2 Kings 8

¹ Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had raised to life, 'Move away with your family, and livewhere you can in some foreign country, for Yahweh has cal ed up a famine -- it is already coming on the country-- for seven years.'

² The woman hurried to do what the man of God had told her: she set out, she and her family, and forseven years she lived in Philistine territory.

³ When the seven years were over, the woman returned from Philistine territory and went to lodge a claimwith the king for her house and land.

⁴ Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. 'Tel me', he was saying, 'al aboutthe marvels which Elisha did.'

⁵ Gehazi was just tel ing the king how Elisha had raised the dead child to life, when the woman whose sonElisha had raised lodged her claim with the king for her house and land. 'My lord king,' Gehazi said, 'this is thevery woman, and that is her son whom Elisha raised to life.'

⁶ The king questioned the woman, who told him the story. The king then delegated one of the officials toher with this order, 'See that al her property is restored to her, and al the revenue from her land from the dayshe left the country until now.'

⁷ Elisha went to Damascus. Ben-Hadad king of Aram was il , and was told, 'The man of God has come althe way to us.'

⁸ Then the king said to Hazael, 'Take a present with you and go and meet the man of God; consultYahweh through him, and find out if I shal recover from my il ness.'

⁹ So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a present the best that Damascus could offer, a loadfor forty camels. He arrived and, presenting himself, said, 'Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to askyou, "Shall I recover from my illness?" '

¹⁰ Elisha replied, 'Go and tell him, "You might recover," though Yahweh has shown me that he wilcertainly die.'

¹¹ Then the face of the man of God went rigid, and his look grew strangely fixed, and he wept.

¹² 'Why', Hazael asked, 'does my lord weep?' 'Because I know', Elisha replied, 'what harm you wil do tothe Israelites: you wil burn down their fortresses, put their picked warriors to the sword, dash their little childrento pieces, disembowel their pregnant women.'

¹³ 'But what is your servant?' Hazael said. 'How could this dog achieve anything so great?' 'In a visionfrom Yahweh,' Elisha replied, 'I have seen you king of Aram.'

¹⁴ Leaving Elisha, Hazael went back to his master who asked, 'What did Elisha say to you?' He replied,'He told me that you might recover.'

¹⁵ Next day he took a blanket, soaked it in water, and spread it over his face. So died Ben-Hadad, andHazael succeeded him.

¹⁶ In the fifth year of Jehoram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king ofJudah.

¹⁷ He was thirty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

¹⁸ He followed the example of the kings of Israel as the House of Ahab were doing; he had married one ofAhab's daughters; and he did what is displeasing to Yahweh.

¹⁹ But Yahweh was unwil ing to destroy Judah, because of his servant David, and was faithful to thepromise which he had made him to leave him a lamp for ever in his presence.

²⁰ In his time Edom threw off the domination of Judah and set up a king for itself.

²¹ Jehoram crossed to Zair, and with him al the chariots . . . Under cover of dark, he and his chariotcommanders broke through the Edomites surrounding him; the people fled to their tents.

²² Even so, Edom threw off the domination of Judah, remaining free to the present day. Libnah alsorevolted at that time.

²³ The rest of the history of Jehoram, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals ofthe Kings of Judah?

²⁴ Then Jehoram fel asleep with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David; his sonAhaziah succeeded him.

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Jehoram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah,became king.

²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for one year inJerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

²⁷ He followed the example of the House of Ahab and did what is displeasing to Yahweh, as the House ofAhab were doing, to whom he was related by marriage.

²⁸ He went with Jehoram son of Ahab to make war on Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth in Gilead, but theAramaeans wounded Jehoram.

²⁹ King Jehoram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah,fighting against Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to visitJehoram son of Ahab because he was ailing.