2 Kings 8
The Shunammite’s Land Restored
Now Elisha had said to the woman awhose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord bhas called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for cseven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with aGehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how aElisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben‑hadad
7 Now Elisha came to aDamascus. bBen-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 aHazael, b“Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, cand 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, a“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, a“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that bhe shall certainly die.” 11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, auntil he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know athe 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 band dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, awho is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, b“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 athat you would certainly recover.” 15 But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
16 In the fifth year of aJoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was athirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for athe daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, asince he promised to give ba lamp to him and to his sons forever.
20 In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up aa king of their own. 21 Then Joram passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army afled home. 22 aSo Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then bLibnah revolted at the same time. 23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 24 So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried awith his fathers in the city of David, and bAhaziah his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
25 aIn the btwelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was atwenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah; she was ba granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
28 He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against aHazael king of Syria at bRamoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 aAnd King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at bRamah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And cAhaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.