Ben-Hadad Is Killed

⁷ Then Elisha went to Damascus, where Ben-Hadad king of Aram was sick. Someone told him, “The man of God has ·arrived [come all this way].”

⁸ The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go meet him. ·Ask [Inquire of] the Lord through him if I will recover from my sickness.”

⁹ So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camels loaded with ·every good thing [the finest wares] in Damascus. He came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son [^Ca term of respect, not literal] Ben-Hadad king of Aram sent me to you. He asks if he will recover from his sickness.”

¹⁰ Elisha said to Hazael, “Go and tell Ben-Hadad, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the Lord has told me he will really die [^Cperhaps indicating that Elisha knew that the king would soon die, but not from illness].” ¹¹ ·Hazael stared at Elisha [or Elisha stared at Hazael; ^LHe stared at him] until he felt ·ashamed [uneasy]. Then Elisha cried.

¹² Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my ·master [lord]?”

Elisha answered, “Because I know what ·evil [harm; terrible things] you will do to the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel]. You will burn their ·strong, walled [fortified] cities with fire and kill their young men with the sword. You will ·throw [dash] their babies ·to the ground [or in pieces] and ·split [rip] open their pregnant women.”

¹³ Hazael said, “·Am I a dog? How could I [or How could I, a mere dog,] ·do such things [or accomplish such great things]?”

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

¹⁴ Then Hazael left Elisha and ·came [returned] to his ·master [lord]. Ben-Hadad said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

Hazael answered, “He told me that you will ·surely [certainly] recover.” ¹⁵ But the next day Hazael took a blanket and ·dipped [soaked] it in water. Then he ·put [spread; held] it over Ben-Hadad’s face, and he died. So Hazael became king in Ben-Hadad’s place.