1Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, ‘Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.’2The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines for seven years.3At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land.4The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, ‘Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.’5Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, ‘This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’6The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, ‘Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.’
Hazael murders Ben-Hadad
7Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, ‘The man of God has come all the way up here,’8he said to Hazael, ‘Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, “Will I recover from this illness?” ’9Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, ‘Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, “Will I recover from this illness?” ’10Elisha answered, ‘Go and say to him, “You will certainly recover.” Nevertheless,[1] the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.’11He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep.12‘Why is my lord weeping?’ asked Hazael. ‘Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,’ he answered. ‘You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.’13Hazael said, ‘How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?’ ‘The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,’ answered Elisha.14Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, ‘What did Elisha say to you?’ Hazael replied, ‘He told me that you would certainly recover.’15But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
Jehoram king of Judah
16In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah.17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years.18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.19Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants for ever.20In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king.21So Jehoram[2] went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home.22To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.23As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?24Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
Ahaziah king of Judah
25In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.27He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.28Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;29so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth[3] in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
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)