2 Kings 8

Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

1Now 1Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go 2with your household, and live wherever you can live; for the 3Lord has called for a famine, and 4it will indeed come on the land for seven years.” 2So the woman arose and acted in accordance with the word of the man of God: she went with her household and resided in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3Then at the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to 5appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4Now the king was speaking with 6Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please report to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5And as he was reporting to the king 7how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life 8appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6When the king asked the woman, she told everything to him. So the king appointed an officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Elisha Predicts Evil from Hazael

7Then Elisha came to 9Damascus. Now 10Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “11The man of God has come here.” 8And the king said to 12Hazael, “13Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and 14inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 9So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “15Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 10Then Elisha said to him, “16Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the 17Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11And he 18stared steadily at him 19until Hazael was embarrassed, and then 20the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he 21answered, “Because 22I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: you will set their fortified cities on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, their little ones you 23will smash to pieces, and you will rip up their pregnant women.” 13Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant--24a lowly dog--that he could do this great thing?” And Elisha 25answered, “26The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14So he left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he 27answered, “He told me that 28you would certainly recover.” 15But on the following day, he took the 29cover and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, 30so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Another Jehoram Reigns in Judah

16Now in the fifth year of 31Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17He was 32thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for 33Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, 34since He had 35promised him to give him a 36lamp through his sons always.

20In his days 37Edom broke away from the 38rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. 21Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; 39but 40his army fled to their tents. 2241So Edom has broken away from 42Judah to this day. Then 43Libnah broke away at the same time. 23Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

24So Joram 44lay down with his fathers and 45was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son 46Ahaziah became king in his place.

2547In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 2648Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 2749He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

28Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against 50Hazael king of Aram at 51Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans 52wounded Joram. 29So 53King Joram returned to have himself healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had 54inflicted on him at 55Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then 56Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.