8 Elisha went and warned the mother of the boy whom he had brought back to life.
Elisha: Get up and gather together your family and servants. Travel as far away from here as you can, and live as a resident alien. The Eternal is going to cause a great famine in the land for the next seven years.
2 The woman did exactly as the man of God instructed her to do. She got up, gathered her family and servants together, and then settled in Philistine territory for seven years. 3 After the seven years were over, she departed from Philistia and went back to her own land. When she returned home, she went straight to the king to argue that she be given back her house and her field.
4 The king was speaking with Gehazi, servant of the man of God.
King of Israel: Tell me everything about Elisha. Fill me in on all the wonders he has done.
5 So Gehazi told the king everything. Just when Gehazi got to the part about Elisha bringing the dead boy back to life, the boy’s mother walked in and argued that the king should give her back her house and her field. Gehazi’s excitement was piqued by the visitor’s timing.
Gehazi: My lord and king, this is the woman I was just telling you about. And this is her son, the boy whom Elisha brought back to life!
6 The king asked the woman if this was true, and she confirmed Gehazi’s story. She told the king every detail. The king was delighted by this story, and he gave an assignment to one of his officials, a eunuch, on her behalf: “Give this woman back her house and her field, as well as all the earnings of her field that were harvested from the day that she left until now.”
7 Now when Elisha arrived in Damascus, Aram’s king, Ben-hadad, was ill. A message arrived for the king: “The man of God has just arrived in Damascus.”
Ben-hadad (to Hazael): 8 Greet him with a gift and with kindness. Ask the man of God to speak with the Eternal One and find out, “Am I going to get well?”
9 Hazael greeted Elisha with a gift and with kindness. He did as instructed and offered him many excellent items from Damascus—40 camel loads of gifts.
Hazael (standing before Elisha): Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, who honors you like a father, has asked me to come to you and ask you, “Am I going to get well?”
Elisha: 10 Yes, he will get well, but the Eternal has revealed to me that Ben-hadad will certainly die.
11 Elisha held his gaze on Hazael until the prophet was ashamed, but then the man of God broke down and cried.
Hazael: 12 Why are you crying, my lord?
Elisha: Because I am aware of all the wicked things you will do to the Israelites. You will set their strongholds on fire, slaughter their young men with swords, dismember their children, and tear open the bodies of pregnant women.
Hazael: 13 But I have no such will or power. Am I, your servant, as low as a dog? Why do you think that I will do such a terrible thing?
Elisha: The Eternal has revealed to me that you will reign over Aram as king.
14 Hazael went away from Elisha and went back to his king.
Ben-hadad: What did Elisha tell you?
Hazael: He said that it is certain that you will get well.
15 The next day, Hazael grabbed the cover off Ben-hadad’s bed, soaked it in water, and put it over the king’s face until he died. Hazael then inherited the throne and reigned over Aram.
16 During the 5th year of the reign of Joram (Ahab’s son) of Israel, and when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram (Jehoshaphat’s son) became Judah’s king. 17 When he inherited the throne, he was 32 years old, and his time as king lasted 8 years in Jerusalem. 18 He lived his life as if he were a king in Israel, in the same wicked manner as Ahab’s family. In fact, he married Ahab’s daughter, and he committed countless deeds which the Eternal deemed wicked. 19 But the Eternal refused to bring Judah to its end, because He had made a promise to David, His loyal servant, that David’s progeny would always carry the lamp of his presence.
20 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and appointed its own king. 21 Joram then traveled to Zair with all of his chariots. During the night, he awoke to find that the Edomites had surrounded his camp and chariot officers, so he fought them and broke out. After the attack, Joram and his people ran quickly back to their tents. 22 Edom has been in rebellion against Judah ever since, even to this very day; at the same time, Libnah also rebelled. 23 Is not the rest of Joram’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Judah’s kings? 24 Joram left this world to sleep with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David; Joram’s son, Ahaziah, then inherited the throne of Judah.
25 During the 12th year of the reign of Joram (Ahab’s son), Ahaziah (Jehoram’s son), Judah’s king, inherited the throne. 26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he inherited the throne in Jerusalem, but his reign was short-lived: only one year. Ahaziah’s mother was Athaliah (granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel). 27 He lived in the same wicked way as Ahab’s family, committing evil in the eyes of the Eternal because he was a son-in-law to Ahab’s house.
28 Ahaziah joined forces with Joram (Ahab’s son and Ahaziah’s own uncle) in battle against Hazael (Aram’s king) at Ramoth-gilead. There Joram was injured by the Arameans. 29 King Joram went to Jezreel to be healed of his injuries, which he had received from the Arameans. He would have plenty of scars by which to remember the battle at Ramah where he fought against Aram’s king, Hazael. Ahaziah (son of Jehoram, king of Judah) then received word that Joram (Ahab’s son) was ill, so he went to visit him in Jezreel.