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2 Kings 8
New Catholic Bible
2 Kings 8
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 8
Famine Predicted. 1 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “You and your household must get up and go to dwell wherever you can, for the Lord has called a famine down upon the land, and it will last for seven years.”
2 The woman rose up and did what the man of God had told her to do. She and her household went and dwelt in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. She went to the king and begged for her house and her land.
4 The king had been talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and he had said, “Please tell me all of the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 Just as he was recounting to the king how he had restored a dead body to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life beseeched the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman whose son Elisha restored to life.”
6 The king questioned the woman about it, and she told him about it. The king assigned an official for her case, saying, “Restore everything to her, including the produce from the field from the day she left the land up until the present.”
Ben-hadad’s Death Foretold. 7 Elisha went to Damascus, to Ben-hadad, the king of the Arameans, who was ill. He was told, “The man of God has come here.”
8 The king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go and meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, asking, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
9 Hazael went to meet him, and he took a present of forty camel loads of the finest products of Damascus with him. He stood before him and said, “Ben-hadad the king of Aram, has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ” 10 Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ for the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.”[a]
11 He continued to stare at him until he became embarrassed. The man of God then began to weep. 12 Hazael asked, “Why is my lord weeping?” He answered, “Because I know what harm you will do to the Israelites. You will burn down their strongholds, you will put their young men to the sword, you will dash their children to the ground, and you will rip open their pregnant women.” 13 Hazael said, “But how could your servant, who is nothing more than a dog,[b] do such a great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Aram.”
14 He left Elisha and went back to his master who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He answered, “He told me that you will surely recover.” 15 The next day he took a thick cloth and soaked it in water. He placed it over the king’s face, so that he died. Hazael then reigned in his stead.
16 Reign of Joram of Judah. In the fifth year of the reign of Joram, the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Joram, the son of Jehoshaphat, began to reign over Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet, the Lord would not destroy Judah for the sake of David, his servant, for he had promised to give a light to him and his children forever.
20 During his reign, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up their own king. 21 Joram went to Zair with all of his chariots. He rose up during the night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him. The captains of his chariots and his army fled back home. 22 Edom has been in a state of rebellion against Judah up to the present. Libnah rebelled at the same time.
23 As for the other deeds of Joram, what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 Joram slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.
25 Ahaziah Rules Judah. Ahaziah, the son of Joram, began to reign as the king of Judah during the twelfth year of the reign of Joram, the son of Ahab, the king of Israel. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah. She was the daughter of Omri, the king of Israel.[c] 27 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
28 He went to war against Hazael, the king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead along with Joram, the son of Ahab. The Arameans wounded Joram. 29 Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received from the Arameans at Ramoth when he fought against Hazael, the king of the Arameans.
Ahaziah, the son of Joram, the king of Judah, went down to visit Joram, the son of Ahab, in Jezreel because he was ill.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 8:10 That is, he will die, but not of his present disease; he would have recovered, had he not been killed.
- 2 Kings 8:13 Nothing more than a dog: this seemingly derogatory designation might be Hazael’s way of declaring his powerlessness to commit the atrocities that Elisha forecasts.
- 2 Kings 8:26 Athaliah, whether the daughter or granddaughter of Omri (see v. 18), acted much as her evil parents Ahab and Jezebel did. After her son Ahaziah is killed in battle, Athaliah wipes out all the male descendants and rules as queen (see 2 Ki 11:1).
2 Kings 8
New International Version
2 Kings 8
New International Version
The Shunammite’s Land Restored
8 Now Elisha had said to the woman(A) whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine(B) in the land that will last seven years.”(C) 2 The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. 4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored(D) the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad
7 Elisha went to Damascus,(E) and Ben-Hadad(F) king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,” 8 he said to Hazael,(G) “Take a gift(H) with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult(I) the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
10 Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover.’(J) Nevertheless,[a] the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.” 11 He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed.(K) Then the man of God began to weep.(L)
12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.
“Because I know the harm(M) you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash(N) their little children(O) to the ground, and rip open(P) their pregnant women.”
13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog,(Q) accomplish such a feat?”
“The Lord has shown me that you will become king(R) 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.” 15 But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died.(S) Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
Jehoram King of Judah(T)
16 In the fifth year of Joram(U) son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram(V) son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter(W) of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 19 Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy(X) Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp(Y) for David and his descendants forever.
20 In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king.(Z) 21 So Jehoram[b] went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. 22 To this day Edom has been in rebellion(AA) against Judah. Libnah(AB) revolted at the same time.
23 As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 24 Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
Ahaziah King of Judah(AC)
25 In the twelfth(AD) year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah,(AE) a granddaughter of Omri(AF) king of Israel. 27 He followed the ways of the house of Ahab(AG) and did evil(AH) in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.
28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead.(AI) The Arameans wounded Joram; 29 so King Joram returned to Jezreel(AJ) to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth[c] in his battle with Hazael(AK) king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah(AL) son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 8:10 The Hebrew may also be read Go and say, ‘You will certainly not recover,’ for.
- 2 Kings 8:21 Hebrew Joram, a variant of Jehoram; also in verses 23 and 24
- 2 Kings 8:29 Hebrew Ramah, a variant of Ramoth
New International Version (NIV) 
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