2 Kings 2-13

New Catholic Bible

Stories of Elisha and Joram

Chapter 2

Elijah Is Taken to Heaven.^{[a] 1} Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal when the Lord was about to take Elijah into heaven in a whirlwind. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Wait here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha answered, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

³ The sons of the prophets came forth from Bethel to Elisha and they said to him, “Do you know that today is the day that the Lord is going to take away your master who is over you?” Elisha answered, “Yes, I know it. Be quiet!”

⁴ Elijah then said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he answered, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ The sons of the prophets in Jericho came to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today is the day that the Lord is going to take away your master who is over you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet!”

⁶ Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” He answered, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Now fifty of the sons of the prophets went out and watched from a distance as the two of them stood at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up. He struck the waters with it, and they split apart, so the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Elisha Succeeds Elijah. ⁹ After they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me for whatever you want before I am taken away.” Elisha said, “Let me please have a double portion^[b] of your spirit.” ¹⁰ He answered, “You have asked for something that is difficult. If you see me taken away from you, then it will be yours. If not, then it will not be so.”

¹¹ As they were walking along talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah went up into the heavens in a whirlwind. ¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” And then he could not see him anymore. He took hold of his clothes and tore them apart.^[c]

¹³ He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen off of him, and he went back and stood by the banks of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen off of him, and he struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When Elisha struck the waters, they split apart and he crossed over.

¹⁵ The sons of the prophets from Jericho who had been watching said, “The spirit of Elijah has come to rest upon Elisha.” They came out to meet him, and they bowed down to the ground before him. ¹⁶ They said to him, “Behold, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Let them go out and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on a mountain or in some valley.” But he answered, “Do not send them.”

¹⁷ They continued to insist until he became embarrassed and he said, “Send them.” The fifty men searched for three days, but they did not find him. ¹⁸ When they came back to him in Jericho where he was staying, he said to them, “Did I not tell you that you should not go?”

¹⁹ Healing the Water. The men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, this city is in a pleasant location, as my lord sees, but the water is bad and the ground is barren.” ²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ He went out to the spring of water, and he threw the salt into it, saying, “Thus says the Lord: I have healed these waters. They shall never again produce death or make the land barren.” ²² The waters have remained healed up to the present day, just as Elisha had declared.

^23 [d]From there he traveled to Bethel. As he was on his way, some little children came out of the city and they mocked him crying out, “Go away, baldy! Go away, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around and stared at them. He cursed them in the name of the Lord. Two female bears came out from the woods and mauled the children, forty-two of them.

²⁵ From there he went to Mount Carmel, and then he returned to Samaria.

Chapter 3

Joram’s Campaign against Moab. ¹ Joram, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. ² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as bad as his father and his mother. He removed the idol of Baal that his father had made. ³ Still, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, causing Israel to sin. He did not turn away from them.

⁴ Mesha, the king of Moab, tended sheep. He had to give the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool from one hundred thousand sheep. ⁵ When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

⁶ King Joram went out from Samaria and he gathered together all of Israel. ⁷ He sent this message to Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you not go out with me to fight against Moab?” He answered, “I will go. My people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” ⁸ He said, “By which way should we go up?” He answered, “By way of the Desert of Edom.”

⁹ The king of Israel went out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They wandered around for seven days, but there was no water for the army or the animals that followed them. ¹⁰ The king of Israel said, “What? Has the Lord called three kings together only to hand them over into the hands of Moab?” ¹¹ Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord so that we can inquire of the Lord through him?” A servant of the king of Israel answered, “There is Elisha, the son of Shaphat. He used to pour water onto the hands of Elijah.”^{[e] 12} Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.”

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. ¹³ But Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do you and I have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.” The king of Israel said, “No, the Lord called together these three kings to deliver them into the hands of Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand, if it were not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not even look at you or take notice of you. ¹⁵ Now, bring a harpist to me.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶ He said, “Thus says the Lord: Fill this valley with ditches. ¹⁷ For thus says the Lord: You will see neither wind nor rain, but this valley will fill up with water for you and your animals to drink. ¹⁸ This will be easy for the Lord, and he will also hand over the Moabites into your hands. ¹⁹ You will overthrow every fortified city and every larger city. You will cut down every good tree, stop up every well, and scatter stones in every good field.”

²⁰ In the morning while they were offering a sacrifice, water came flowing from Edom. The land was filled with water. ²¹ The Moabites heard that the kings were coming to fight against them, and they gathered together everyone who was old enough to put on armor and older and they stationed them on the border.

