2 Kings
Chapter 8
1 Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Get up, take your family and find a place to stay, because God has announced a seven-year famine that will happen in the land.”
2 The woman got up and did what the man of God said. She left with her family and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After seven years, the woman came back from the Philistines’ land and begged the king for her house and her land.
4 The king spoke with Gehazi, the servant of God’s man, and said, “Please tell me about all the amazing things Elisha has done.”
5 As he was explaining to the king how he brought a dead person back to life, the woman whose son was brought back to life begged the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, “My king, this is the woman, and her son is the one Elisha brought back to life.”
6 When the king asked the woman, she answered. The king then assigned an officer to her, saying, “Give back everything that belonged to her, and all the crops from her land from the day she left until now.”
7 Elisha went to Damascus; King Benhadad of Syria was ill; people told him, “The man of God has arrived here.”
8 The king told Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand, go to the man of God, and ask God through him, ‘Will I get better from this illness?’”
9 So Hazael went to see him, bringing gifts of the best items from Damascus, enough to load forty camels. He arrived and stood before him and said, “Your son Benhadad, the king of Syria, has sent me to ask, ‘Will I get better from this illness?’”
10 Elisha told him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely get well.’ But God has shown me that he will definitely die.”
11 He looked intently until the other felt embarrassed; then the man of God cried.
12 Hazael asked, “Why is my master crying?” He replied, “Because I know the bad things you will do to the people of Israel: you will burn down their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children, and cut open their pregnant women.”
13 Hazael asked, “Am I a dog to do such a big thing?” Elisha replied, “God has shown me you will become king of Syria.”
14 He left Elisha, went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He replied, “He told me you would definitely get better.”
15 The next day, he took a heavy cloth, soaked it in water, and put it over his face until he died; then Hazael became king in his place.
16 In the fifth year of Joram, Ahab’s son and king of Israel, with Jehoshaphat as king of Judah, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, started to rule as king of Judah.
17 He was 32 years old when he became king; he ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem.
18 He followed the path of Israel’s kings, like Ahab’s family did, because he married Ahab’s daughter, and he did wrong in God’s eyes.
19 But God would not destroy Judah for David his servant, because he promised to always give him and his children a light.
20 During his reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s control and chose their own king.
21 Joram went to Zair with all his chariots. He attacked at night and defeated the Edomites and their chariot leaders who had surrounded him. Then the people ran away to their tents.
22 Edom rebelled against Judah and is still rebelling today. At that time, Libnah also rebelled.
23 The other things Joram did and his deeds, aren’t they written in the record book of Judah’s kings?
24 Joram died like his ancestors and was buried with them in David’s city; then his son Ahaziah became king after him.
25 Ahaziah, son of Jehoram and king of Judah, started to rule in the twelfth year of Joram, Ahab’s son and king of Israel.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, Omri’s daughter, the king of Israel.
27 He followed Ahab’s family’s path, and did bad things that God saw, just like Ahab’s family did, because he was married into Ahab’s family.
28 He went with Joram, Ahab’s son, to fight Hazael, the king of Syria, at Ramothgilead; and the Syrians hurt Joram.
29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to heal from his injuries received from the Syrians at Ramah, during his fight with King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah, son of King Jehoram of Judah, visited Joram, son of Ahab, in Jezreel because he was ill.