Ang Paghahari ni Jehoahaz sa Israel
1Naging hari ng Israel ang anak ni Jehu na si Jehoahaz nang ika-23 taon ng paghahari ng anak ni Ahazia na si Joash sa Juda. Sa Samaria siya nakatira, at naghari siya roon sa loob ng 17 taon. 2Masasama ang ginawa ni Jehoahaz sa paningin ng Panginoon. Sumunod siya sa mga ginawa ni Jeroboam, na anak ni Nebat, na naging dahilan ng pagkakasala ng mga taga-Israel. Hindi niya tinalikuran ang mga kasalanang ito. 3Kaya nagalit nang matindi ang Panginoon sa Israel. Hinayaan niyang masakop ito ni Haring Hazael ng Aram at ng anak nitong si Ben Hadad nang matagal na panahon.
4Nanalangin si Jehoahaz sa Panginoon at pinakinggan siya ng Panginoon, sapagkat nakita ng Panginoon ang sobrang kalupitan ng hari ng Aram sa Israel. 5Binigyan sila ng Panginoon ng tao na magliligtas sa kanila mula sa mga taga-Aram. Kaya muling namuhay ng may kapayapaan ang mga Israelita tulad ng dati. 6Pero hindi sila tumigil sa paggawa ng mga kasalanang ginawa ng pamilya ni Jeroboam, na naging dahilan ng pagkakasala nila. Nanatiling nakatayo ang posteng simbolo ng diosang si Ashera sa Samaria.
7Walang natira sa mga sundalo ni Jehoahaz maliban sa 50 mangangabayo, 10 karwahe at 10,000 sundalo, dahil ang iba ay pinatay ng hari ng Aram, na parang alikabok na tinatapak-tapakan.
8Ang iba pang salaysay tungkol sa paghahari ni Jehoahaz, at ang lahat ng kanyang ginawa at pagtatagumpay ay nakasulat sa Aklat ng Kasaysayan ng mga hari ng Israel. 9Nang mamatay si Jehoahaz, inilibing siya sa Samaria, sa libingan ng kanyang mga angkan. At ang anak niyang si Jehoash ang pumalit sa kanya bilang hari.
Ang Paghahari ni Jehoash sa Israel
10Naging hari ng Israel ang anak ni Jehoahaz na si Jehoash nang ika-37 taon ng paghahari ni Joash sa Juda. Sa Samaria siya nakatira, at naghari siya roon sa loob ng 16 na taon. 11Masama ang mga ginawa niya sa paningin ng Panginoon. Sumunod siya sa mga ginawa ni Jeroboam, na anak ni Nebat, na naging dahilan ng pagkakasala ng mga taga-Israel.
12Ang iba pang salaysay tungkol sa paghahari ni Jehoash at lahat ng ginawa niya at pagtatagumpay, pati ang pakikipaglaban kay Haring Amazia ng Juda ay nakasulat sa Aklat ng Kasaysayan ng mga hari ng Israel. 13Nang mamatay si Jehoash, inilibing siya sa libingan ng mga hari ng Israel sa Samaria. Ang anak niyang si Jeroboam II ang pumalit sa kanya bilang hari.
Namatay si Eliseo
14Nang magkasakit si Eliseo at malapit nang mamatay, pumunta sa kanya si Haring Jehoash noong buhay pa ito at umiyak. Sinabi ni Jehoash, “Ama ko! Ama ko! Ang mga karwahe at mangangabayo ng Israel!”13:14 Ang mga karwahe … ng Israel: Maaring ang ibig sabihin, si Eliseo ay tagapagtanggol ng Israel o walang makapagtatanggol sa Israel kung wala siya. 15Sinabi ni Eliseo, “Kumuha ka ng pana at mga palaso.” Ginawa nga ito ni Jehoash. 16Sinabi ni Eliseo, “Hawakan mo ang pana.” Habang hawak ito ni Jehoash, ipinatong ni Eliseo ang kamay niya kay Jehoash 17at sinabi, “Buksan mo ang bintana sa bandang silangan.” Binuksan nga niya ito. Pagkatapos, sinabi ni Eliseo, “Pumana ka.” Pumana nga siya. Sinabi ni Eliseo, “Ang palasong iyon ay palatandaan na pagtatagumpayin ka ng Panginoon laban sa Aram. Tatalunin mo ang mga Arameo sa Apek hanggang sa malipol sila.”
18Muling sinabi ni Eliseo kay Jehoash na kumuha siya ng mga palaso. Nang makakuha siya, sinabi ni Eliseo, “Panain mo ang lupa.” Pinana nga niya ang lupa ng tatlong beses at huminto siya. 19Nagalit ang lingkod ng Dios sa kanya at sinabi, “Pinana mo dapat ng lima o anim na beses para tuluyan mong mawasak ang lahat ng Arameo. Pero ngayon, tatlong beses mo lang sila matatalo.”
