2 Kings 8
GOD’S WORD Translation
Elisha Helps a Shunem Woman Get Her Land Back
8 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Go away with your family. Stay wherever you can. The Lord has decided to send a famine on this country, and it will last seven years.”
2 The woman did what the man of God told her. She and her family went to live in Philistine territory for seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman came home from Philistine territory but left again to make an appeal to the king about her house and land.
4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. He said, “Please tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha brought a dead child back to life, the mother ⌞came to⌟ make an appeal to the king about her house and land.
Gehazi said, “Your Majesty, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life.”
6 When the king asked the woman ⌞about this⌟, she told him the story. So the king assigned to her an attendant to whom he said, “Restore all that is hers, including whatever her property produced from the day she left the country until now.”
Elisha Prophesies to Hazael
7 Elisha went to Damascus. King Benhadad of Aram, who was sick, was told, “The man of God has come here.”
8 The king told Hazael, “Take a present, and meet the man of God. Ask the Lord through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
9 Hazael went to meet Elisha. He took with him a present and all kinds of goods from Damascus. He had loaded the goods on 40 camels. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “Your humble servant King Benhadad of Aram has sent me to you. He asks whether he will recover from this illness.”
10 Elisha replied, “Tell him that he will get better, although the Lord has shown me that he is actually going to die.” 11 He stared at him until he became embarrassed. Then the man of God began to cry.
12 “Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.
Elisha answered, “I know the evil you will do to the Israelites: You will set their fortresses on fire, kill their best young men, smash their little children, and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 But Hazael asked, “How can a dog like me do such a significant thing?”
Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram.” 14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master Benhadad, who asked him what Elisha had said.
Hazael answered, “He told me that you will get better.”
15 But the next day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king with it. Hazael ruled as king in his place.
King Jehoram of Judah(A)
16 Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his fifth year as king of Israel when Jehoram,[a] son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began to rule. Jehoram ruled while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. 17 He was 32 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem. 18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil. 19 But for David’s sake the Lord didn’t want to destroy Judah. The Lord had told David that he would always give him and his descendants a ⌞shining⌟ lamp.
20 During Jehoram’s time Edom rebelled against Judah and chose its own king. 21 Jehoram took all his chariots to attack Zair. The Edomites and their chariot commanders surrounded him, but he got up at night, broke through their lines, and his troops fled home. 22 So Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and is still independent today. At that time Libnah also rebelled. 23 Isn’t everything else about Jehoram—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 24 Jehoram lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Judah(B)
25 Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his twelfth year as king of Israel when Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27 Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab’s family. He did what the Lord considered evil, as Ahab’s family had done, because he was related to Ahab’s family by marriage.
28 Ahaziah went with Ahab’s son Joram to fight against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. There the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to let his wounds heal. (He had been wounded by the Arameans at Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Aram.) Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah went to Jezreel to see Ahab’s son Joram, who was sick.
Footnotes
- 8:16 In the Masoretic Text this king of Judah is also called Joram, a shorter form of Jehoram.
2 Kings 8
English Standard Version
The Shunammite's Land Restored
8 Now Elisha had said to the woman (A)whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord (B)has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for (C)seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with (D)Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how (E)Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-hadad
7 Now Elisha came to (F)Damascus. (G)Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” 8 the king said to (H)Hazael, (I)“Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, (J)and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels' loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, (K)“Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 10 And Elisha said to him, (L)“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but[a] the Lord has shown me that (M)he shall certainly die.” 11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, (N)until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know (O)the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword (P)and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, (Q)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, (R)“The Lord has shown me that you are to 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?” And he answered, “He told me (S)that you would certainly recover.” 15 But the next day he took the bed cloth[b] and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
16 In the fifth year of (T)Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,[c] Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was (U)thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for (V)the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, (W)since he promised to give (X)a lamp to him and to his sons forever.
20 In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up (Y)a king of their own. 21 Then Joram[d] passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army (Z)fled home. 22 (AA)So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then (AB)Libnah revolted at the same time. 23 Now 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 So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried (AC)with his fathers in the city of David, and (AD)Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
25 (AE)In the (AF)twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was (AG)twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was (AH)a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
28 He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against (AI)Hazael king of Syria at (AJ)Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 (AK)And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at (AL)Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And (AM)Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 8:10 Some manuscripts say, ‘You shall certainly not recover,’ for
- 2 Kings 8:15 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- 2 Kings 8:16 Septuagint, Syriac lack when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah
- 2 Kings 8:21 Joram (also verses 23, 24) is an alternate spelling of Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat), mentioned in verses 16, 25, 29
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