2 Kings 8

The Shunammite Woman Returns & Hazael’s Takeover

1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he brought back to life, “Listen, get up, you and your family, and go live wherever you can, because the Lord called for a famine, and it is going to hit this land for seven years.”

2 So the woman got up and did what the man of God said. She bounced, her and her family, and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

3 At the end of seven years, the woman came back from the land of the Philistines. And she rolled up to the king to beg for her house and her land back.

4 Now, the king was chopping it up with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the crazy things Elisha did.”

5 While he was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life, the very woman whose son he brought back to life popped up, begging the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!”

6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him the whole story. So the king hooked her up with an officer, telling him, “Restore everything that belonged to her, plus all the money from her fields from the day she left until now.”

Hazael Kills Ben-hadad

7 Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told to him, “The man of God is here!”

8 The king told Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Ask the Lord through him, ‘Am I am going to recover from this sickness,’”

9 So Hazael went to meet him, taking a gift with him, all kinds of good stuff from Damascus, forty camel-loads. He came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram sent me to you, saying, ‘Am I am going to recover from this sickness,’”

10 Elisha told him, “Go tell him, ‘You will for sure recover.’ But the Lord showed me that he is going to for sure die.”

11 Elisha stared at him intensely until Hazael got embarrassed. Then the man of God cried.

12 Hazael asked, “Why is my lord crying?” He answered, “Because I know the evil you are going to do to the Israelites. You are going to set their fortresses on fire, chop up their young men with the sword, smash their little kids, and rip open their pregnant women!”

13 Hazael said, “What, Is your servant a dog that he would do such a major thing?” Elisha said, “The Lord showed me that you are going to be king over Aram.”

14 So Hazael dipped from Elisha and came to his boss. His boss asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” He answered, “He told me you would for sure recover.”

15 But the next day, Hazael took a thick blanket, soaked it in water, and spread it over his face, so he died. And Hazael took over as king.

Jehoram (Joram) Rules Judah

16 In the fifth year of Jehoram son of Ahab’s rule over Israel, (and Jehoshaphat was king of Judah at the time), Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, took over.

17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.

18 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just like the family of Ahab did, because Ahab’s daughter was his wife. And he did what was whack in the eyes of the Lord.

19 But for the sake of His servant David, the Lord was not down to destroy Judah, because He promised David that He would always keep a lamp burning for his descendants.

20 In his days, Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and set up their own king.

21 So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. He got up at night and hit the Edomites who surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but the army fled to their tents.

22 So Edom has been rebelling against Judah’s rule to this day. Libnah also rebelled at the same time.

23 As for the rest of Jehoram’s story, all he did, is it not written in the book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah,

24 Jehoram passed away and joined his ancestors. He was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah took over as king.

Ahaziah Rules Judah

25 In the twelfth year of Jehoram son of Ahab’s rule over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, took over as king.

26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mama’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

27 He walked in the ways of Ahab’s family and did what was whack in the eyes of the Lord, just like Ahab’s family, because he was married into Ahab’s family.

28 He went with Jehoram son of Ahab to fight Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-Gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram.

29 King Joram went back to Jezreel to heal from the wounds the Arameans gave him at Ramah when he fought Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because he was sick.