1Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.2And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.3And it came to pass at the seven years'end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.4And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.5And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.6And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.7And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.8And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels'burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?10And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.11And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.12And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.13And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.14So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.15And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.16And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.17Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.19Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant' sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.20In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.21So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.22Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.23And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?24And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.26Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother' name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.27And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.28And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.29And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
2 Kings 8
English Standard Version
The Shunammite’s Land Restored
1Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” (Ge 41:27; 2Ki 4:35; Ps 105:16; Hag 1:11)2So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.3And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land.4Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” (2Ki 4:12)5And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” (2Ki 8:1)6And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-hadad
7Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” (1Ki 11:24; 1Ki 20:1; 2Ki 6:24)8the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” (1Sa 9:7; 1Ki 19:15; 1Ki 19:17; 2Ki 1:2)9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” (2Ki 5:13)10And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but[1] the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.” (2Ki 8:14; 2Ki 8:15)11And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. (2Ki 2:17)12And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” (2Ki 10:32; 2Ki 12:17; 2Ki 13:3; 2Ki 13:7; 2Ki 13:22; Ps 137:9; Isa 13:16; Ho 10:14; Ho 13:16; Am 1:3; Na 3:10)13And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.” (1Sa 17:43; 1Ki 19:15)14Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” (2Ki 8:10)15But the next day he took the bed cloth[2] and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
16In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,[3] Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. (2Ki 1:17; 2Ki 3:1)17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. (2Ch 21:5)18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. (2Ki 8:26)19Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. (2Sa 7:12; 2Sa 21:17; 1Ki 11:36; 1Ki 15:4; Ps 132:11)20In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. (1Ki 22:47; 2Ki 3:9)21Then Joram[4] passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army fled home. (2Sa 18:17)22So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. (Ge 27:40; Jos 10:29)23Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?24So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. (2Ch 21:17; 2Ch 21:20; 2Ch 22:6; 2Ch 25:23)
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
25In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. (2Ki 9:29; 2Ch 22:1)26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. (1Ki 15:10; 2Ch 22:2)27He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.28He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. (1Ki 22:3; 2Ki 8:15)29And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. (2Ki 8:28; 2Ki 9:15; 2Ki 9:16; 2Ch 22:5; 2Ch 22:6)