8
Elisha Helps a Shunem Woman Get Her Land Back
1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Go away with your family. Stay wherever you can. The Lord has decided to send a famine on this country, and it will last seven years.”
2 The woman did what the man of God told her. She and her family went to live in Philistine territory for seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman came home from Philistine territory but left again to make an appeal to the king about her house and land.
4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. He said, “Please tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha brought a dead child back to life, the mother ⌞came to⌟ make an appeal to the king about her house and land.
Gehazi said, “Your Majesty, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life.”
6 When the king asked the woman ⌞about this⌟, she told him the story. So the king assigned to her an attendant to whom he said, “Restore all that is hers, including whatever her property produced from the day she left the country until now.”
Elisha Prophesies to Hazael
7 Elisha went to Damascus. King Benhadad of Aram, who was sick, was told, “The man of God has come here.”
8 The king told Hazael, “Take a present, and meet the man of God. Ask the Lord through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
9 Hazael went to meet Elisha. He took with him a present and all kinds of goods from Damascus. He had loaded the goods on 40 camels. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “Your humble servant King Benhadad of Aram has sent me to you. He asks whether he will recover from this illness.”
10 Elisha replied, “Tell him that he will get better, although the Lord has shown me that he is actually going to die.” 11 He stared at him until he became embarrassed. Then the man of God began to cry.
12 “Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.
Elisha answered, “I know the evil you will do to the Israelites: You will set their fortresses on fire, kill their best young men, smash their little children, and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 But Hazael asked, “How can a dog like me do such a significant thing?”
Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram.” 14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master Benhadad, who asked him what Elisha had said.
Hazael answered, “He told me that you will get better.”
15 But the next day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king with it. Hazael ruled as king in his place.
King Jehoram of Judah
(2 Chronicles 21:2–11; 21:16–22:1)
16 Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his fifth year as king of Israel when Jehoram,* son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began to rule. Jehoram ruled while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. 17 He was 32 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem. 18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil. 19 But for David’s sake the Lord didn’t want to destroy Judah. The Lord had told David that he would always give him and his descendants a ⌞shining⌟ lamp.
20 During Jehoram’s time Edom rebelled against Judah and chose its own king. 21 Jehoram took all his chariots to attack Zair. The Edomites and their chariot commanders surrounded him, but he got up at night, broke through their lines, and his troops fled home. 22 So Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and is still independent today. At that time Libnah also rebelled. 23 Isn’t everything else about Jehoram—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 24 Jehoram lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Judah
(2 Chronicles 22:2–6)
25 Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his twelfth year as king of Israel when Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27 Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab’s family. He did what the Lord considered evil, as Ahab’s family had done, because he was related to Ahab’s family by marriage.
28 Ahaziah went with Ahab’s son Joram to fight against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. There the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to let his wounds heal. (He had been wounded by the Arameans at Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Aram.) Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah went to Jezreel to see Ahab’s son Joram, who was sick.
* 8:16 In the Masoretic Text this king of Judah is also called Joram, a shorter form of Jehoram.