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12 and Hazael asked, “Why are you weeping, my lord?” Elisha replied, “Because I know the evil that you will inflict upon the Israelites. You will burn their fortresses, you will slay their youth with the sword, you will dash their little children to pieces, you will rip open their pregnant women.”(A) 13 Hazael exclaimed, “How can your servant, a dog[a] like me, do anything so important?” Elisha replied, “The Lord has showed you to me as king over Aram.”

14 Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master, who asked, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael replied, “He said, ‘You will surely recover.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 8:13 To call oneself a “dog” is to admit one’s insignificance (1 Sm 24:15; 2 Sm 9:8); it is not necessarily a term of contempt, as in English. Hazael focuses on the question of his power, making no comment on the atrocities Elisha predicts he will commit.

12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.

“Because I know the harm(A) you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash(B) their little children(C) to the ground, and rip open(D) their pregnant women.”

13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog,(E) accomplish such a feat?”

“The Lord has shown me that you will become king(F) of Aram,” answered Elisha.

14 Then 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.”

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