²² When they got up in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water on the other side was as red as blood.^{[f] 23} They said, “This is blood. Surely the kings have attacked and killed one another. To the spoil, Moab!”

²⁴ When they arrived at the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and defeated the Moabites who fled before them. They pushed forward, cutting down the Moabites. ²⁵ They then destroyed the cities, and each cast his stone onto a good piece of land, filling it in. They stopped up all of the wells, and they cut down all of the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir-hareseth, although the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. ²⁷ They took his oldest son who would have reigned in his stead, and they offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall. They were furious at Israel. They departed and returned to their own land.

Chapter 4

The Widow’s Oil.^{[g] 1} Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant lived in fear of the Lord. His creditor is coming to take away his two sons to be his slaves.” ² Elisha said, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have at home?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing at home except for a flask of oil.” ³ He said, “Go around and borrow jars from all of your neighbors. Empty jars, and not too few of them. ⁴ Then go inside, and shut the door behind you and your sons. Fill all of those jars, and when a jar is full, set it to the side.”

⁵ So she left him, and she shut the door behind her and her sons who had brought her jars, and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all of the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” He said, “There are no more jars,” and then the oil stopped flowing.

⁷ She went and recounted it to the man of God, and he said, “Go and sell the oil and pay your debt. You and your children can live on what is left over.”

Elisha and the Shunammite.^{[h] 8} One day Elisha traveled to Shunem.^[i] There was an important woman there, and she insisted that he stop to eat. Whenever he passed by there, he would stop to eat.

⁹ She said to her husband, “Behold, this man who often visits us is a holy man of God. ¹⁰ We should prepare a small room on the roof, and place a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it for him. Then he can stay there when he visits us.”

¹¹ One day he arrived, and he went into the room to lie down. ¹² He said to Gehazi, his servant, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Say to her, ‘You have put yourself through all this trouble for us. What could be done for you? Should we speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?’ ” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

¹⁴ He said, “Then what can be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “She and her husband are old, and they have no children.” ¹⁵ Elisha said, “Summon her.” He called her and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ He said, “You will embrace a son around this time next year.” She said, “No, my lord, O man of God. Do not lie to your servant.”

¹⁷ The woman became pregnant, and she had a son that time the next year, just as Elisha had predicted. ¹⁸ The child grew up, and one day he went out to his father who was with the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head! My head!” He said to a young man, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ He picked him up and brought him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon when he died.

²¹ She went up and laid him on the bed belonging to the man of God. She closed him in the room and went out. ²² She called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys so that I can hurry to the man of God and return.” ²³ He said, “Why would you go today? It is not a new moon or the Sabbath.” But she said, “It is all right.”^[j]

²⁴ She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on, and do not slow down for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she departed and came to the man of God on Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her from a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, it is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Run to her and say to her, ‘Is everything all right? Is your husband well? Is your child well?’ ” She answered, “It is all right.”

²⁷ When she reached the man of God on the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. Her spirit is in despair, but the Lord had hidden it from me and did not tell me.”

²⁸ She said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not lie to me.’ ”

²⁹ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hands, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him. And if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff upon the child’s face.”^{[k] 30} But the boy’s mother said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went on before them, and he laid the staff upon the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. He went out to meet him, and he said to him, “The child did not wake up.”

³² When Elisha arrived at the house, the child was lying dead upon his bed. ³³ He went in, and he shut the door on the two of them, and then he prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ He got up and lay upon the child, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, and hands to hands. He stretched himself out upon the child, and the child’s flesh grew warm. ³⁵ He turned and walked back and forth in the room, and then he went and stretched himself out again. The boy sneezed seven times, and then the boy opened his eyes.

³⁶ Elisha called for Gehazi, and he said, “Call this Shunammite.” He called her, and she came, and he said to her, “Take your son.” ³⁷ She came in and bowed down, falling to the ground at Elisha’s feet. She then took her son and left.

³⁸ Poisoned Stew. Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting in front of him, and he said to his servant, “Set up the large pot and cook some soup for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹ One of them went out into the field to gather some herbs and he found a wild vine. He picked the wild gourds, filling his cloak. He cut them up into the pot of soup, although no one knew what they were.

⁴⁰ When they poured out the soup for the men to eat, and they began to eat the soup, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot.” And they could not eat it.

