2 Kings 8:7-15

English Standard Version

Hazael Murders Ben-hadad

⁷ Now Elisha came to ^(A)Damascus. ^(B)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 ^(C)Hazael, ^(D)“Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, ^(E)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, ^(F)“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, ^(G)“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but^[a] the Lord has shown me that ^(H)he shall certainly die.” ¹¹ And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, ^(I)until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. ¹² And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know ^(J)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 ^(K)and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” ¹³ And Hazael said, “What is your servant, ^(L)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, ^(M)“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 ^(N)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.