When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. ¹ 

The king ¹  heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. ²  He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:

Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord ¹  made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. ² 

Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha ¹  he told him, “The child did not wake up.”

The stew was poured out ¹  for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it.

His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him. ¹  He was buried ²  with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

You thoroughly defeated Edom ¹  and it has gone to your head! ²  Gloat over your success, ³  but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” ⁴ 

Look, I will take control of his mind; ¹  he will receive ²  a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ³  with a sword in his own land.”’”

He replied, “Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.” ¹ 

He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple ¹  for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple.

Elisha died and was buried. ¹  Moabite raiding parties invaded ²  the land at the beginning of the year. ³ 

Jehoash passed away ¹  and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.)

Ahaz passed away ¹  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it ¹  to go back ten steps.”

But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians ¹  when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. ²  Jehu told his supporters, ³  “If you really want me to be king, ⁴  then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.”

When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off ¹  up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. ²  He fled to Megiddo ³  and died there.

You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. ¹  I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants. ² 

The officers of the units of hundreds did just as ¹  Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported ²  to Jehoiada the priest.

This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of ¹  Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped ²  other gods;