2 Kings 8:9–29

⁹Hazael 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.” 

¹⁰Elisha replied, “Tell him that he will get better, although the Lord has shown me that he is actually going to die.” ¹¹He 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.” 

¹³But 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.” ¹⁴Hazael 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.” 

¹⁵But 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

¹⁶Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his fifth year as king of Israel when Jehoram,^ason of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began to rule. Jehoram ruled while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. ¹⁷He was 32 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸He 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. ¹⁹But 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. 

²⁰During Jehoram’s time Edom rebelled against Judah and chose its own king. ²¹Jehoram 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. ²²So Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and is still independent today. At that time Libnah also rebelled. ²³Isn’t everything else about Jehoram—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? ²⁴Jehoram 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

²⁵Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his twelfth year as king of Israel when Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. ²⁶Ahaziah 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. ²⁷Ahaziah 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. 

²⁸Ahaziah went with Ahab’s son Joram to fight against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. There the Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹King 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.