2 Kings 8–10

CHAPTER 8

Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

¹Now ^aElisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go ¹with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for ^bYahweh has called for a famine, and ^cit will even come on the land for seven years.”

²So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

³Now it happened at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to cry out to the king for her house and for her field.

⁴Now the king was speaking with ^aGehazi, the young man of the man of God, saying, “Please recount to me all the great things that Elisha has done.”

⁵Now it happened as he was recounting to the king ^ahow he had restored to life the one who was dead, that behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life was crying out to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”

⁶Then the king asked the woman, and she recounted it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Elisha Weeps over Hazael’s Evil

⁷Then Elisha came to ^aDamascus. Now ^bBen-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “^cThe man of God has come here.”

⁸And the king said to ^aHazael, “^bTake a present in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^cinquire of Yahweh by him, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’”

⁹So Hazael went to meet him and took a present in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “^aYour son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’”

¹⁰Then Elisha said to him, “^aGo, say to him, ‘You will surely be restored to life,’ but ^bYahweh has shown me that he will certainly die.”

¹¹And he ¹fixed his gaze steadily on him ^auntil he was ashamed, and ^bthe man of God wept.

¹²Then Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he said, “Because ^aI know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their fortifications you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their infants you ^bwill dash in pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip up.”

¹³Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, ^awho is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha ¹answered, “^bYahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

¹⁴So he went from Elisha and came to his master. And he said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he said, “He said to me that ^ayou would surely be restored to life.”

¹⁵Now it happened that on the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face; ^aso he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram Reigns over Judah

¹⁶Now in the fifth year of ^aJoram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.

¹⁷He was ^athirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

¹⁸And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for ^athe daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

¹⁹However, Yahweh was not willing to make Judah a ruin, for the sake of David His servant, ^asince He had ¹promised him to give a ²lamp to him through his sons always.

²⁰In his days ^aEdom revolted from under the hand of Judah and made a king over themselves.

²¹Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots; ^abut ¹his army fled to their tents.

^22aSo Edom revolted ¹against Judah to this day. Then ^bLibnah revolted at the same time.

²³Now 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?

Ahaziah Reigns over Judah

²⁴So Joram slept with his fathers and ^awas buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ^bAhaziah his son became king in his place.

^25aIn the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king.

^26aAhaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

^27aHe also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war with ^aHazael king of Aram at ^bRamoth-gilead, and the Arameans struck Joram.

²⁹So ^aKing Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had caused by striking him at ^bRamah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then ^cAhaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

CHAPTER 9

Jehu Anointed King over Israel

¹Now Elisha the prophet called one of ^athe sons of the prophets and said to him, “^bGird up your loins, and ^ctake this flask of oil in your hand and go to ^dRamoth-gilead.

²“And you will come there and look there for ^aJehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi. And you will come in and ^1bbid him arise from among his brothers. And you will cause him to come in to an inner room.

³“Then you will take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^aI have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

⁴So ^athe young man—the young man of the prophet—went to Ramoth-gilead.

⁵Then he came, and behold, the commanders of the military were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “¹For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O commander.”

⁶And he arose and came into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘^aI have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, even over Israel.

⁷‘And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^athat I may avenge ^bthe blood of My slaves the prophets, and the blood of all the slaves of Yahweh, ^cat the hand of Jezebel.

⁸‘For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and ^aI will cut off from Ahab ^bevery ¹male person ^cboth bond and free in Israel.

⁹‘^aAnd I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^blike the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

¹⁰‘^aAnd the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the ¹property of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “^aIs all well? Why did this ^bmad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his talk.”

¹²And they said, “It is a lie, declare it to us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ ”

¹³Then ^athey hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and ^bblew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Deceives Joram

¹⁴So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^aNow Joram ¹with all Israel was ²guarding Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,

¹⁵but ^aKing ¹Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had struck him with when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one escape or ²leave the city to go declare it in Jezreel.”

¹⁶Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. ^aAhaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ¹company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a ²company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’”

¹⁸So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “^aWhat have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman declared saying, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.”

¹⁹Then he sent out a second horseman. And he came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu ¹answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.”

²⁰And the watchman declared saying, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^athe driving is like the driving of ^bJehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives in madness.”

²¹Then ¹Joram said, “²Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. ^3aJoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the ^4bproperty of Naboth the Jezreelite.

²²Now it happened that when ¹Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he ²answered, “What peace, ^aso long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are so many?”

²³So ¹Joram ²turned about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “^aThere is deception, O Ahaziah!”

²⁴And ^aJehu ¹drew his bow with his full strength and struck ²Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ³through his heart and he crouched down in his chariot.

²⁵Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Lift him up and ^acast him into the ¹property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when ²you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that ^bYahweh lifted up this ^coracle against him:

²⁶‘Surely ^aI have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says Yahweh, ‘and ^bI will repay you in this ¹property,’ says Yahweh. So now, lift him up and cast him into the ²property, according to the word of Yahweh.”

Jehu Strikes Down Ahaziah

^27aAnd Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this and fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Strike him down too, in the…