13In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. ²He did evilⁱ in the eyes of the Lord by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them. ³So the Lord’s anger^j burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power^k of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad^l his son.

⁴Then Jehoahaz sought^m the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him, for he sawⁿ how severely the king of Aram was oppressing^o Israel. ⁵The Lord provided a deliverer^p for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before. ⁶But they did not turn away from the sins^q of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued in them. Also, the Asherah pole^a^r remained standing in Samaria.

⁷Nothing had been left^s of the army of Jehoahaz except fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust^t at threshing time.

⁸As for the other events of the reign of Jehoahaz, all he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ⁹Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoash^b his son succeeded him as king.

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Footnotes

aThat is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in 2 Kings
bHebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 12–14 and 25

Cross references

i 1 Ki 12:26–33
jSee Dt 31:17
kSee 1 Ki 19:17
lver 24
mSee Dt 4:29
nSee Dt 26:7
oSee Nu 10:9; 2 Sa 7:10
pSee Ge 45:7; See Dt 28:29; See Jdg 2:18
q 1 Ki 12:30
rSee 1 Ki 16:33
s 2 Ki 10:32–33
tSee 2 Sa 22:43