2 Kings 8 - Introduction

1 The Shunammite, hauing left her countrey seuen yeeres, to auoide the forewarned famine, for Elishas miracle sake, hath her land restored by the king.

7 Hazael being sent with a present by Benhadad to Elisha at Damascus, after he had heard the prophesie, killeth his master, and succeedeth him.

16 Iehorams wicked reigne in Iudah.

20 Edom and Libnah reuolt.

23 Ahaziah succeedeth Iehoram.

25 Ahaziahs wicked reigne.

28 He visiteth Iehoram wounded, at Iezreel.

1 Then spake Elisha vnto the woman ([Note: 2 Kings 4:35.] whose sonne he had restored to life) saying, Arise, and goe thou and thine housholde, and soiourne whersoeuer thou canst soiourne: for the Lord hath called for a famin, and it shall also come vpon the land seuen yeeres.

[Benhadad sicke.]

2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her housholde, and soiourned in the land of the Philistines seuen yeeres.

3 And it came to passe at the seuen yeeres ende, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went foorth to crie vnto 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 things that Elisha hath done.

5 And it came to passe as he was telling the King how hee had restored a dead body to life, that behold, the woman whose sonne he had restored to life, cryed to the King for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord 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 tolde him. So the King appointed vnto her a certaine [Note: Or. Eunuch.] officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruites of the field, since the day that she left the land, euen till now.

7 And Elisha came to Damascus, and Benhadad the king of Syria was sicke, and it was tolde him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

8 And the king said vnto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and goe meete the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease?

9 So Hazael went to meete him, and tooke a present [Note: Hebrew: in his hand.] with him, euen of euery good thing of Damascus, fourtie camels burden, and came, and stood before him, and said, Thy sonne Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease?

10 And Elisha said vnto him, Goe, say vnto him, Thou mayest certeinly recouer: howbeit, the Lord hath shewed me, that he shall surely die.

11 And hee setled his countenance [Note: Hebrew: and set it.] stedfastly, vntill he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the euill that thou wilt doe vnto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip vp their women with childe.

[Hazael is king.]

13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy seruant a dogge, that he should doe this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed mee that thou shalt be king ouer Syria.

14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who saide to him, What said Elisha to thee? and hee answered, He told me that thou shouldst surely recouer.

15 And it came to passe on the morrow, that he tooke a thicke cloth, and dipt it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died, and Hazael reigned in his stead.

16 And in the fifth yeere of Ioram the sonne of Ahab king of Israel, Iehoshaphat being then king of Iudah, [Note: 2 Chronicles 21:4.] Iehoram the sonne of Iehoshaphat king of Iudah [Note: Hebrew: reigned.] began to reigne.

17 Thirtie and two yeeres old was he when he began to reigne, and hee reigned eight yeeres in Ierusalem.

18 And he walked in the way 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, [Note: 2 Samuel 7:13.] as hee promised to giue to him alway a [Note: Hebrew: candle, or lampe.] light, and to his children.

20 In his dayes Edom reuolted from vnder the hand of Iudah, and made a king ouer themselues.

21 So Ioram went ouer to Zair, and all the charets with him, and hee rose by night, and smote the Edomites, which compassed him about: and the captaines of the charets, and the people fled into their tents.

22 Yet Edom reuolted from vnder the hand of Iudah vnto this day. Then Libnah reuolted at the same time.

23 And 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 [Note: 2 Chronicles 22:1.] Ahaziah his sonne reigned in his stead.

25 In the twelfth yeere 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 yeeres old was Ahaziah when he began to reigne, and

[Ahaziah wicked.]

he reigned one yeere 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, as did 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 the warre against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth Gilead, and the Syrians wounded Ioram.

29 And king Ioram went backe to be healed in Iezreel, of the woundes [Note: Hebrew: wherewith the Syrians had wounded.] which the Syrians [Note: Hebrew: wounded.] had giuen him at Ramah, when hee fought against Hazael king of Syria: And Ahaziah the son of Iehoram king of Iudah, went downe to see Ioram the sonne of Ahab in Iezreel, because he was sicke.