Study Desk

As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, "Go in and kill all of them. Don't let a single one escape!" So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu's men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal.

But Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord , the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.

The rest of the events in Jehu's reign—everything he did and all his achievements—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoahaz became the next king.

But Ahaziah's sister Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah's infant son, Joash, and stole him away from among the rest of the king's children, who were about to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom, and they hid him from Athaliah, so the child was not murdered.

Then Jehoiada brought out Joash, the king's son, placed the crown on his head, and presented him with a copy of God's laws. They anointed him and proclaimed him king, and everyone clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"

When she arrived, she saw the newly crowned king standing in his place of authority by the pillar, as was the custom at times of coronation. The commanders and trumpeters were surrounding him, and people from all over the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. When Athaliah saw all this, she tore her clothes in despair and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"

Then the commanders, the Carite mercenaries, the palace guards, and all the people of the land escorted the king from the Temple of the Lord . They went through the gate of the guards and into the palace, and the king took his seat on the royal throne.

Joash began to rule over Judah in the seventh year of King Jehu's reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.

All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord 's sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

King Joash collected all the sacred objects that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the previous kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated. He sent them all to Hazael, along with all the gold in the treasuries of the Lord 's Temple and the royal palace. So Hazael called off his attack on Jerusalem.

The assassins were Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer—both trusted advisers. Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became the next king.

So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Aram and his son Ben-hadad to defeat them repeatedly.

Then Jehoahaz prayed for the Lord 's help, and the Lord heard his prayer, for he could see how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.

Finally, Jehoahaz's army was reduced to 50 charioteers, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others, trampling them like dust under his feet.

The rest of the events in Jehoahaz's reign—everything he did and the extent of his power—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

When Jehoahaz died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoash became the next king.

The rest of the events in Jehoash's reign and everything he did, including the extent of his power and his war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then his son Jeroboam II became the next king.

When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. "My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!" he cried.