20Kinalaunan, namatay si Eliseo at inilibing.
Tuwing tagsibol, may grupo ng mga tulisang Moabita na lumulusob sa Israel. 21Minsan, may mga Israelita na naglilibing ng patay pero nang makita nila ang grupo ng mga Moabita na lumulusob, naihagis nila ang bangkay sa pinaglibingan kay Eliseo at sila ay tumakas. Nang sumagi ang bangkay sa mga buto ni Eliseo, nabuhay ang patay at tumayo.
22Pinahirapan ni Haring Hazael ng Aram ang Israel sa buong panahon ng paghahari ni Jehoahaz. 23Pero kinahabagan at inalala sila ng Panginoon dahil sa pangako niya kina Abraham, Isaac, at Jacob. Hanggang ngayon, hindi niya ito winawasak o itinatakwil.
24Namatay si Haring Hazael ng Aram, at ang anak niyang si Ben Hadad ang pumalit sa kanya bilang hari. 25Natalo ni Jehoash si Ben Hadad ng tatlong beses. Nabawi niya ang mga bayang kinuha ng ama ni Ben Hadad na si Hazael mula sa ama niyang si Jehoahaz nang maglaban ang mga ito.
Jehoahaz King of Israel
1Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria. It was in the 23rd year of the rule of Joash, the king of Judah. Jehoahaz ruled for 17 years. Joash was the son of Ahaziah. Jehoahaz was the son of Jehu. 2Jehoahaz did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He committed the sins Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had committed. Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit those same sins. Jehoahaz didn’t turn away from them. 3So the Lord was very angry with Israel. For a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael, the king of Aram. The Lord also kept them under the power of his son Ben-Hadad.
4Then Jehoahaz asked the Lord for help. The Lord listened to him. The Lord saw how badly the king of Aram was treating Israel. 5The Lord provided someone to save Israel. And they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes, just as they had before. 6But the people didn’t turn away from the sins of the royal house of Jeroboam. He had caused Israel to commit those same sins. The people continued to commit them. And the pole used to worship the female god named Asherah remained standing in Samaria.
7The army of Jehoahaz had almost nothing left. All it had was 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 soldiers on foot. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest of them. He had made them like dust at threshing time.
8The other events of the rule of Jehoahaz are written down. Everything he did and accomplished is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 9Jehoahaz joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in Samaria. Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became the next king after him.
Jehoash King of Israel
10Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria. It was in the 37th year that Joash was king of Judah. Jehoash ruled for 16 years. He was the son of Jehoahaz. 11Jehoash did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Jehoash didn’t turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit those same sins. And Jehoash continued to commit them.
12The other events of the rule of Jehoash are written down. That includes his war against Amaziah, the king of Judah. Everything he did and accomplished is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 13Jehoash joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria. Jeroboam became the next king on Israel’s throne after him.
14Elisha had been suffering from a sickness. Later he would die from it. Jehoash, the king of Israel, went down to see him. Jehoash wept over him. “My father!” he cried. “You are like a father to me! You, Elisha, are the true chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
15Elisha said to Jehoash, “Get a bow and some arrows.” So he did. 16“Hold the bow in your hands,” Elisha said to the king of Israel. So Jehoash took hold of the bow. Then Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17“Open the east window,” Elisha said. So he did. “Shoot!” Elisha said. So he shot. “That’s the Lord’s arrow!” Elisha announced. “It means you will win the battle over Aram! You will completely destroy the men of Aram at Aphek.”
18Elisha continued, “Get some arrows.” So the king did. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” Jehoash struck it three times. Then he stopped. 19The man of God was angry with him. He said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have won the war over Aram. You would have completely destroyed them. But now you will win only three battles over them.”
20Elisha died and was buried.
Some robbers from Moab used to enter the country of Israel every spring. 21One day some Israelites were burying a man. Suddenly they saw a group of robbers. So they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. The body touched Elisha’s bones. When it did, the man came back to life again. He stood up on his feet.
22Hazael, the king of Aram, treated Israel badly. He did it the whole time Jehoahaz was king. 23But the Lord helped Israel. He was tender and kind to them. He showed concern for them. He did all these things because of the covenant he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he hasn’t been willing to destroy Israel. And he hasn’t driven them out of his land.
24Hazael, the king of Aram, died. His son Ben-Hadad became the next king after him. 25Then Jehoash won back some towns from Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael. Ben-Hadad had captured them in battle from Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash. Jehoash won three battles over Ben-Hadad. So Jehoash won back the Israelite towns.
