Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, “Invade ¹  at such and such ²  a place.”

But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of ¹  his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. ² 

The Lord provided a deliverer ¹  for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s power. ²  The Israelites once more lived in security. ³ 

At that time Merodach-Baladan ¹  son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill.

“You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, ¹ 

They demolished ¹  the sacred pillar of Baal and ²  the temple of Baal; it is used as ³  a latrine ⁴  to this very day.

When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. ¹  They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. ²  Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it ³  and went and hid what they had taken.

Pul ¹  king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid ²  him ³  a thousand talents ⁴  of silver to gain his support ⁵  and to solidify his control of the kingdom. ⁶ 

Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of ¹  the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple.

One day some men ¹  were burying a man when they spotted ²  a raiding party. So they threw the dead man ³  into Elisha’s tomb. When the body ⁴  touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man ⁵  came to life and stood on his feet.

Now make a deal ¹  with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.

He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than ¹  the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. ¹  He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, ²  Ahaziah!”

The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha ¹  stood by the Jordan.

Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. ¹  He would send as tribute ²  to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.

Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, ¹  for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. ² 

When the king arrived back from Damascus and ¹  saw the altar, he approached it ²  and offered a sacrifice on it. ³ 

Now a wife of one of the prophets ¹  appealed ²  to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. ³  Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.”

Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, ¹  for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.”

Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ¹  He said, “I see troops!” ²  Jehoram ordered, ³  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ⁴