⁴¹ He said, “Bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

⁴² Multiplication of Loaves. A man came from Baal-shalishah, and he brought the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread from the firstfruits along with some heads of grain. He said, “Give it to the people so that they might eat.” ⁴³ His servant said, “What? Should I place this before one hundred men?” But he said again, “Give it to the people to eat, for thus says the Lord: They will eat, and there will be some left over.”

⁴⁴ He set it before them, and they ate, and there was some left over, just as the Lord had predicted.

Chapter 5

Cure of Naaman.^{[l] 1} There was a certain Naaman, who was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was an honorable man, highly esteemed by his master, because it was through him that the Lord had delivered Aram. He was a brave soldier, but he had leprosy.

² Aramean raiders had gone out into the land of Israel and had taken a young girl captive who served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my lord would present himself to the prophet who is in Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ He went to his lord and said, “This is what the young girl from the land of Israel said.”

⁵ The king of Aram said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

He went on his way, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing. ⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel which said, “With this letter I am sending you my servant Naaman so that you might cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, with the power to kill and give life, that he sends me a man to heal him of his leprosy? Think of it, see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”

⁸ When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me so that he might know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and his chariot, and he stood at the door to Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash seven times in the Jordan, and your skin will be restored, and you will be clean.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord, his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leprosy. ¹² Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all of the rivers of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be made clean?”

So he turned away and left in a rage. ¹³ His servants approached him and spoke to him saying, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he said, ‘Wash and be made clean.’ ”

¹⁴ He went down and he bathed himself in the Jordan seven times as the man of God had instructed him to do. His skin became like the skin of a little child, and he was clean.

¹⁵ He and all of his attendants returned to the man of God. He came and he stood before him and said, “Behold, I now know that there is no God upon the earth except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶ He answered, “As the Lord lives before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” Even though he urged him to take it, he refused.^[m]

^17 [n]Naaman said, “If not, then let your servant be given two donkey loads of dirt, for your servant will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ Only may the Lord forgive me this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I also bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant this thing.”

¹⁹ He said to him, “Go in peace.” He left and traveled a little way. ²⁰ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, “Behold, my master has spared Naaman the Aramean by not accepting from his hands what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”

²¹ So Gehazi followed Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got off the chariot to greet him and he said, “Is all well?” ²² He answered, “All is well. My master sent me, saying, ‘Two young men from among the sons of the prophets have now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’ ”

²³ Naaman said, “Please take two talents.” He urged it on him, and he bound up two talents of silver in two bags along with two changes of clothing. He entrusted it to two of his servants who carried it before him. ²⁴ When he came to the tower, he took it from their hands and he placed it in the house. He then dismissed the men and they left.

²⁵ He went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where are you coming from, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant has not gone anywhere.” ²⁶ He said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got off of his chariot to meet you? Is this now the time to receive money, or clothing, or olive orchards, or vineyards, or sheep, or oxen, or menservants, or maidservants? ²⁷ On account of this, Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and your descendants forever.” He went out from his presence, and he was a leper, as white as snow.

Chapter 6

Finding the Lost Ax. ¹ The sons of the prophets came to Elisha and said, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small. ² Let us go to the Jordan. Each of us can take a pole, and we can make a place for ourselves there.” He answered, “Go.”

³ One of them said, “Will you please go with your servants.” He answered, “I will go.” ⁴ He went with them and they came to the Jordan and began to cut down trees.

⁵ One of the men was cutting down a tree, but the iron ax head fell into the water. He cried out, “Woe is me, master, for it was borrowed.” ⁶ The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” So he showed him the place. He cut down a stick and tossed it there, and it made the iron float. ⁷ He said, “Pick it up.” So he stretched out his hand and grabbed it.

Aramean Ambush. ⁸ Now the king of Aram was fighting against Israel. He conferred with his servants saying, “I will set up my camp over there.”

⁹ The man of God sent word to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware of passing by that place, for the Arameans have gone down there.” ¹⁰ The king of Israel sent men to the place that the man of God had indicated. He warned him and saved him more than once or twice.

¹¹ The king of Aram was enraged at this, and he summoned his servants and said, “Will you not let me know which of us has sided with the king of Israel?” ¹² One of his servants answered, “No one, my lord, O king. It is Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, who tells the king of Israel whatever you say in your bed chamber.”

¹³ He said, “Go find out where he is so that I can send and capture him.” He was told, “He is in Dothan.”^{[o] 14} He sent horses and chariots and a large army there. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ Early the next morning, when the servant of the man of God got up and went out, behold, he saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. His servant said to him, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” ¹⁶ He answered, “Do not be afraid. There are more with us than with them.”

