2 Kings 8–10

¹And Elisha spake unto the woman whose son he had revived, saying, ‘Rise and go, thou and thy household, and sojourn where thou dost sojourn, for Jehovah hath called for a famine, and also, it is coming unto the land seven years.’ ²And the woman riseth, and doth according to the word of the man of God, and goeth, she and her household, and sojourneth in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³And it cometh to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman turneth back from the land of the Philistines, and goeth out to cry unto the king, for her house, and for her field. ⁴And the king is speaking unto Gehazi, servant of the man of God, saying, ‘Recount, I pray thee, to me, the whole of the great things that Elisha hath done.’ ⁵And it cometh to pass, he is recounting to the king how he had revived the dead, and lo, the woman whose son he had revived is crying unto the king, for her house and for her field, and Gehazi saith, ‘My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this her son, whom Elisha revived.’ ⁶And the king asketh at the woman, and she recounteth to him, and the king appointeth to her a certain eunuch, saying, ‘Give back all that she hath, and all the increase of the field from the day of her leaving the land even till now.’

⁷And Elisha cometh in to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram is sick, and it is declared to him, saying, ‘The man of God hath come hither.’ ⁸And the king saith unto Hazael, ‘Take in thy hand a present, and go to meet the man of God, and thou hast sought Jehovah by him, saying, Do I revive from this sickness?’ ⁹And Hazael goeth to meet him, and taketh a present in his hand, even of every good thing of Damascus, a burden of forty camels, and he cometh in and standeth before him, and saith, ‘Thy son Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Do I revive from this sickness?’ ¹⁰And Elisha saith unto him, ‘Go, say, Thou dost certainly not revive, seeing Jehovah hath shewed me that he doth surely die.’ ¹¹And he setteth his face, yea, he setteth it till he is ashamed, and the man of God weepeth. ¹²And Hazael saith, ‘Wherefore is my lord weeping?’ and he saith, ‘Because I have known the evil that thou dost to the sons of Israel—their fenced places thou dost send into fire, and their young men with sword thou dost slay, and their sucklings thou dost dash to pieces, and their pregnant women thou dost rip up.’ ¹³And Hazael saith, ‘But what, is thy servant the dog, that he doth this great thing?’ And Elisha saith, ‘Jehovah hath shewed me thee—king of Aram.’ ¹⁴And he goeth from Elisha, and cometh in unto his lord, and he saith unto him, ‘What said Elisha to thee?’ and he saith, ‘He said to me, Thou dost certainly recover.’ ¹⁵And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that he taketh the coarse cloth, and dippeth in water, and spreadeth on his face, and he dieth, and Hazael reigneth in his stead.

¹⁶And in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel—and Jehoshaphat is king of Judah—hath Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah reigned; ¹⁷a son of thirty and two years was he in his reigning, and eight years he hath reigned in Jerusalem. ¹⁸And he walketh in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for a daughter of Ahab was to him for a wife, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, ¹⁹and Jehovah was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, as He said to him, to give to him a lamp—to his sons all the days. ²⁰In his days hath Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they cause a king to reign over them, ²¹and Joram passeth over to Zair, and all the chariots with him, and he himself hath risen by night, and smiteth Edom, that is coming round about unto him, and the heads of the chariots, and the people fleeth to its tents; ²²and Edom revolteth from under the hand of Judah till this day; then doth Libnah revolt at that time. ²³And the rest of the matters of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁴And Joram lieth with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of David, and reign doth Ahaziah his son in his stead.

²⁵In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel reigned hath Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah; ²⁶a son of twenty and two years is Ahaziah in his reigning, and one year he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother is Athaliah daughter of Omri king of Israel, ²⁷and he walketh in the way of the house of Ahab, and doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, like the house of Ahab, for he is son-in-law of the house of Ahab. ²⁸And he goeth with Joram son of Ahab to battle with Hazael king of Aram in Ramoth-Gilead, and the Aramaeans smite Joram, ²⁹and Joram the king turneth back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds with which the Arameans smite him in Ramah, in his fighting with Hazael king of Aram, and Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah hath gone down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he is sick.

