Ahaziah’s Sickness and Death

1 After Ahab’s death, Moab^(A) rebelled against Israel.^{(B) 2} Ahaziah^(C) had fallen through the latticed window of his upstairs room in Samaria^(D) and was injured. So he sent messengers, instructing them, “Go inquire of Baal-zebub,^[a](E) the god of Ekron,^(F) whether I will recover from this injury.”^(G)

³ But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,^(H) “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria^(I) and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? ⁴ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’” Then Elijah left.

⁵ The messengers returned to the king, who asked them, “Why have you come back?”

⁶ They replied, “A man came to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and declare to him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.”’”

⁷ The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke those words to you?”

⁸ They replied, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.”^(J)

He said, “It’s Elijah the Tishbite.”^(K)

⁹ So King Ahaziah sent a captain with his fifty men^(L) to Elijah. When the captain went up to him, he was sitting on top of the hill. He announced, “Man of God,^(M) the king declares, ‘Come down!’”

¹⁰ Elijah responded to the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.^(N)

¹¹ So the king sent another captain with his fifty men to Elijah. He took in the situation^[b] and announced, “Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down immediately!’”

¹² Elijah responded, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” So a divine fire^[c] came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ Then the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. The third captain went up and fell on his knees in front of Elijah and begged him, “Man of God,^(O) please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious to you.^{(P) 14} Already fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains with their companies, but this time let my life be precious to you.”

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord^(Q) said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.”^(R) So he got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶ Then Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel for you to inquire of his will?—you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’”

¹⁷ Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Since he had no son, Joram^[d](S) became king in his place. This happened in the second year of Judah’s King Jehoram^(T) son of Jehoshaphat.^{[e] 18} The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^[f](U)

Elijah in the Whirlwind

2 The time had come for the Lord to take Elijah up to heaven^(V) in a whirlwind.^(W) Elijah and Elisha^(X) were traveling from Gilgal,^{(Y) 2} and Elijah said to Elisha,^(Z) “Stay here;^(AA) the Lord is sending me on to Bethel.”^(AB)

But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”^(AC) So they went down to Bethel.

³ Then the sons of the prophets^(AD) who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?” ^(AE)

He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; the Lord is sending me to Jericho.”^(AF)

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?”

He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶ Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord is sending me to the Jordan.”^(AG)

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Fifty men from the sons of the prophets came and stood observing them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his mantle,^(AH) rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.^{(AI) 9} When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.”

So Elisha answered, “Please, let me inherit two shares of your spirit.”^(AJ)

¹⁰ Elijah replied, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me being taken from you,^(AK) you will have it. If not, you won’t.”

¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire^(AL) suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.^{(AM) 12} As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” ^(AN)

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

When he could see him no longer, he took hold of his own clothes, tore them in two,^{(AO) 13} picked up the mantle^(AP) that had fallen off Elijah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle Elijah had dropped, and he struck the water. “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” he asked. He struck the water himself, and it parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were observing saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.

¹⁶ Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Since there are fifty strong men here with your servants, please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.”^(AQ)

He answered, “Don’t send them.”

¹⁷ However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment,^(AR) so he said, “Send them.” They sent fifty men, who looked for three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ When they returned to him in Jericho^(AS) where he was staying, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, “My lord can see that even though the city’s location is good, the water is bad and the land unfruitful.”^(AT)

²⁰ He replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.”^(AU)

After they had brought him one, ²¹ Elisha went out to the spring, threw salt in it,^(AV) and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will death or unfruitfulness result from it.’” ²² Therefore, the water still remains healthy today according to the word that Elisha spoke.

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel.^(AW) As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him,^(AX) chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord.^(AY) Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children. ²⁵ From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel,^(AZ) and then he returned to Samaria.^(BA)

Israel’s King Joram

3 Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, and he reigned twelve years.^{(BB) 2} He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like his father and mother,^(BC) for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^(BD) He did not turn away from them.

Moab’s Rebellion against Israel

⁴ King Mesha of Moab^(BE) was a sheep breeder. He used to pay^(BF) the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams,^{(BG) 5} but when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.^{(BH) 6} So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all Israel. ⁷ Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat^(BI) of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me.^(BJ) Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”

Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”^(BK)

⁸ He asked, “Which route should we take?”

He replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom^(BL) set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or the animals with them.

¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the Lord has summoned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of the Lord through him.”^(BM)

One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat,^(BN) who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”

¹² Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him.^(BO)

¹³ However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” ^(BP)

But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”

¹⁴ Elisha responded, “By the life of the Lord of Armies,^(BQ) before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah,^(BR) I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take notice of you. ¹⁵ Now, bring me a musician.”^(BS)

While the musician played,^(BT) the Lord’s hand^(BU) came on Elisha. ¹⁶ Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’ ¹⁷ For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water,^(BV) and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’ ¹⁸ This is easy in the Lord’s sight.^(BW) He will also hand Moab over to you.^{(BX) 19} Then you will attack every fortified city and every choice city. You will cut down every good tree and stop up every spring. You will ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

²⁰ About the time for the grain offering^(BY) the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

²¹ All Moab had heard that the kings^(BZ) had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border. ²² When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.^{(CA) 23} “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings^(CB) have crossed swords^[g] and their men have killed one another. So, to the spoil, Moab!”

²⁴ However, when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So Israel went into the land attacking the Moabites. ²⁵ They would destroy the cities, and each of them would throw a stone to cover every good piece of land. They would stop up every spring and cut down every good tree. This went on until only the buildings of Kir-hareseth^(CC) were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him to try to break through to the king of Edom,^(CD) but they could not do it. ²⁷ So he took his firstborn son,^(CE) who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.

The Widow’s Oil Multiplied

4 One of the wives of the sons of the prophets^(CF) cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant feared the Lord.^(CG) Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.”^(CH)

² Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”^(CI)

³ Then he said, “Go out and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few.^{(CJ) 4} Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.” ⁵ So she left.

After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring.^{(CK) 6} When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”

But he replied, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped.

⁷ She went and told the man of God,^(CL) and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”^(CM)

The Shunammite Woman’s Hospitality

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem.^(CN) A prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to eat some food. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.^{(CO) 9} Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God, ¹⁰ so let’s make a small, walled-in upper room and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for him. Whenever he comes, he can stay there.”^(CP)

The Shunammite Woman’s Son

¹¹ One day he came there and stopped at the upstairs room to lie down. ¹² He ordered his attendant Gehazi,^(CQ) “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him.

¹³ Then he said to Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘Look, you’ve gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you?^(CR) Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

She answered, “I am living among my own people.”

¹⁴ So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?”

Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ “Call her,” Elisha said. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Elisha said, “At this time next year you will have a son in your arms.”^(CS)

Then she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your servant.”^(CT)

¹⁷ The woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time the following year, as Elisha had promised her.

The Shunammite’s Son Raised

¹⁸ The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters.^{(CU) 19} Suddenly he complained to his father, “My head! My head!”

His father told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died. ²¹ She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left.

²² She summoned her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and come back again.”

²³ But he said, “Why go to him today? It’s not a New Moon or a Sabbath.”^(CV)

She replied, “It’s all right.”^(CW)

²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.^(CX)

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi,^(CY) “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman.^{(CZ) 26} Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right?’”

And she answered, “It’s all right.”

²⁷ When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet.^(DA) Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone—she is in severe anguish,^(DB) and the Lord has hidden it from me. He hasn’t told me.”

²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not lie to me?’” ^(DC)

²⁹ So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your mantle^(DD) under your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don’t answer him.^(DE) Then place my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰ The boy’s mother said to Elisha, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”^(DF) So he got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”^(DG)

³² When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed.^{(DH) 33} So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.^{(DI) 34} Then he went up and lay on the boy:^(DJ) he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy’s flesh became warm.^{(DK) 35} Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.^(DL)

³⁶ Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” He called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left.^(DM)

The Deadly Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to Gilgal,^(DN) there was a famine^(DO) in the land. The sons of the prophets^(DP) were sitting before him.^(DQ) He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹ One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.^[h]

⁴⁰ They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot,^(DR) man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.

⁴¹ Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.^(DS)

The Multiplied Bread

⁴² A man from Baal-shalishah^(DT) came to the man of God with his sack full of^[i] twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”^(DU)

⁴³ But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” ^(DV)

“Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it before them, and as the Lord had promised, they ate and had some left over.^(DW)

Naaman’s Disease Healed

5 Naaman,^(DX) commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded^(DY) because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.^(DZ)

² Aram had gone on raids^(EA) and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

⁴ So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵ Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

So he went and took with him 750 pounds^[j] of silver, 150 pounds^[k] of gold, and ten sets of clothing.^{(EB) 6} He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:

When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes^(EC) and asked, “Am I God,^(ED) killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize^[l] that he is only picking a fight with me.”^(EE)

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”^{(EF) 9} So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰ Then Elisha sent him a messenger,^(EG) who said, “Go wash^(EH) seven times^(EI) in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

¹¹ But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand^(EJ) over the place and cure the skin disease. ¹² Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?^(EK) Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.^(EL)

¹³ But his servants approached and said to him, “My father,^(EM) if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.^(EN)

¹⁵ Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.^(EO) Therefore, please accept a gift^(EP) from your servant.”

