¶ Then Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad the king of Aram was sick: and one told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go meet the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

So Hazael went to meet him, and took the present in his hand, and of every [a]good thing of Damascus, even the burden of forty camels, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-Hadad king of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

10 And Elisha said to him, Go, and say unto him, Thou shalt [b]recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me, that he shall surely die.

11 And he looked upon him steadfastly, till Hazael was ashamed, and the man of God wept.

12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, because I know the evil that thou shalt do unto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their young men shalt thou slay with the sword, and shalt dash their infants against the stones, and rent in pieces their women with child.

13 Then Hazael said, What? is thy servant [c]a dog, that I should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me, that thou shalt be King of Aram.

14 ¶ So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest recover.

15 And on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipped in it water, and [d]spread it on his face, and he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 8:9 Of all the chiefest and precious things of the country.
  2. 2 Kings 8:10 Meaning, that he should recover of this disease: but he knew that this messenger Hazael should slay him to obtain the kingdom.
  3. 2 Kings 8:13 That I should be without all humanity and pity.
  4. 2 Kings 8:15 Under pretence to refresh or ease him, he stifled him with his cloth.

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