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he might see.” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he looked, and behold, the hill was covered with horses and chariots and fire all around Elisha.

¹⁸ As they came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this people with blindness.” They were stricken with blindness, as Elisha had said. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you are seeking.” He led them to Samaria.

²⁰ When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Open the eyes of these men, O Lord, so that they might see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?” ²² He answered, “Do not kill them! Would you kill someone whom you had taken with the sword or the bow? Give them bread and water so that they can eat and drink and go back to their master.”

²³ He prepared a great feast for them, and when they finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. No more Aramean raiding parties came into the land of Israel.

²⁴ Sometime later, Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, assembled his whole army and he went up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁵ There was a terrible famine in Samaria, and they continued the siege until a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a kab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.

^26 [p]As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord, O king.” ²⁷ He said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?”

²⁸ The king said to her, “What do you want?” She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son, so that we can eat him today. We can eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we cooked my son and we ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him,’ but she hid her son.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. As he walked along on the wall, the people looked up and they saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath his clothes. ³¹ He said, “May God do this to me and more if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, remains on his body today.”

³² Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man to him, but even before the messenger arrived, he said to the elders, “Do you not see how he has sent this son of a murderer to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger arrives, shut and bar the door against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

³³ As he was still talking, the messenger came down to him. He said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Chapter 7

¹ Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord for thus says the Lord: By this time tomorrow a seah^[q] of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel in the gates of Samaria.” ² An officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Behold, even if the Lord were to make windows in the heavens, how could this happen.” He answered, “Behold, your eyes will see it, but you will not eat any of it.”

Lepers at the Gate. ³ There were four lepers at the entrance to the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?^{[r] 4} If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ there is famine in the city. We would die there. If we continue to sit here, we will die just the same. Let us go and surrender to the army of the Arameans. If they let us live, then we will live, but if they kill us, then we will die.”

⁵ At dusk they got up and went into the camp of the Arameans. When they arrived at the edge of the Aramean camp, they did not find anyone. ⁶ The Lord had made the Aramean army hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses and the sound of a large army. They said to one another, “The king of Israel has paid the Hittite kings and the Egyptian kings to attack us.” ⁷ They arose at dusk and fled, abandoning their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving their camp as it was. They fled for their lives.

⁸ These lepers reached the edge of the camp, and they entered one of the tents where they ate and drank and carried away silver, gold, and clothing. They went off and hid it, and they then entered another tent and carried off things from it as well. They went and hid those things.

⁹ They then said to one another, “What we are doing today is not right. It is a day of good news, and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until the morning, will we not be punished? Come on, let us go and inform the king’s household.”

¹⁰ So they went and called out to the city gatekeeper, saying, “We have come from the Aramean camp, and there was no one there, not a sound from anyone. Yet, the horses are tied up, and the donkeys are tied up, and the tents are the way they were.”

¹¹ The gatekeepers shouted out the news, and it was heard in the king’s palace. ¹² The king got up during the night and he said to his servants, “I will explain to you what the Arameans have done to us. They knew that we were hungry, so they left the camp and hid in the field, saying, ‘When they come out from the city, we will catch them alive and take the city.’ ”

¹³ One of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate will be the same as the rest of the Israelites who are left here, for the rest of the Israelites are doomed as well. Let us send them to see.”

¹⁴ End of the Siege. The king chose two chariots with their horses, and he sent them after the Aramean army saying, “Go and see!” ¹⁵ They followed them to the Jordan, and all along the way they found garments and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The messengers returned and reported it to the king.

¹⁶ The people went out and they plundered the tents of the Arameans. A seah of flour sold for one shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for one shekel, as the Lord had said.

¹⁷ Now the king had placed the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, as the man of God had foretold when the king had visited him.

¹⁸ And so what the man of God had said to the king came true, for he said, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of flour will sell for a shekel at this time tomorrow in the gates of Samaria.” ¹⁹ The officer had said to the man of God, “Behold, even if the Lord were to make windows in the heavens, how could this happen,” and he had answered, “Behold, your eyes will see it, but you will not eat any of it.” ²⁰ This is exactly what happened, for the people trampled him in the gateway and he died.

Chapter 8

Famine Predicted. ¹ Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “You and your household must get up and go to dwell wherever you can, for the Lord has called a famine down upon the land, and it will last for seven years.”

² The woman rose up and did what the man of God had told her to do. She and her household went and dwelt in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. She went to the king and begged for her house and her land.