¹⁶ But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives,^(EQ) in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.”^(ER) Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

¹⁷ Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry,^(ES) for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.^{(ET) 18} However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm,^[m](EU) and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow^[n] in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”

¹⁹ So he said to him, “Go in peace.”^(EV)

Gehazi’s Greed Punished

After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, ²⁰ Gehazi,^(EW) the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives,^(EX) I will run after him and get something from him.”

²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

²² Gehazi said, “It’s all right.^(EY) My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds^[o] of silver and two sets of clothing.’”^(EZ)

²³ But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.”^[p] He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his attendants who carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill,^[q](FA) he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.

²⁵ Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.

He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”

²⁶ “And my heart didn’t go^[r](FB) when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.^[s](FC)

The Floating Ax Head

6 The sons of the prophets^(FD) said to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision^[t] is too small for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.”

“Go,” he said.

³ Then one said, “Please come with your servants.”

“I’ll come,” he answered.

⁴ So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed!” ^(FE)

⁶ Then the man of God^(FF) asked, “Where did it fall?”

When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a piece of wood, threw it there, and made the iron float.^{(FG) 7} Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it.

The Aramean War

⁸ When the king of Aram^(FH) was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”

⁹ But the man of God^(FI) sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰ Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly^[u] warned the king, so the king would be on his guard.

¹¹ The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹² One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³ So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.”

When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,”^{(FJ) 14} he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

¹⁶ Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid,^(FK) for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.”^(FL)

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire^(FM) all around Elisha.

¹⁸ When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike this nation with blindness.”^[v] So he struck them with blindness,^(FN) according to Elisha’s word. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.^{(FO) 20} When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them,^(FP) should I kill them, my father?”

²² Elisha replied, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have captured with your sword or your bow? Set food and water in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their master.”^(FQ)

²³ So he prepared a big feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders^(FR) did not come into Israel’s land again.

The Siege of Samaria

²⁴ Some time later, King Ben-hadad^(FS) of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁵ So there was a severe famine^(FT) in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for thirty-four ounces^[w] of silver, and a cup^[x] of dove’s dung^[y] sold for two ounces^[z] of silver.^(FU)

²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “My lord the king, help!”

²⁷ He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” ^{(FV) 28} Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?” ^(FW)

She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’^(FX) but she has hidden her son.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes.^(FY) Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth^(FZ) under his clothes next to his skin. ³¹ He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely^(GA) if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

³² Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders^(GB) were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer^(GC) has sent someone to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

³³ While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger^[aa] came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” ^(GD)

7 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at Samaria’s gate, six quarts^[ab] of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver^[ac] and twelve quarts^[ad] of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver.’”^(GE)

² Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man,^[ae](GF) responded to the man of God,^(GG) “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” ^(GH)

Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”^(GI)

³ Now four men with a skin disease^(GJ) were at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ we will die there because the famine is in the city, but if we sit here, we will also die. So now, come on. Let’s surrender to the Arameans’ camp.^(GK) If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”

⁵ So the diseased men got up at twilight to go to the Arameans’ camp. When they came to the camp’s edge, they discovered that no one was there, ⁶ for the Lord^[af] had caused the Aramean camp to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army.^(GL) The Arameans had said to each other, “The king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites^(GM) and the kings of Egypt^(GN) to attack us.” ⁷ So they had gotten up and fled^(GO) at twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had fled for their lives.

⁸ When these diseased men came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they picked up the silver, gold, and clothing and went off and hid them. They came back and entered another tent, picked things up, and hid them.^{(GP) 9} Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news.^(GQ) If we are silent and wait until morning light, our punishment will catch up with us. So let’s go tell the king’s household.”

¹⁰ The diseased men came and called to the city’s gatekeepers and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—no human sounds. There was nothing but tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.” ¹¹ The gatekeepers called out, and the news was reported to the king’s household.

¹² So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving,^(GR) so they have left the camp to hide in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and go into the city.’”^(GS)

¹³ But one of his servants responded, “Please, let messengers take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate is like the entire Israelite community who will die,^[ag] so let’s send them and see.”

¹⁴ The messengers took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.” ¹⁵ So they followed them as far as the Jordan. They saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.

