The Woman from Shunem Returns
1 Now Elisha had told the woman who lived in Shunem, whose son he had brought back to life, that the Lord was sending a famine on the land, which would last for seven years, and that she should leave with her family and go and live somewhere else. 2 She had followed his instructions and had gone with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years.
3 At the end of the seven years she returned to Israel and went to the king to ask that her house and her land be restored to her. 4 She found the king talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant; the king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles. 5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life, the woman made her appeal to the king. Gehazi said to him, “Your Majesty, here is the woman and here is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” 6 In answer to the king's question, she confirmed Gehazi's story, and so the king called an official and told him to give back to her everything that was hers, including the value of all the crops that her fields had produced during the seven years she had been away.
Elisha and King Benhadad of Syria
7 Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there, 8 he said to Hazael, one of his officials, “Take a gift to the prophet and ask him to consult the Lord to find out whether or not I am going to get well.” 9 So Hazael loaded forty camels with all kinds of the finest products of Damascus and went to Elisha. When Hazael met him, he said, “Your servant King Benhadad has sent me to ask you whether or not he will recover from his sickness.”
10 Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover.” 11 Then Elisha stared at him with a horrified look on his face until Hazael became ill at ease. Suddenly Elisha burst into tears. 12 “Why are you crying, sir?” Hazael asked.
“Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel,” Elisha answered. “You will set their fortresses on fire, slaughter their finest young men, batter their children to death, and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 “How could I ever be that powerful?” Hazael asked. “I'm a nobody!”
“The Lord has shown me that you will be king of Syria,” Elisha replied.
14 Hazael went back to Benhadad, who asked him, “What did Elisha say?”
“He told me that you would certainly get well,” Hazael answered. 15 But on the following day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king.
And Hazael succeeded Benhadad as king of Syria.
King Jehoram of Judah
(2 Chronicles 21.1-20)16 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah 17 at the age of thirty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. 18 His wife was Ahab's daughter, and like the family of Ahab he followed the evil ways of the kings of Israel. He sinned against the Lord, 19 but the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that his descendants would always continue to rule.
20 During Jehoram's reign Edom revolted against Judah and became an independent kingdom. 21 So Jehoram set out with all his chariots to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded them. During the night he and his chariot commanders managed to break out and escape, and his soldiers scattered to their homes. 22 Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted.
23 Everything else that Jehoram did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 24 Jehoram died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
King Ahaziah of Judah
(2 Chronicles 22.1-6)25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah 26 at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. 27 Since Ahaziah was related to King Ahab by marriage, he sinned against the Lord, just as Ahab's family did.
28 King Ahaziah joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle. 29 He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.
1 Then spake Elisha vnto the woman, whose sonne he had restored to life, saying, Vp, and goe, thou, and thine house, and soiourne where thou canst soiourne: for the Lord hath called for a famine, and it commeth also vpon the land seuen yeeres. 2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God, and went both shee and her housholde and soiourned in the lande of the Philistims seuen yeeres. 3 And at the seuen yeeres ende, the woman returned out of the lande of the Philistims, and went out to call vpon 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 actes, that Elisha hath done. 5 And as he told the King, howe he had restored one dead to life, behold, the woman, whose sonne he had raised to life, called vpon the King for her house and for her land. Then Gehazi sayd, My lorde, 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 told him: so the King appoynted her an Eunuch, saying, Restore thou all that are hers, and all the fruites of her landes since the day shee left the land, euen vntill this time. 7 Then Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-hadad the King of Aram was sicke, and one told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. 8 And the king sayd vnto Hazael, Take a present in thine hande, and goe meete the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of ye Lord by him, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease? 9 So Hazael went to meete him, and tooke the present in his hand, and of euery good thing of Damascus, euen the burden of fourtie camels, and came and stood before him, and sayde, Thy sonne Ben-hadad King of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease? 10 And Elisha sayd to him, Goe, and say vnto him, Thou shalt recouer: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me, that he shall surely dye. 11 And hee looked vpon him stedfastly, till Hazael was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael sayde, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I knowe the euill that thou shalt do vnto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their yong men shalt thou slay with the sworde, and shalt dash their infantes against the stones, and rent in pieces their women with child. 13 Then Hazael said, What? is thy seruant a dog, that I should doe this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed mee, that thou shalt be King of Aram. 14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What saide Elisha to thee? And he answered, Hee tolde mee that thou shouldest recouer. 15 And on the morow he tooke a thick cloth and dipt in it water, and spread it on his face, and hee dyed: and Hazael reigned in his stead. 16 Now in the fift yere of Ioram ye sonne of Ahab King of Israel, and of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, Iehoram the sonne of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah began to reigne. 17 He was two and thirtie yere olde, when he began to reigne: and hee reigned eight yeere in Ierusalem. 18 And hee walked in the wayes 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, as he had promised him to giue him a light, and to his children for euer. 20 In those dayes Edom rebelled from vnder the hand of Iudah, and made a King ouer themselues. 21 Therefore Ioram went to Zair, and all his charets with him, and he arose by night, and smote the Edomites which were about him with the captains of the charets, and the people fled into their tents. 22 So Edom rebelled from vnder the hand of Iudah vnto this day. then Libnah rebelled at that same time. 23 Concerning 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 Ahaziah his sonne reigned in his stead. 25 In the twelft yere 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 yeere olde was Ahaziah when he began to reigne, and he reigned one yere 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, like 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 warre against Hazael King of Aram in Ramoth Gilead, and the Aramites smote Ioram. 29 And King Ioram returned to bee healed in Izreel of the wounds which ye Aramites had giuen him at Ramah, whe he fought against Hazael King of Aram. And Ahaziah the sonne of Iehoram King of Iudah went downe to see Ioram the sonne of Ahab in Izreel, because he was sicke.