2 Kings 8

1Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had revived, saying, "Rise and go—you and your household—and stay wherever you can stay, for Yahweh has called for a famine, and it will also come upon the land seven years."

2The woman arose and followed the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3At the end of seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went out to cry out to the king for her house and her field.

4The king was speaking to Gehazi, servant of the man of God, saying, "Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

5As he was recounting to the king how he had revived the dead man, behold, the woman whose son he had revived was crying out to the king for her house and her field. Gehazi said, "My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha revived."

6When the king questioned the woman, she recounted it to him. So the king directed one of his officials to her, saying, "Return everything she owned, along with all the field's yield from the day she abandoned the land until now."

7Elisha came to Damascus. Benhadad the king of Aram was sick. He was informed, saying, "The man of God has come here."

8The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand, go meet the man of God, and inquire of Yahweh through him, saying, 'Will I survive this illness?'"

9Hazael went to meet him, taking a gift with him of every good thing from Damascus, a load for forty camels; he came and stood before him, and said, "Your son Benhadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'"

10Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall surely live,' yet Yahweh has shown me that he shall surely die."

11He fixed his gaze on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept.

12Hazael said, "Why are you weeping, my lord?" He answered, "Because I know the harm you will bring on the sons of Israel: you will burn their fortresses with fire and slay their young men with the sword, dash their infants to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women."

13Hazael said, "But what is your servant, a mere dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram."

14He went away from Elisha and came to his lord, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" He answered, "He said to me, 'You will surely live.'"

15The next day he took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, so he died. Hazael reigned in his place.

16In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.

17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

18He followed the ways of Israel's kings, as Ahab's house had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did evil in Yahweh's sight.

19Yet Yahweh was unwilling to destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he had said to him he would give him a lamp for his sons always.

20In his days Edom rebelled from under Judah's hand and installed a king over themselves.

21Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. He arose at night and struck the Edomites surrounding him and the chariot captains, and the people fled to their tents.

22Edom revolted from under Judah's control to this day. Then Libnah revolted at that time.

23The rest of Joram's deeds and all that he did—are they not written in the book of the deeds of the days of the kings of Judah?

24Joram lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

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

26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king; he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Athaliah daughter of Omri king of Israel.

27He followed the path of Ahab's house and did evil in Yahweh's sight, as Ahab's house did, for he was son-in-law to Ahab's house.

28He went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-Gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.

29Joram the king returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had struck him with at Ramah, when he fought Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.