¹⁶ Then the people went out and plundered the Aramean camp.^(GT) It was then that six quarts of fine flour sold for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley sold for a half ounce of silver, according to the word of the Lord.^{(GU) 17} The king had appointed the captain, his right-hand man,^(GV) to be in charge of the city gate, but the people trampled him in the gate. He died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king had come to him. ¹⁸ When the man of God had said to the king, “About this time tomorrow twelve quarts of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver and six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver at Samaria’s gate,” ¹⁹ this captain had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha had said, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”^{(GW) 20} This is what happened to him: the people trampled him in the city gate, and he died.

The Shunammite’s Land Restored

8 Elisha said to the woman whose son he had restored to life,^(GX) “Get ready, you and your household, and go live as a resident alien wherever you can. For the Lord has announced a seven-year famine,^(GY) 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 resident aliens 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,^(GZ) she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.^(HA)

⁴ The king had been speaking to Gehazi,^(HB) 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.”^(HC)

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^(HD) while King Ben-hadad^(HE) of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God^(HF) has come here.” ⁸ So the king said to Hazael,^(HG) “Take a gift^(HH) with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ^(HI)

⁹ Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift: forty camel-loads of all the finest products of Damascus. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son,^(HJ) King Ben-hadad 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^[ah] recover.’ But the Lord has shown me that he is sure to die.” ¹¹ Then he stared steadily at him until he was ashamed.^(HK)

The man of God wept,^{(HL) 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 children to pieces. You will rip open their pregnant women.”^(HM)

¹³ Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog,^(HN) do such a mighty deed?”

Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”^(HO)

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 in his place.

Judah’s King Jehoram

¹⁶ In the fifth year^(HP) of Israel’s King Joram^(HQ) son of Ahab, Jehoram^[ai](HR) son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, replacing his father.^{[aj](HS) 17} He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.^{(HT) 18} He walked in the ways 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.^{(HU) 19} For the sake of his servant David, the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah, since he had promised to give a lamp^[ak](HV) to David and his sons forever.^(HW)

²⁰ During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s control and appointed their own king.^{(HX) 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.^{(HY) 22} So Edom is still in rebellion against Judah’s control today. Libnah^(HZ) 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.^{(IA) 24} Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.^(IB)

Judah’s King Ahaziah

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Israel’s King Joram son of Ahab,^(IC) Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.^{(ID) 26} Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel’s King Omri.^{(IE) 27} He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the Lord’s sight like the house of Ahab,^(IF) for his father had married into^[al] the house of Ahab.

²⁸ Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against King Hazael^(IG) of Aram in Ramoth-gilead,^(IH) and the Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ So King Joram returned to Jezreel^(II) to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead^[am] when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael.^(IJ) Then Judah’s King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.

Jehu Anointed as Israel’s King

9 The prophet Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets^(IK) and said, “Tuck your mantle^(IL) under your belt, take this flask of oil^(IM) with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead.^{(IN) 2} When you get there, look for Jehu^(IO) son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room. ³ Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I anoint you king over Israel.”’^(IP) Open the door and escape. Don’t wait.” ⁴ So the young prophet^[an] went to Ramoth-gilead.

⁵ When he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there, so he said, “I have a message for you, commander.”

Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”

He answered, “For you, commander.”

⁶ So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. ⁷ You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel—the blood of my servants the prophets and of all the servants of the Lord.^{(IQ) 8} The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,^[ao] both slave and free,^[ap] in Israel.^{(IR) 9} I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.^{(IS) 10} The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel—no one will bury her.’”^(IT) Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.

¹¹ When Jehu came out to his master’s servants, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this crazy person^(IU) come to you?”

Then he said to them, “You know the sort and their ranting.”

¹² But they replied, “That’s a lie! Tell us!”

So Jehu said, “He talked to me about this and that and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

¹³ Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps.^[aq](IV) They blew the ram’s horn^(IW) and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!” ^(IX)

¹⁴ Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.^(IY) Joram and all Israel had been at Ramoth-gilead on guard against King Hazael of Aram. ¹⁵ But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael. Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king,^[ar] then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

¹⁶ Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel since Joram was laid up there and King Ahaziah of Judah had gone down to visit Joram. ¹⁷ Now the watchman^(IZ) was standing on the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu’s mob approaching and shouted, “I see a mob!”

Joram responded, “Choose a rider and send him to meet them and have him ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’” ^(JA)

¹⁸ So a horseman went to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them but hasn’t started back.”

¹⁹ So he sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

²⁰ Again the watchman reported, “He reached them but hasn’t started back. Also, the driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi^(JB)—he drives like a madman.”

