The Woman from Shunem Is Given Back Her Land
1 Elisha told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “The Lord has warned that there will be no food here for seven years. Take your family and go live somewhere else for a while.” 2 The woman did exactly what Elisha had said and went to live in Philistine territory.
She and her family lived there seven years. 3 Then she returned to Israel and immediately begged the king to give back her house and property.
4 Meanwhile, the king was asking Gehazi the servant of Elisha about the amazing things Elisha had been doing. 5 While Gehazi was telling him that Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life, the woman and her son arrived.
“Here's the boy, Your Majesty,” Gehazi said. “And this is his mother.”
6 The king asked the woman to tell her story, and she told him everything that had happened. He then said to one of his officials, “I want you to make sure that this woman gets back everything that belonged to her, including the money her crops have made since the day she left Israel.”
Hazael Kills Benhadad
7 Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, 8 he said to Hazael, “Go meet with Elisha the man of God and get him to ask the Lord if I will get well. And take along a gift for him.”
9 Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, “Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well.”
10 “Tell him he will,” Elisha said to Hazael. “But the Lord has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die.” 11 Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying.
12 “Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.
Elisha answered, “Because I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn down their walled cities and slaughter their young men. You will even crush the heads of their babies and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 “How could I ever do anything like that?” Hazael replied. “I'm only a servant and don't have that kind of power.”
“Hazael, the Lord has told me that you will be the next king of Syria.”
14 Hazael went back to Benhadad and told him, “Elisha said that you will get well.” 15 But the very next day, Hazael got a thick blanket; he soaked it in water and held it over Benhadad's face until he died. Hazael then became king.
King Jehoram of Judah
(2 Chronicles 21.2-20)16 Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah in Joram's fifth year as king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. 17 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled 8 years from Jerusalem.
18 Jehoram disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He married Ahab's daughter and was as sinful as Ahab's family and the kings of Israel. 19 But the Lord refused to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah.
20 While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. 21 So Jehoram and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes. 22 Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah rebelled at that time.
23 Everything else Jehoram did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 24 Jehoram died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem. His son Ahaziah then became king.
King Ahaziah of Judah
(2 Chronicles 22.1-6)25 Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah in the twelfth year of Joram's rule in Israel. 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27 Since Ahaziah was related to Ahab's family, he acted just like them and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong.
28 Ahaziah went with King Joram of Israel to attack King Hazael and the Syrian troops at Ramoth in Gilead. Joram was wounded in that battle, 29 so he went to the town of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went there to visit him.
1 Then spake Elisha vnto the woman, whose sonne he had restored to life, saying, Vp, and goe, thou, and thine house, and soiourne where thou canst soiourne: for the Lord hath called for a famine, and it commeth also vpon the land seuen yeeres. 2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God, and went both shee and her housholde and soiourned in the lande of the Philistims seuen yeeres. 3 And at the seuen yeeres ende, the woman returned out of the lande of the Philistims, and went out to call vpon the King for her house and for her land. 4 And the King talked with Gehazi the seruant of the man of God, saying, Tell mee, I pray thee, all the great actes, that Elisha hath done. 5 And as he told the King, howe he had restored one dead to life, behold, the woman, whose sonne he had raised to life, called vpon the King for her house and for her land. Then Gehazi sayd, My lorde, O King, this is the woman, and this is her sonne, whom Elisha restored to life. 6 And when the King asked the woman, shee told him: so the King appoynted her an Eunuch, saying, Restore thou all that are hers, and all the fruites of her landes since the day shee left the land, euen vntill this time. 7 Then Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-hadad the King of Aram was sicke, and one told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. 8 And the king sayd vnto Hazael, Take a present in thine hande, and goe meete the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of ye Lord by him, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease? 9 So Hazael went to meete him, and tooke the present in his hand, and of euery good thing of Damascus, euen the burden of fourtie camels, and came and stood before him, and sayde, Thy sonne Ben-hadad King of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease? 10 And Elisha sayd to him, Goe, and say vnto him, Thou shalt recouer: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me, that he shall surely dye. 11 And hee looked vpon him stedfastly, till Hazael was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael sayde, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I knowe the euill that thou shalt do vnto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their yong men shalt thou slay with the sworde, and shalt dash their infantes against the stones, and rent in pieces their women with child. 13 Then Hazael said, What? is thy seruant a dog, that I should doe this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed mee, that thou shalt be King of Aram. 14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What saide Elisha to thee? And he answered, Hee tolde mee that thou shouldest recouer. 15 And on the morow he tooke a thick cloth and dipt in it water, and spread it on his face, and hee dyed: and Hazael reigned in his stead. 16 Now in the fift yere of Ioram ye sonne of Ahab King of Israel, and of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, Iehoram the sonne of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah began to reigne. 17 He was two and thirtie yere olde, when he began to reigne: and hee reigned eight yeere in Ierusalem. 18 And hee walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and hee did euill in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Iudah, for Dauid his seruants sake, as he had promised him to giue him a light, and to his children for euer. 20 In those dayes Edom rebelled from vnder the hand of Iudah, and made a King ouer themselues. 21 Therefore Ioram went to Zair, and all his charets with him, and he arose by night, and smote the Edomites which were about him with the captains of the charets, and the people fled into their tents. 22 So Edom rebelled from vnder the hand of Iudah vnto this day. then Libnah rebelled at that same time. 23 Concerning the rest of the actes of Ioram and all that hee did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah? 24 And Ioram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the citie of Dauid. And Ahaziah his sonne reigned in his stead. 25 In the twelft yere of Ioram the sonne of Ahab King of Israel did Ahaziah the sonne of Iehoram King of Iudah begin to reigne. 26 Two and twentie yeere olde was Ahaziah when he began to reigne, and he reigned one yere in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri King of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did euill in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab: for hee was the sonne in law of the house of Ahab. 28 And he went with Ioram the sonne of Ahab to warre against Hazael King of Aram in Ramoth Gilead, and the Aramites smote Ioram. 29 And King Ioram returned to bee healed in Izreel of the wounds which ye Aramites had giuen him at Ramah, whe he fought against Hazael King of Aram. And Ahaziah the sonne of Iehoram King of Iudah went downe to see Ioram the sonne of Ahab in Izreel, because he was sicke.