2 Kings 8:1-15

World English Bible

8 Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise, and go, you and your household, and stay for a while wherever you can; for Yahweh has called for a famine. It will also come on the land for seven years.”

² The woman arose, and did according to the man of God’s word. She went with her household, and lived 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. Then she went out to beg the king for her house and for her land. ⁴ Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ As he was telling the king how he had restored to life him who was dead, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, begged the king for her house and for her land. Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”

⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed to 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 Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick. He was told, “The man of God has come here.”

⁸ The king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of Yahweh by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”

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, “Your son Benhadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”

¹⁰ Elisha said to him, “Go, tell him, ‘You will surely recover;’ however Yahweh has shown me that he will surely die.” ¹¹ He settled his gaze steadfastly on him, until he was ashamed. Then the man of God wept.

¹² Hazael said, “Why do you weep, my lord?”

He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, and will dash their little ones in pieces, and rip up their pregnant women.”

¹³ Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he could do this great thing?”

Elisha answered, “Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Syria.”

¹⁴ Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

He answered, “He told me that you would surely recover.”

¹⁵ On the next day, he took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died. Then Hazael reigned in his place.