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
Legacy Standard Bible
Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land
8 Now (A)Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go [a]with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for (B)Yahweh has called for a famine, and (C)it will even come on the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 Now it happened at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to cry out to the king for her house and for her field. 4 Now the king was speaking with (D)Gehazi, the young man of the man of God, saying, “Please recount to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 Now it happened as he was recounting to the king (E)how he had restored to life the one who was dead, that behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life was crying out to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 Then the king asked the woman, and she recounted it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”
Elisha Weeps over Hazael’s Evil
7 Then Elisha came to (F)Damascus. Now (G)Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “(H)The man of God has come here.” 8 And the king said to (I)Hazael, “(J)Take a present in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and (K)inquire of Yahweh by him, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “(L)Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’” 10 Then Elisha said to him, “(M)Go, say to him, ‘You will surely be restored to life,’ but (N)Yahweh has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11 And he [b]fixed his gaze steadily on him (O)until he was ashamed, and (P)the man of God wept. 12 Then Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he said, “Because (Q)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their fortifications you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their infants you (R)will dash in pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip up.” 13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, (S)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha [c]answered, “(T)Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 So he went from Elisha and came to his master. And he said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he said, “He said to me that (U)you would surely be restored to life.” 15 Now it happened that on the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face; (V)so he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram Reigns over Judah
16 Now in the fifth year of (W)Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17 He was (X)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, just as the house of Ahab had done, for (Y)the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 19 However, Yahweh was not willing to make Judah a ruin, for the sake of David His servant, (Z)since He had [d]promised him to give a [e]lamp to him through his sons always.
20 In his days (AA)Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah and made a king over themselves. 21 Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots; (AB)but [f]his army fled to their tents. 22 (AC)So Edom revolted [g]against Judah to this day. Then (AD)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?
Ahaziah Reigns over Judah
24 So Joram slept with his fathers and (AE)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and (AF)Ahaziah his son became king in his place.
25 (AG)In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. 26 (AH)Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 (AI)He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
28 Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war with (AJ)Hazael king of Aram at (AK)Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans struck Joram. 29 So (AL)King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had caused by striking him at (AM)Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then (AN)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 8:1 Lit you and your
- 2 Kings 8:11 Lit made his face stand fast and he set
- 2 Kings 8:13 Lit said
- 2 Kings 8:19 Lit said
- 2 Kings 8:19 Descendant on the throne
- 2 Kings 8:21 Lit the people
- 2 Kings 8:22 Lit from under the hand of
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