1. In the 23rd year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years.
2. Like King Jeroboam before him he sinned against the Lord and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways.
3. So the Lord was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time.
4. Then Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord, and the Lord, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer.
5. The Lord sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before.
6. But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept on committing them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.