⁴ The king had been talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and he had said, “Please tell me all of the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ Just as he was recounting to the king how he had restored a dead body to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life beseeched the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman whose son Elisha restored to life.”

⁶ The king questioned the woman about it, and she told him about it. The king assigned an official for her case, saying, “Restore everything to her, including the produce from the field from the day she left the land up until the present.”

Ben-hadad’s Death Foretold. ⁷ Elisha went to Damascus, to Ben-hadad, the king of the Arameans, who was ill. He was told, “The man of God has come here.”

⁸ The king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go and meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, asking, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”

⁹ Hazael went to meet him, and he took a present of forty camel loads of the finest products of Damascus with him. He stood before him and said, “Ben-hadad the king of Aram, has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ” ¹⁰ Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ for the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.”^[s]

¹¹ He continued to stare at him until he became embarrassed. The man of God then began to weep. ¹² Hazael asked, “Why is my lord weeping?” He answered, “Because I know what harm you will do to the Israelites. You will burn down their strongholds, you will put their young men to the sword, you will dash their children to the ground, and you will rip open their pregnant women.” ¹³ Hazael said, “But how could your servant, who is nothing more than a dog,^[t] do such a great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Aram.”

¹⁴ He left Elisha and went back to his master who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He answered, “He told me that you will surely recover.” ¹⁵ The next day he took a thick cloth and soaked it in water. He placed it over the king’s face, so that he died. Hazael then reigned in his stead.

¹⁶ Reign of Joram of Judah. In the fifth year of the reign of Joram, the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Joram, the son of Jehoshaphat, began to reign over Judah. ¹⁷ He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁹ Yet, the Lord would not destroy Judah for the sake of David, his servant, for he had promised to give a light to him and his children forever.

²⁰ During his reign, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up their own king. ²¹ Joram went to Zair with all of his chariots. He rose up during the night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him. The captains of his chariots and his army fled back home. ²² Edom has been in a state of rebellion against Judah up to the present. Libnah rebelled at the same time.

²³ As for the other deeds of Joram, what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

²⁴ Joram slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.

²⁵ Ahaziah Rules Judah. Ahaziah, the son of Joram, began to reign as the king of Judah during the twelfth year of the reign of Joram, the son of Ahab, the king of Israel. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah. She was the daughter of Omri, the king of Israel.^{[u] 27} He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ He went to war against Hazael, the king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead along with Joram, the son of Ahab. The Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received from the Arameans at Ramoth when he fought against Hazael, the king of the Arameans.

Ahaziah, the son of Joram, the king of Judah, went down to visit Joram, the son of Ahab, in Jezreel because he was ill.

Chapter 9

Anointing of Jehu. ¹ Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins and carry this flask of oil to Ramoth-gilead.^{[v] 2} When you arrive there, search for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, and separate him from his companions, bringing him to an inner chamber. ³ Take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you as king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee, do not wait around.”

⁴ So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, the commanders of the army were sitting around. He said, “I have a message for you, commander.” Jehu said, “For which of us?” He answered, “For you, commander.”

⁶ Jehu got up and went into the house. He poured the oil on his head and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you as king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ You are to wipe out the house of Ahab, your master, and take vengeance for the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all of the servants of the Lord that Jezebel has shed. ⁸ The entire house of Ahab must perish. Everyone who pees against the wall in Israel who belongs to Ahab must be cut off, whether he be slave or free. ⁹ I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ And as for Jezebel, the dogs will devour her on the Jezreel plot of ground. No one will bury her.’ ” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ When Jehu came outside to the servants of his lord, one of them said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman^[w] come to visit you?” He answered, “You know the man and the things he says.” ¹² They said, “That is not true. Tell us now what he said.” Jehu said, “He said this to me, ‘Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you as king over Israel.’ ”

¹³ Each of them quickly took his cloak and put it under him upon the stairs. They blew the trumpets and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”^[x]

¹⁴ The Murder of Joram. So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, plotted against Joram.

Joram and all of Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael, the king of Aram, ¹⁵ but Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received from the Arameans when he fought against Hazael, the king of Aram. Jehu said, “If this is what you want, then prevent anyone from leaving the city and going to Jezreel to report it.”

¹⁶ Jehu then got in his chariot and rode to Jezreel, for that was where Joram was staying. Ahaziah, the king of Judah, had also gone down to visit Joram.

¹⁷ When the watchman upon the tower in Jezreel observed Jehu’s forces arriving, he said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him out to meet them. Let him say, ‘Do you come in peace?’ ” ¹⁸ The horseman went to meet them and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Do you come in peace?’ ” Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” The watchman said, “The messenger has reached them, but he is not coming back.”

