1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.* 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.*

3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 4 And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.* 6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)** 7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.*

10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein. 12 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13 And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.* 17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. 19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.*

22 But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.* 24 So Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.*

1 No vigésimo terceiro ano do reinado de Joás, filho de Acazias, rei de Judá, Jeoacaz, filho de Jeú, tornou‑se rei de Israel em Samaria e reinou dezessete anos. 2 Ele fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor, seguindo os pecados que Jeroboão, filho de Nebate, tinha levado Israel a cometer, e não se afastou deles. 3 Por isso, a ira do Senhor se acendeu contra Israel e, por longo tempo, ele os entregou nas mãos de Hazael, rei de Arã, e do seu filho Ben-Hadade.

4 Então, Jeoacaz buscou o favor do Senhor, e este o atendeu, pois viu a forma cruel com que o rei de Arã oprimia Israel. 5 O Senhor providenciou um libertador para Israel, que escapou do poder de Arã. Assim, os israelitas voltaram a habitar em suas casas como antes. 6 No entanto, não se afastaram dos pecados que a dinastia de Jeroboão havia levado Israel a cometer; antes, permaneceram neles. Até mesmo o poste de Aserá* permanecia de pé em Samaria.

7 De todo o exército de Jeoacaz, só restaram cinquenta cavaleiros, dez carros de guerra e dez mil soldados de infantaria, pois o rei de Arã havia destruído a maior parte dele, reduzindo‑o a pó.

8 Os demais acontecimentos do reinado de Jeoacaz, todas as suas conquistas e tudo o que realizou, constam nos registros históricos dos reis de Israel. 9 Jeoacaz descansou com os seus antepassados e foi sepultado em Samaria, e Jeoás, o seu filho, sucedeu‑o como rei.

10 No trigésimo sétimo ano do reinado de Joás, rei de Judá, Jeoás, filho de Jeoacaz, tornou‑se rei de Israel em Samaria e reinou dezesseis anos. 11 Ele fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor e não se desviou de nenhum dos pecados que Jeroboão, filho de Nebate, tinha levado Israel a cometer; antes, permaneceu neles.

12 Os demais acontecimentos do reinado de Jeoás, tudo o que realizou e todas as suas conquistas, incluindo a guerra contra Amazias, rei de Judá, constam nos registros históricos dos reis de Israel. 13 Jeoás descansou com os seus antepassados, e Jeroboão sucedeu‑o no trono. Jeoás foi sepultado com os reis de Israel em Samaria.

14 Ora, Eliseu estava sofrendo da doença da qual morreria. Então, Jeoás, rei de Israel, desceu até o lugar onde Eliseu estava e, curvado sobre ele, chorou, dizendo:

― Meu pai!* Meu pai! Carruagens e cavaleiros de Israel!

15 Eliseu lhe disse:

― Traga um arco e algumas flechas.

Assim fez o rei.

16 ― Pegue o arco nas mãos — disse ao rei de Israel.

Quando pegou, Eliseu pôs as mãos sobre as mãos do rei 17 e lhe disse:

― Abra a janela que dá para o leste e atire.

Assim fez o rei, e Eliseu declarou:

― Esta é a flecha da vitória do Senhor, a flecha da vitória sobre Arã! Você destruirá totalmente os arameus, em Afeque.

18 Em seguida, Eliseu lhe disse:

― Pegue as flechas e golpeie o chão com elas.

O rei as pegou, golpeou o chão três vezes e parou. 19 O homem de Deus ficou irado com ele e disse:

― Você deveria ter golpeado o chão cinco ou seis vezes; assim, destruiria totalmente Arã. Agora, porém, você a vencerá somente três vezes.

20 Depois disso, Eliseu morreu e foi sepultado.

Ora, tropas moabitas costumavam entrar no país toda primavera. 21 Certa vez, enquanto alguns israelitas sepultavam um homem, viram de repente uma dessas tropas; então, jogaram o corpo do homem no túmulo de Eliseu e fugiram. Assim que o cadáver encostou nos ossos de Eliseu, o homem voltou à vida e se levantou.

22 Hazael, rei de Arã, oprimiu os israelitas durante todo o reinado de Jeoacaz. 23 O Senhor, porém, foi bondoso para com eles, teve compaixão e se preocupou com os israelitas, por causa da sua aliança com Abraão, Isaque e Jacó. Até hoje, ele não se dispôs a destruí‑los ou a eliminá‑los da sua presença.

24 Hazael, rei de Arã, morreu, e Ben-Hadade, o seu filho, sucedeu‑o como rei. 25 Então, Jeoás, filho de Jeoacaz, conquistou de Ben-Hadade, filho de Hazael, as cidades que em combate Hazael havia tomado de Jeoacaz, o seu pai. Três vezes Jeoás o derrotou em combate e, assim, reconquistou as cidades israelitas.