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.
Joahas naJoas eehamba daIsrael
1 Momudo omutimilongo mbali nomutitatu waJoas yaAhasia, ohamba yaJuda, Joahas yaJehu a ninga ohamba yaIsrael muSamaria. Ye a pangela omido omulongo naheyali. 2 Nokwa ninga eshi inashi yuka momesho Omwene, nokwa shikula omatimba aJerobeam yaNebat, ou a hongaula Israel okunyona. Ye ina dja mo muwo. 3 Onghee hano ehandu lOmwene la xwamena Israel, Ye e va yandja momake aHasael, ohamba yaAram, nomomake aBenhadad yaHasael, momafiku aye aeshe. 4 Ndelenee Joahas okwa indila onghenda koshipala shOmwene, onghee hano Omwene e mu uda, osheshi Ye a mona oudjuu wOvaisraeli nokutya, ohamba yaAram tai va fininike. 5 Omwene okwa yandja kOvaisraeli omuxupifi, opo va dula okudja mo mepangelo laAram, novana vaIsrael va shiiva okukala nombili momatwali avo ngaashi shito. 6 Ndele vo inava efa omatimba eumbo laJerobeam, ou a hongaulile Israel okunyona. Ye okwa enda nao, nokuli olupwelele liyapuki la kala muSamaria. 7 Ndele Ye ina xupifila Joahas omatanga ovakwaita, ashike ovalondi veenghambe omilongo nhano, nomatemba oita omulongo umwe, novakwaita vokolupadi omayovi omulongo. Osheshi ohamba yaAram ye va kondekela noku va ninga ngaashi olungu lomoshipale.
8 Noinima imwe tai hepaulula Joahas naaishe e i ninga, noilonga yaye yeenghono, inai shangelwa mbela membo lomafimbo leehamba daIsrael? 9 Ndele Joahas okwa ka nangala pooxe ndele a pakwa muSamaria. Nomona waye Joas a ninga ohamba ponhele yaye.
10 Momudo omutimilongo nhatu nomutiheyali waJoas, ohamba yaJuda, Joas yaJoahas, a ninga ohamba yaIsrael muSamaria. Ye okwa pangela omido omulongo nahamano. 11 Nokwa ninga eshi inashi yuka momesho Omwene. Ye ina efa omatimba aeshe aJerobeam yaNebat, ou a hongaula Israel okunyona. Ye okwa enda nao. 12 Noinima imwe tai hepaulula Joas naaishe e i ninga, noilonga yaye yeenghono, nhumbi a lwifa Amasia, ohamba yaJuda, inai shangelwa mbela membo lomafimbo eehamba daIsrael? 13 Ndele Joas a ka nangala pooxe, ndele Jerobeam okwa kala omutumba kolukalwapangelo laye. Ndele Joas okwa pakwa muSamaria peehamba dOvaisraeli.
Okufya kwaElisa
14 Ndele Elisa eshi a vela oudu ou tau mu twala kefyo, Joas, ohamba yaIsrael, ye uya kuye ndele tai mu lili ndele tai ti: “Tate, Tate, etemba laIsrael novalondi valo!” 15 Opo nee Elisa ta ti kuyo: “Kufa outa noikuti.” Ndele ya kufa outa noikuti. 16 Ndele ye okwa lombwela ohamba yaIsrael: “Tula eke loye kouta.” Ndele yo ya tula eke layo kouta. Ndele Elisa okwa tula omake aye komake ohamba. 17 Ye ta ti vali: “Yeulula ekende koushilo!” Ndele yo ye li yeulula. Ndele Elisa ta ti: “Umba!” Ndele yo ya umba. Opo nee ye ta ti: “Oshikuti shimwe shefindano lOmwene, oshikuti shimwe shokuta Ovaarami: Ove u nokutaataa sheke Ovaarami muAfek fiyo we va mana po filu.” 18 Ye ta ti vali: “Kufa oikuti. Ndele yo oye i kufa.” Opo nee ye ta lombwele ohamba yaIsrael: “Denga poshi!” Yo oya denga lutatu, ndele ya mwena. 19 Opo nee omulumenhu waKalunga a handuka ndele ta ti kuyo: “Ngeno wa dengele lutano ile luhamano, ngeno wa taataa sheke Ovaarami. Ndelenee paife to taataa Ovaarami lutatu aluke.”
20 Opo nee Elisa a fya ndele vo ve mu paka.
Neemwiila dOvamoab de uya moshilongo pehovelo lomudo. 21 Ndele fimbo hava pake mombila omulumenhu umwe, vo ova mona eemwiila. Onghee va ekela omulumenhu mombila yaElisa. Ndele omulumenhu eshi a kuma oipongolo yaElisa, ye okwa ninga omunamwenyo nokwa kala ofika neemhadi daye.
22 Ndele Hasael, ohamba yaAram, ya fininika Israel omafiku aeshe aJoahas. 23 Ndelenee Omwene okwe va filonghenda ndele e va udila olukeno nokwe va pungulukila omolwehangano lavo naAbraham naIsak naJakob. Ndele Ye ina hala oku va komba po, ndele fiyo opo po ine va ekelashi. 24 Ndele Hasael, ohamba yaAram, ya fya. Nomona waye Benhadad okwa ninga ohamba ponhele yayo. 25 Ndele Joas yaJoahas okwa alula vali oilando momake aBenhadad yaHasael, oyo winya e i kufa kuxe Joahas moita. Joas okwe mu taataa lutatu nokwa alula oilando yaIsrael.