¹⁹ He sent out a second horseman who came to them and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Do you come in peace?’ ” Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

²⁰ The watchman reported, “He has reached them, but he is not coming back. The one who is driving is driving like Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for he is driving furiously.” ²¹ Joram said, “Prepare my chariot.”

When his chariot had been made ready, Joram, the king of Israel, and Ahaziah, the king of Judah, each drove out with his chariot against Jehu. They encountered him at the plot of Naboth, the Jezreelite. ²² When Joram saw that it was Jehu, he said, “Do you come in peace?” Jehu answered, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatries and witchcrafts of Jezebel, your mother, continue to multiply?”

²³ Joram turned and fled, and he cried out to Ahaziah, “It is treachery, O Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Jehu drew back his bow and struck Joram between his shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

^25 [y]Jehu said to Bidkar, his captain, “Pick him up and throw him down in the plot that belonged to Naboth, the Jezreelite. Remem-ber how you and I were riding together behind Ahab, his father, when the Lord proclaimed this prophecy against him. ²⁶ ‘As surely as yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons,’ says the Lord, ‘I will repay you upon this plot,’ says the Lord. Therefore, take him and throw him down upon this plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

²⁷ Death of Ahaziah. When Ahaziah, the king of Judah, saw this, he fled on the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu followed after him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him on the way up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. He escaped to Megiddo, but he died there. ²⁸ His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem, and they buried him in the tomb of his fathers in the City of David. ²⁹ Ahaziah had begun to reign over Judah in the eleventh year of the reign of Joram, the son of Ahab.

³⁰ Death of Jezebel. Jehu then went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard, she painted her face and fixed her hair, and she leaned out the window. ³¹ When Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?”

³² He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down to him. ³³ He said, “Throw her down!” They threw her down so that her blood sprinkled on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her down.

³⁴ He went in and ate and drank and said, “Go now, and bury that accursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” ³⁵ When they went out to bury her, all they found was her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ They went back and told him. He said, “This is the word of the Lord which he spoke through his servant, Elijah, the Tishbite, when he said, ‘The dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel on the plot in Jezreel. ³⁷ Jezebel’s body will be like dung spread over the surface of the field on the plot in Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.’ ”

Chapter 10

The Killing of Ahab’s Descendants. ¹ Now there were seventy sons of Ahab in Samaria, so Jehu wrote letters that he sent to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and the guardians of Ahab’s children, saying,^{[z] 2} “As soon as you receive this letter, for your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses and a fortified city and armor, ³ choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him upon his father’s throne, and fight for your master.”

⁴ They were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, then how could we resist him?” ⁵ The major-domo of the palace who was in charge of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants. We will do whatever you tell us. We will not appoint anyone as king; we will do as you see fit.”

⁶ He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are with me and willing to obey me, then take off the heads^[aa] of these men, the sons of Ahab, and bring them to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

There were seventy sons of the king who were being raised by the leading citizens of the city. ⁷ When they received the letter, they slew the king’s sons, seventy of them, and they put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jezreel.

⁸ When the messenger arrived, he told him, “We have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” He said, “Put them in two piles at the entrance to the gates until the morning.”

⁹ The next morning, he went out and stood before all the people and said to them, “You are innocent! I plotted against my master and killed him, but who killed all of these? ¹⁰ Know then that not a word of the Lord which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab will fall to the ground. The Lord has fulfilled what he said through his servant Elijah.”

¹¹ So Jehu killed all of those who remained from the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his chief men, all of his relatives, and all of his priests, so that none of them were left alive.

¹² Ahaziah’s Kinsmen. He then rose up and left and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth-eked of the shepherds, ¹³ Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah, the king of Judah. He said, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We are going down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ He said, “Take them alive!” They took them alive and they slew them at the well of Beth-eked, forty-two of them. He did not leave any of them alive.

¹⁵ When he left there, he encountered Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, who came out to meet him. He greeted him and said, “Is your heart right? Is your heart with my heart?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” He said, “If it is, give me your hand.” He gave him his hand, and he took him up into his chariot. ¹⁶ He said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he arrived in Samaria, he killed all of those who were left of Ahab in Samaria until he had wiped them out, fulfilling what the Lord had said when he spoke through Elijah.

