍِ مِنَ الرّبِّ سَهمُ نَصْرٍ على آرامَ، ستَضرِبُ الآراميِّينَ في أفيقَ حتّى تُبـيدَهُم». 18 ثُمَّ قالَ لِلمَلِكِ: «خُذِ السِّهامَ». فأخذَها. وقالَ لَه: «إرمِ بِها إلى الأرضِ»، فرمى ثَلاثَةَ سِهامٍ وتوقَّفَ. 19 فغَضِبَ علَيهِ رَجُلُ اللهِ وقالَ لَه: «لو رميتَ خمسةَ سِهامٍ أو ستَّةً، لكُنتَ ضربْتَ الآراميِّينَ حتّى أبَدْتَهُم. لكِنِ الآنَ تَهزِمُهُم فقط ثَلاثَ مرَّاتٍ». 20 ثُمَّ ماتَ أليشَعُ ودُفِنَ. وهجَمَ غُزاةٌ مِنَ الموآبـيِّينَ على أرضِ إِسرائيلَ كعادَتِهم أوَّلَ الرَّبـيعِ 21 وفي ذلِكَ الحينِ كانَ بَعضُ الإسرائيليِّينَ يَقبِرونَ مَيْتا، فلمَّا رأوا الغُزاةَ رمَوا المَيْتَ في قبرِ أليشَعَ وهرَبوا. فلمَّا مَسَّ عِظامَ أليشَعَ عاشَ وقامَ على قدَمَيهِ.
موت حزائيل ملك آرام
22 واضطَهَدَ حَزائيلُ مَلِكُ آرامَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ طُولَ عَهدِ المَلِكِ يوأحازَ 23 فتَحَنَّنَ الرّبُّ علَيهِم ورَحِمَهُم وعطَفَ علَيهِم لِعَهدِهِ الّذي قطَعَهُ معَ إبراهيمَ وإسحَقَ ويعقوبَ، ولم يشَأْ أنْ يُبـيدَهُم فأبقاهُم إلى الآنَ.
24 ثُمَّ ماتَ حَزائيلُ مَلِكُ آرامَ، وجلَسَ بَنهَدَدُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ، 25 فعادَ يوآشُ بنُ يوآحازَ وهزَمَ بَنهَدَدَ ثَلاثَ مرَّاتٍ واستَرَدَّ مِنهُ مُدُنَ إِسرائيلَ الّتي أخذَها مِنْ يوأحازَ أبـيهِ في الحربِ.
