Elisha Passes Away

14 Elisha became ill with the illness with which he would die, so Jehoash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, and said, “My father, my father; the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows,” so he took him a bow and arrows. 16 He said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow,”[fn] so he lay hold of it; then Elisha put his hand on the hands of the king. 17 Then he said, “Open the window to the east,” so he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. Then he said, “An arrow of victory for Yahweh, and an arrow of victory against Aram; you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until finishing them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” so he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” so he struck three times and stopped. 19 Yet the man of God became angry against him and said, “For striking five or six times, then you would have defeated Aram until finishing them, but now you will defeat Aram only three times.”

20 Elisha died and they buried him. Now the raiding parties of Moab came in the spring.[fn] 21 And it happened that they were burying a man; suddenly they saw the marauding band, so they threw the man in the grave of Elisha. As he went in, the man touched the bones of Elisha, and became alive and got up on his feet!

22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But Yahweh had mercy on them and showed compassion to them and turned to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was not willing to destroy them nor cast them from his presence up to now.

24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-Hadad became king in his place. 25 Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz returned and took the cities from the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael which he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father in the war. Three times Jehoash defeated him and recovered the towns of Israel.