¹⁸ Baal’s Temple Destroyed. Jehu then gathered together all of the people and said to them, “Ahab only served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. ¹⁹ Summon all of the prophets of Baal to me, all of his servants, and all of his priests. Let no one be missing, for I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” Jehu did this as a trick so that he might put to death those who worshiped Baal. ²⁰ Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” And they proclaimed it.

²¹ Jehu sent throughout all of Israel, and all of the worshipers of Baal came. There was not a single one of them who did not come. The temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. ²² He said to the person who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring forth the vestments for all of the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought forth vestments for them.^[ab]

²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went to the temple of Baal. He said to the worshipers of Baal, “Look around and see that there are no servants of the Lord here, only worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ They went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Jehu posted eighty men and said, “If any of the men whom I have placed in your hands escapes, it will be your life for his life.” ²⁵ As soon as he had finished offering up the burnt offerings, Jehu said to the guards and the captains, “Go in and slay them. Let no one escape.” They put them to the sword. The guards and the captains then cast them out, and they entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought the sacred pillars out from the temple of Baal and they burned them. ²⁷ They smashed the idol of Baal, and they tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a refuse dump, which it is up to the present. ²⁸ Thus, Jehu destroyed Baal throughout Israel.

²⁹ Death of Jehu. However, Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, that is, following the golden calves in Bethel and Dan.

³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done what was right in my sight, doing everything that was in my heart to the house of Ahab, your sons to the fourth generation will sit upon the throne of Israel.”

³¹ But Jehu did not take heed to walk in the ways of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart, nor did he turn away from the sins of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. ³² Therefore, the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel, and Hazael conquered them throughout all of the territory of Israel ³³ to the east of the Jordan: all of the land of Gilead, that is, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, from Aroer which is near the Arnon River, including Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehu, and all that he did, and his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

³⁵ Jehu slept with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz, his son, then reigned in his stead. ³⁶ Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for a period of twenty-eight years.

Chapter 11

The Rule of Athaliah. ¹ When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she killed all of the royal heirs. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and secreted him away from the king’s sons who were being murdered. They hid him and his nurse from Athaliah in the bed chamber so that he might not die.

³ He was hidden with her for six years in the temple of the Lord, and Athaliah reigned over the land. ⁴ In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for and summoned the captains of the hundreds, the Carites,^[ac] and the guards. He brought them to the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son.

⁵ He commanded them, “This is what you are to do: for the one-third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath: a third of you are to guard the king’s palace; ⁶ a third of you are to be at the Sur Gate; and a third at the gate behind the guard. Guard the palace. ⁷ For the other two-thirds of you who come off duty on the Sabbath and who keep guard in the temple of the Lord and the king’s palace, ⁸ surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ The captains of the hundreds did everything that Jehoiada, the priest, had commanded. Each of them brought the men who were coming on duty on the Sabbath as well as those who were going off duty on the Sabbath and they came to Jehoiada the priest.

¹⁰ The priest gave the captains of the hundreds the spears and the shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the temple of the Lord. ¹¹ The guards stood with their weapons in their hands from the southern side of the temple to the northern side of the temple by the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.

¹² He brought the king’s son out and put a crown on him. He gave him the testimony, and they proclaimed him as king and anointed him, clapping their hands and proclaiming, “Long live the king!”

¹³ When Athaliah heard the noise from the guard and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the Lord. ¹⁴ She looked out and behold, the king was standing by a pillar,^[ad] as was the custom, with the princes and the trumpeters standing by the king. All the people of the land rejoiced and blew the trumpets.

Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!” ¹⁵ Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds and the commanders of the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” (This was because the priest had said that she was not to be killed in the temple of the Lord.)

¹⁶ They seized her as she passed by the place where the horses enter the king’s palace. She was put to death there.

¹⁷ Jehoiada made a covenant^[ae] between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made one between the king and the people.

¹⁸ All of the people went into the temple of Baal. They smashed to pieces his altars and his images. They killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

The priest then appointed guards for the temple of the Lord. ¹⁹ He took the captains of the hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and the people of the land with him and they brought down the king from the temple of the Lord and entered the royal palace by way of the guards’ gate. He then took his place on the royal throne.

²⁰ All of the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for Athaliah had been put to the sword in the royal palace.

²¹ Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

Chapter 12

Reign of Joash. ¹ Joash began to reign during the seventh year of the reign of Jehu, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, and she was from Beer-sheba.

