2 Kings 8:7–15

Elisha Predicts Evil from Hazael

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

⁸The king said to ^aHazael, “^bTake a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^cinquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’ ”

⁹So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift 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 recover from this sickness?’ ”

¹⁰Then Elisha said to him, “^aGo, say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the ^bLord has shown me that he will certainly die.”

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

¹²Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he ¹answered, “Because ^aI know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you ^bwill dash in pieces, and their women with child 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, “^bThe Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

¹⁴So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he ¹answered, “He told me that ^ayou would surely recover.”

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