Now four men with a skin disease ¹  were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? ² 

Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s ¹  servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.”

Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ ¹  but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.”

He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad ¹  asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael ²  replied, “He told me you would surely recover.”

Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s ¹  feet on the steps. ²  The trumpet was blown ³  and they shouted, “Jehu is ⁴  king!”

The watchman reported, “He reached them, but hasn’t started back. The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; ¹  he drives recklessly.”

Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, ¹  fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window.

He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, ¹  her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. ² 

pick the best and most capable ¹  of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend ²  your master’s dynasty.”

Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord. ¹ 

Then Elisha ¹  told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” ²  He did so, ³  and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands.

The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory ¹  from under heaven, ²  so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.

At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. ¹  They besieged Ahaz, ²  but were unable to conquer him. ³ 

You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods.

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 

Yet the Lord’s great anger against Judah did not subside; he was still infuriated by all the things Manasseh had done. ¹ 

Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed. ¹ 

The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple – including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” ¹  and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed.

Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for ¹  Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.