17. Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced towards Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the Lord's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.”
18. Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped.
19. This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”
20. Elisha died and was buried.Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel.
21. Once, during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha's tomb and ran off. As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.
22. King Hazael of Syria oppressed the Israelites during all of Jehoahaz' reign,
23. but the Lord was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.
24. At the death of King Hazael of Syria his son Benhadad became king.
25. Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.