King Jehoahaz of Israel
1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years. 2 Like King Jeroboam before him, he sinned against the Lord and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways. 3 So the Lord was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time. 4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord, and the Lord, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer. 5 The Lord sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before. 6 But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept on committing them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.
7 Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty cavalry troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.
8 Everything else that Jehoahaz did and all his brave deeds are recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 9 He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash succeeded him as king.
King Jehoash of Israel
10 In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for sixteen years. 11 He too sinned against the Lord and followed the evil example of King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin. 12 Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 13 Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.
The Death of Elisha
14 The prophet Elisha was sick with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying, King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. “My father, my father!” he exclaimed as he wept. “You have been the mighty defender of Israel!”
15 “Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha ordered him. Jehoash got them, 16 and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands. 17 Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the Lord's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.”
18 Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped. 19 This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”
20 Elisha died and was buried.
Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel. 21 One time during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha's tomb and ran off. As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.
War between Israel and Syria
22 King Hazael of Syria oppressed the Israelites during all of Jehoahaz' reign, 23 but the Lord was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.
24 At the death of King Hazael of Syria his son Benhadad became king. 25 Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.
Mambo Jehoyahazi we Iziraela
1 Mu gole le bumakumi mabili ana matatu (23) le mbuso wa Joashi nkololo wa Ahaziya mambo we Juda, Jehoyahazi nkololo wa Jehu katangisa kubusa Iziraela ali mu Samariya, ngono kabusa makole ali gumi lina ali kutendeka (17). 2 Wakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe ngono katobela zwibi zwa Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati, zwaakathamisa Iziraela tjibi nazo, aazozwilasha. 3 Bushongola gwe Ndzimu gukapisikila Baiziraela ngono ukabalonga mu maboko a Hazaele mambo we Siriya ne mu maboko a Bhenihadadi nkololo wa Hazaele tjibaka ne tjibaka. 4 Ngono Jehoyahazi kakumbila bhatsho kuna Yahwe ngono Yahwe bakanteedza. Ngobe wakabe ebona Iziraela itshambilidziwa kwazo ndi mambo we Siriya. 5 Yahwe bakazhisila Iziraela ntjidzi, ngono bakasunungugwa mu simba le Siriya. Baiziraela bakagala mu mizi yabo sekwakamuka kuliiko. 6 Koga bakasiletje zwibi zwe be nsha wa Jeroboamu, zwaakathamisa Iziraela tjibi ndizo, bakadwilila balimuzwili ngono ne bhango le Ashera lakasala lilimile mu Samariya. 7 Akuna tjakabe tjatjisalila Jehoyahazi kuzhe kwe bataswi be mbizi bali makumi mashanu (50) ne koloyi dze ngwa dzili gumi ne babhayani banoyenda nge makumbo bali zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000), ngobe mambo we Asiriya wakabe abalobesa bakasala benga hwuluba mu nsi we kupula. 8 Imwe mishingo ya Jehoyahazi na zose zwaakathama ne zwaakatubula zwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwe zwiyitikalo gwa bomambo be Iziraela. 9 Jehoyahazi kalala na botate babe ngono kabiganyigwa mu Samariya, ngono Joashi nkololo uwe kan'gala thaka.
Mambo Jehoyashi we Iziraela
10 Mu gole le bumakumi matatu ana ali kutendeka la Joashi mambo we Juda, Jehoyashi nkololo wa Jehoyahazi katangisa busa Iziraela ali mu Samariya ngono kabusa kwe makole ali gumi lina ali kutathatu. 11 Wakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, aazoletja zwibi zose zwa Jeroboamu nkololo wa Nebati, zwaakathamisa Iziraela tjibi nazo ngono waka yenda muzwili. 12 Mimwe mishingo ya Joashi na zose zwaakathama ne zwaakatubula, kose nenge simba laakagwisa Ahaziya mambo we Juda ndilo, zwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwe Zwiyitikalo gwa bomambo be Iziraela. 13 Ndizo Joashi kalala na botate babe ngono kabiganyigwa mu Samariya na bomambo be Iziraela. Jeroboamu kan'gala thaka.
Lufu gwa Elisha
14 Kwakati Elisha egwala bugwele gwakambulaya, Jehoyashi mambo we Iziraela kayenda kunli, kalilila mbeli kukwe eti, “Tate bangu, Tate bangu, koloyi dze ngwa dze Iziraela ne bataswi be mbizi.” 15 Ngono Elisha kandwa kati, “Tola dati ne misebe.” Ndizo katola dati ne misebe. 16 Ipapo kadwa mambo we Iziraela eti, “Kweba dati.” Ngono kalikweba. Ngono Elisha kabiga maboko awe pezhugwi kwe maboko a mambo, 17 kandwa kati, “Zhula fesitere tjekubhezhuba,” Ngono kalizhula. Ipapo Elisha kandwa eti, “Posa.” Ngono kaposa. Kandwa kati, “Nsebe wa Yahwe wa kunda, nsebe wa kunda Basiriya, unowogwa ne Basiriya ngono ukabalobesa ku Afeki.” 18 Elisha kabe eti, “Tola misebe.” Ngono kaitola. Ngono kadwa mambo we Iziraela kati, “bhaya pasi nayo.” Ngono kabhaya katatu kabe ema. 19 Nlume we Ndzimu kazhala bushongola nge kukwe kandwa kati, “Unobe wabhaya kashanu kene katathatu, ndiko kwawabe wowokunda Basiriya ukabalobesa tjoselele, koga unowobakunda katatu koga.” 20 Ndizo Elisha kafa ngono kabiganyiwa. Ngono kwakabe kuna goko le Bamoabu lakabe linginilila shango mu tjibaka tje nyauko. 21 Kwakati limwe zhuba Baiziraela batjabiganya nthu, tjinyolotjo bakabona goko le babhayani, ndizo bakalashila itumbu mu ikumbu tja Elisha bakatizha. Ngono kwakati itumbu tjikutha mafupa a Elisha, tjikamuka tjikama nge makumbo.
Baiziraela banogwa ne Basiriya
22 Hazaele mambo we Siriya wakabe e tshambilidza Baiziraela mu tjibaka tjose tja Jehoyahazi. 23 Koga Yahwe bakabe nge ngoni mu bali ne ludo ngono bakashandukila kubali ngekwe tjidumano tjabo na Abhurahama na Isaki na Jakubo ngono bakasibalobese nanga iko kubatata mbeli kwabo kuswikila nasi. 24 Hazaele mambo we Siriya kafa ngono Bhenihadadi nkololo uwe kan'gala thaka. 25 Ngono Jehoyashi nkololo wa Jehoyahazi katolela Bhenihadadi nkololo wa Hazaele mizi mikulu yakabe ya togwa muna tate babe Jehoyahazi mu tjibaka tje ngwa. Jehoyashi kankunda katatu, ndiko sekwa akabgwiliza mizi mikulu ye Iziraela.