2 Kings 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Shunammite’s Land Restored
8 Elisha said to the woman whose son he had restored to life,(A) “Get ready, you and your household, and go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the Lord has announced a seven-year famine,(B) and it has already come to the land.”
2 So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 When the woman returned from the land of the Philistines at the end of seven years,(C) she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.(D)
4 The king had been speaking to Gehazi,(E) the attendant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”
5 While he was telling the king how Elisha restored the dead son to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life came to appeal to the king for her house and field. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”(F)
6 When the king asked the woman, she told him the story. So the king appointed a court official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the income from the field from the day she left the country until now.”
Aram’s King Hazael
7 Elisha came to Damascus(G) while Ben-hadad(H) king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God(I) has come here.” 8 So the king said to Hazael,(J) “Take a gift(K) with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”(L)
9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift: 40 camel-loads of all kinds of goods from Damascus. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son,(M) Ben-hadad king of Aram, has sent me to ask you, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
10 Elisha told him, “Go say to him, ‘You are sure to[a] recover.’ But the Lord has shown me that he is sure to die.” 11 Then Elisha stared steadily at him until Hazael was ashamed.(N)
The man of God wept,(O) 12 and Hazael asked, “Why is my lord weeping?”
He replied, “Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their fortresses on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their little ones to pieces. You will rip open their pregnant women.”(P)
13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog,(Q) do this monstrous thing?”
Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”(R)
14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?”
He responded, “He told me you are sure to recover.” 15 The next day Hazael took a heavy cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face. Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned instead of him.
Judah’s King Jehoram
16 In the fifth year(S) of Israel’s King Joram(T) son of Ahab, Jehoram[b](U) son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, replacing his father.[c](V) 17 He was 32 years old when he became king and reigned eight years in Jerusalem.(W) 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.(X) 19 The Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah because of His servant David, since He had promised to give a lamp(Y) to David and his sons forever.(Z)
20 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s control and appointed their own king.(AA) 21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.(AB) 22 So Edom is still in rebellion against Judah’s control today. Libnah(AC) also rebelled at that time.
23 The rest of the events of Jehoram’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(AD) 24 Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.(AE)
Judah’s King Ahaziah
25 In the twelfth year of Israel’s King Joram son of Ahab,(AF) Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.(AG) 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king and reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel’s King Omri.(AH) 27 He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the Lord’s sight like the house of Ahab,(AI) for he was a son-in-law to Ahab’s family.
28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael(AJ) king of Aram in Ramoth-gilead,(AK) and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel(AL) to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead[d] when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael.(AM) Then Judah’s King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 8:10 Alt Hb tradition reads You will not
- 2 Kings 8:16 = The Lord is Exalted
- 2 Kings 8:16 Lit Judah; Jehoshaphat had been king of Judah
- 2 Kings 8:29 Lit Ramah
2 Kings 8
King James Version
8 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
10 And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.
15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Je hoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
21 So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.
22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
23 And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.