²¹ “Get the chariot ready!” Joram shouted, and they got it ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu at the plot of land of Naboth the Jezreelite.^{(JC) 22} When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?”

He answered, “What peace can there be as long as there is so much prostitution and sorcery from your mother Jezebel?” ^(JD)

²³ Joram turned around and fled, shouting to Ahaziah, “It’s treachery,^(JE) Ahaziah!”

²⁴ Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.^{(JF) 25} Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite.^(JG) For remember when you and I were riding side by side behind his father Ahab, and the Lord uttered this pronouncement against him: ²⁶ ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘so will I repay you on this plot of land’—this is the Lord’s declaration. So now, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”^(JH)

²⁷ When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So they shot him in his chariot^[as] at Gur Pass near Ibleam,^(JI) but he fled to Megiddo^(JJ) and died there.^{(JK) 28} Then his servants carried him to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in his ancestors’ tomb in the city of David.^{(JL) 29} It was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah had become king over Judah.^(JM)

Jehu Kills Jezebel

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, so she painted her eyes,^(JN) fixed her hair,^[at] and looked down from the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the city gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri,^(JO) killer of your master?”

³² He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs^(JP) looked down at him, ³³ and he said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and Jehu rode over her.^(JQ)

³⁴ Then he went in, ate and drank, and said, “Take care of this cursed^(JR) woman and bury her, since she’s a king’s daughter.”^{(JS) 35} But when they went out to bury her, they did not find anything but the skull, the feet, and the hands. ³⁶ So they went back and told him, and he said, “This fulfills the Lord’s word that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, the dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh.^{(JT) 37} Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure^(JU) on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.’”

Jehu Kills the House of Ahab

10 Since Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria,^(JV) Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the rulers of Jezreel,^(JW) to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons,^[au] saying:

² Your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weaponry, so when this letter^(JX) arrives ³ select the most qualified^[av] of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.

⁴ However, they were terrified and reasoned, “Look, two kings^(JY) couldn’t stand against him; how can we?”

⁵ So the overseer of the palace, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think is right.”^[aw](JZ)

⁶ Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying:

If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master’s sons^[ax] at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.

All seventy of the king’s sons were being cared for by the city’s prominent men. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

⁹ The next morning when he went out and stood at the gate, he said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him.^(KA) But who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know, then, that not a word the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab will fail,^(KB) for the Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”^{(KC) 11} So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel—all his great men, close friends, and priests—leaving him no survivors.

¹² Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, ¹³ Jehu met the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They answered, “We’re Ahaziah’s^(KD) relatives. We’ve come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen mother’s^(KE) sons.”

¹⁴ Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and then slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He didn’t spare any of them.^(KF)

¹⁵ When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab^(KG) coming to meet him. He greeted him and then asked, “Is your heart one with mine?” ^[ay]

“It is,” Jehonadab replied.

Jehu said, “If it is,^[az] give me your hand.”^(KH)

So he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot with him. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me and see my zeal^(KI) for the Lord!” So he let him ride with him in his chariot. ¹⁷ When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained from the house of Ahab in Samaria until he had annihilated his house, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.^(KJ)

Jehu Kills the Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal^(KK) a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. ¹⁹ Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests.^(KL) None must be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” However, Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal. ²⁰ Jehu commanded, “Consecrate a solemn assembly^(KM) for Baal.” So they called one.

²¹ Then Jehu sent messengers throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal^[ba] came; no one failed to come.^(KN) They entered the temple of Baal,^(KO) and it was filled from one end to the other. ²² Then he said to the custodian of the wardrobe, “Bring out the garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out their garments.

²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look carefully to see that there are no servants of the Lord here among you—only servants of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and he warned them, “Whoever allows any of the men I am placing in your hands to escape will forfeit his life for theirs.”^{(KP) 25} When he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Don’t let anyone out.”^(KQ) So they struck them down with the sword. Then the guards and officers threw the bodies out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it, ²⁷ and they tore down the pillar^(KR) of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it a latrine^(KS)—which it still is today.

Evaluation of Jehu’s Reign

²⁸ Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, ²⁹ but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—worshiping the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan.^{(KT) 30} Nevertheless, the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”^(KU)

³¹ Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

³² In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel.^(KV) Hazael^(KW) defeated the Israelites throughout their territory ³³ from the Jordan eastward: the whole land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer^(KX) which is by the Arnon Valley^(KY) through Gilead to Bashan.^[bb]

³⁴ The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{(KZ) 35} Jehu rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz^(LA) became king in his place. ³⁶ The length of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.^(LB)