Chapter 9

¹And Elisha the prophet hath called to one of the sons of the prophets, and saith to him, ‘Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead, ²and thou hast gone in there, and see thou there Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and thou hast gone in, and caused him to rise out of the midst of his brethren, and brought him in to the inner part of an inner-chamber, ³and taken the vial of oil, and poured on his head, and said, Thus said Jehovah, I have anointed thee for king unto Israel; and thou hast opened the door, and fled, and dost not wait.’ ⁴And the young man goeth—the young man the prophet—to Ramoth-Gilead, ⁵and cometh in, and lo, chiefs of the force are sitting, and he saith, ‘I have a word unto thee, O chief!’ and Jehu saith, ‘Unto which of all of us?’ and he saith, ‘Unto thee, O chief.’ ⁶And he riseth and cometh in to the house, and he poureth the oil on his head, and saith to him, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, I have anointed thee for king unto the people of Jehovah, unto Israel, ⁷and thou hast smitten the house of Ahab thy lord, and I have required the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, from the hand of Jezebel; ⁸and perished hath all the house of Ahab, and I have cut off to Ahab those sitting on the wall, and restrained, and left, in Israel, ⁹and I have given up the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, ¹⁰and Jezebel do the dogs eat in the portion of Jezreel, and there is none burying;’ and he openeth the door and fleeth.

¹¹And Jehu hath gone out unto the servants of his lord, and one saith to him, ‘Is there peace? wherefore came this madman unto thee?’ and he saith unto them, ‘Ye have known the man and his talk.’ ¹²And they say, ‘False, declare, we pray thee, to us;’ and he saith, ‘Thus and thus spake he unto me, saying, Thus said Jehovah, I have anointed thee for king unto Israel.’ ¹³And they haste and take each his garment, and put it under him at the top of the stairs, and blow with a trumpet, and say, ‘Reigned hath Jehu!’ ¹⁴And Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspireth against Joram—(and Joram was keeping in Ramoth-Gilead, he and all Israel, from the presence of Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵and king Joram turneth back to be healed in Jezreel, of the wounds with which the Aramaeans smite him, in his fighting with Hazael king of Aram)—and Jehu saith, ‘If it is your mind, let not an escaped one go out from the city, to go to declare it in Jezreel.’

¹⁶And Jehu rideth, and goeth to Jezreel, for Joram is lying there, and Ahaziah king of Judah hath gone down to see Joram. ¹⁷And the watchman is standing on the tower in Jezreel, and seeth the company of Jehu in his coming, and saith, ‘A company I see;’ and Joram saith, ‘Take a rider and send to meet them, and let him say, Is there peace?’ ¹⁸and the rider on the horse goeth to meet him, and saith, ‘Thus said the king, Is there peace?’ and Jehu saith, ‘What—to thee and to peace? turn round behind me.’ And the watchman declareth, saying, ‘The messenger came unto them, and he hath not returned.’ ¹⁹And he sendeth a second rider on a horse, and he cometh in unto them, and saith, ‘Thus said the king, Is there peace?’ and Jehu saith, ‘What—to thee and to peace? turn round behind me.’ ²⁰And the watchman declareth, saying, ‘He came unto them, and he hath not returned, and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for with madness he driveth.’ ²¹And Jehoram saith, ‘Harness;’ and his chariot is harnessed, and Jehoram king of Israel goeth out, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each in his chariot, and they go out to meet Jehu, and find him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²²And it cometh to pass, at Jehoram’s seeing Jehu, that he saith, ‘Is there peace, Jehu?’ and he saith, ‘What is the peace, while the whoredoms of Jezebel thy mother, and her witchcrafts, are many?’ ²³And Jehoram turneth his hands, and fleeth, and saith unto Ahaziah, ‘Deceit, O Ahaziah!’ ²⁴And Jehu hath filled his hand with a bow, and smiteth Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow goeth out from his heart, and he boweth down in his chariot. ²⁵And Jehu saith unto Bidkar his captain, ‘Lift up, cast him into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite—for, remember, I and thou were riding together after Ahab his father, and Jehovah lifted upon him this burden: ²⁶Have I not the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons seen yesternight—the affirmation of Jehovah—yea, I have recompensed to thee in this portion—the affirmation of Jehovah;—and now, lift up, cast him into the portion, according to the word of Jehovah.’ ²⁷And Ahaziah king of Judah hath seen, and fleeth the way of the garden-house, and Jehu pursueth after him, and saith, ‘Smite him—also him—in the chariot,’ in the going up to Gur, that is Ibleam, and he fleeth to Megiddo, and dieth there, ²⁸and his servants carry him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and bury him in his burying-place, with his…