2 Kings 8

1 Elisha told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your family need to pack up and leave, and live where you can somewhere else like a foreigner. For the Lord announced a famine will come to the land and will last seven years.”

Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life. He said to her, “Arise, and go with your household, and stay wherever you can in another land, because Yahweh has called for a famine which will come on this land for seven years.”

2 The woman packed up and did what the man of God had told her. She and her family went and lived as foreigners for seven years in the country of the Philistines.

So the woman arose and she obeyed the word of the man of God. She went with her household and lived in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3 When the seven years were over, she came back from the country of the Philistines and went to the king to appeal for the return of her house and lands.

It came about at the end of seven years that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to the king to beg him for her house and for her land.

4 The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, asking him, “Please tell me about all the wonderful things Elisha did.”

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 It so happened that right then Gehazi was telling the king the story of how Elisha had brought the dead boy back to life when his mother arrived to make her appeal to the king for the return of her house and lands. “My lord the king,” Gehazi called out, “this is the woman, and this is her son that Elisha brought back to life.”

Then as he was telling the king how Elisha had restored to life the child who was dead, the very woman whose son he had restored to life came to beg the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, “My master, king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”

6 The king asked the woman about it and she explained the whole story to him. The king gave orders to an official, saying, “Make sure everything that belonged to her is returned to her, together with all the profit from her lands from the day that she left the country until now.”

When the king asked the woman about her son, she explained it to him. So the king ordered a certain officer for her, saying, “Give back to her all that was hers and all the harvests of her fields since the day that she left the land until now.”

7 Elisha went to Damascus when Ben-hadad king of Aram was ill. The king was informed, “The man of God has arrived in town.”

Elisha came to Damascus where Ben Hadad the king of Aram was sick. The king was told, “The man of God has come here.”

8 The king ordered Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go and meet the man of God. Ask him to ask the Lord, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go meet the man of God, and consult with Yahweh through him, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'”

9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha. He took with him a gift of all the best things from Damascus—forty camel-loads of goods. He came in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad, king of Aram, has sent me to you to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift with him of every kind of good thing of Damascus, carried by forty camels. So Hazael came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son Ben Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'”

10 “Go and tell him, ‘You will definitely recover.’ But the Lord has shown me that definitely he is going to die,” Elisha replied.

Elisha said to him, “Go, say to Ben Hadad, 'You will surely recover,' but Yahweh has shown me that he will surely die.”

11 Elisha stared at him for a long time until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God started to cry.

Then Elisha stared at Hazael until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept.

12 “Why are you crying, my lord?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil things you are going to do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set their fortresses on fire, kill their young men with the sword, dash to pieces their little ones, and rip open their pregnant women.”

Hazael asked, “Why do you weep, my master?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip open their pregnant women.”

13 “But how could someone like me who's just a ‘dog’ achieve anything like that?” Hazael asked. “The Lord has shown me that you are going to be the king of Aram,” Elisha replied.

Hazael replied, “Who is your servant, that he should do this great thing? He is only a dog.” Elisha answered, “Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael replied, “He told me you would definitely recover.”

Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”

15 But the following day Hazael took the bed cover, soaked it in water, and spread it over the king's face until he died. Then Hazael took over from him as king.

Then the next day Hazael took the blanket and dipped it in water, and spread it on Ben Hadad's face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

16 Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, began his reign as king of Judah in the fifth year of the reign of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah.

In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram began to reign. He was the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He began to reign when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah.

17 He was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years.

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

18 Jehoram followed the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab and did what was evil in the Lord's sight.

Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab was doing; for he had Ahab's daughter as his wife, and he did what was evil in Yahweh's sight.

19 But for the sake of David his servant the Lord didn't want to destroy Judah since he had promised him that there would always be a ruler from his descendants, like a lamp forever.

However, because of his servant David, Yahweh did not want to destroy Judah, since he had told him that he would always give him descendants.

20 During Jehoram's time as king, Edom rebelled against Judah's rule and chose their own king.

In Jehoram's days, Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they set a king over themselves.

21 So Jehoram went over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he took action and attacked at night. But his army ran back to their homes.

Then Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded Jehoram, his chariot commanders rose up and attacked them during the night; but Jehoram's army ran away and went back to their homes.

22 As a result Edom has been in rebellion against Judah's rule to this day. At the same time Libnah also decided to rebel.

So Edom has been in rebellion against the rule of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time.

23 The rest of what happened in Jehoram's reign and all that he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.

As for the other matters concerning Jehoram, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah?

24 Jehoram died and was buried with his forefathers in the City of David. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.

Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of David. Then Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

25 Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, became king of Judah in the twelfth year of the reign of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel.

In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.

26 Ahaziah was twenty-two when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.

27 Ahaziah also followed the evil ways of the family of Ahab, and did what was evil in the Lord's sight as the family of Ahab had done, for he was related to them by marriage.

Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab was doing, for Ahaziah was a son-in-law to the house of Ahab.

28 Ahaziah went with Joram, son of Ahab, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram,

Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram.

29 and he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he'd received in Ramah fighting against Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went to Jezreel to visit Joram, son of Ahab, because Joram was wounded.

King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.