^2 [af]Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all of his days. Jehoiada, the priest, instructed him. ³ However, he did not eliminate the high places, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ Joash said to the priests, “Gather all of the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord as a sacred offering, the money from the census, the money from personal vows, and all of the money that each man saw fit to bring to the temple of the Lord. ⁵ Let the priests each take it from their treasurers, and let them use it to repair whatever damage they might find in the temple.”

⁶ In spite of this, in the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not yet repaired the damage in the temple. ⁷ King Joash therefore summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and he said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage in the temple? Take no more money from the treasurers; hand it over for the repair of the temple.”

⁸ The priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people and that they, themselves, would not repair the damage in the temple. ⁹ Jehoiada took a chest and cut a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the door placed all of the money that was brought into the temple of the Lord in it. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was quite a bit of money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest would come. They would count the money that was found in the temple of the Lord, and they would put it in bags.

¹¹ When the money had been counted, they placed it in the hands of the supervisor of the work being done on the temple of the Lord. With it they paid those who were working on the temple of the Lord: the carpenters and the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stonecutters. It was also used to buy wood and hewn stone that were used to repair the damage in the temple of the Lord, and for all of the expenses involved in repairing the temple.

¹³ However, the money that was brought into the temple of the Lord was not used to make silver basins, nor snuffers, nor sprinkling bowls, nor trumpets, nor any utensils made with gold, nor any utensils made with silver.

¹⁴ They gave it to the workmen who used it to repair the temple of the Lord. ¹⁵ Moreover, they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hands the money had been deposited for the payment of the workmen, for they acted honestly.^[ag]

¹⁶ The money from guilt offerings and from sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the Lord for it belonged to the priests.^[ah]

¹⁷ Hazael, the king of Aram, went up and fought against Gath. He captured it, and Hazael decided to go up to Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Joash, the king of Judah, took all of the sacred things that had been dedicated by Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his ancestors, the kings of Judah, and all of the sacred things that he had dedicated, and all of the gold that was found in the treasury of the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and he sent it to Hazael, the king of Aram, who then departed from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ As for the other deeds of Joash, what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

²⁰ Joash’s servants plotted against him, and they killed him at Beth-millo, on the road going down to Silla. ²¹ His servants who killed him were Jozacar, the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer.

He died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.

Chapter 13

Reign of Jehoahaz of Israel. ¹ Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, became the king over Israel in Samaria in the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, the king of Judah. He reigned for seventeen years.

² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He did not turn away from them. ³ The Lord’s anger blazed against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of Hazael, the king of Aram, and into the hands of Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, throughout his entire reign.

⁴ Jehoahaz then pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him for he observed the suffering of Israel which was being oppressed by the king of Aram. ⁵ The Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans. The Israelites were able to live in their own homes as they had before.

⁶ But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. They continued to walk in them. An Asherah continued to stand in Samaria.

⁷ There was nothing left to Jehoahaz’s men except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest of them, making them like the dust that lies on the threshing floor.

⁸ As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

⁹ Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. Jehoash his son, reigned in his stead.

¹⁰ Reign of Jehoash of Israel. Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash, the king of Judah, and he reigned for sixteen years.

¹¹ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, but he walked in them.

¹² As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoash, what he did, his achievements, and how he fought against Amaziah, the king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¹³ Jehoash slept with his fathers, and then Jeroboam sat upon his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁴ Elisha’s Final Prophecy. Now Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he died. Jehoash, the king of Israel, went down to visit him and wept over him. He cried out, “My father! My father!^[ai] The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

¹⁵ Elisha said, “Bring a bow and arrows,” so he brought a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ He said to the king of Israel, “Take the bow in your hands,” so he took the bow in his hands. Elisha then put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ He said, “Open the east window,” and he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. He said, “The arrow of the deliverance of the Lord! The arrow of the deliverance from Aram! You will wipe out the Aramean in Aphek, totally devouring them.”

¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and then stopped.

¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck it five or six times. Then you would have defeated Aram until it was consumed. As it is now, you will only defeat it three times.”

²⁰ Elisha then died and was buried.

Now Moabite raiders used to raid the land during the spring. ²¹ Once while some people were burying a man, they spotted a band of raiders, and they cast the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life and stood up on his feet.

²² Hazael, the king of Aram, oppressed Israel all throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion upon them and showed respect to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Up to the present he had not yet destroyed them nor had he cast them out of his presence.

²⁴ Hazael, the king of Aram, then died, and Ben-hadad, his son, reigned in his stead.

²⁵ Then Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, recaptured from the hands of Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities that he had taken from the hands of his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated him three times, and he recaptured the cities of Israel.