2Kings 8:29 - Prayer Tents

The Woman from Shunem Returns

8Now 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.H1696H477H802H1121H2421H559H6965H3212H1004H1481H834H1481H3068H7121H7458H935H776H7651H8141

2She had followed his instructions and had gone with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years.H802H6965H6213H1697H376H430H3212H1004H1481H776H6430H7651H8141

3At 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.H7651H8141H7097H802H7725H776H6430H3318H6817H4428H1004H7704

4She found the king talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant; the king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles.H4428H1696H1522H5288H376H430H559H5608H1419H477H6213

5While 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!"H5608H4428H2421H4191H2421H802H1121H2421H6817H4428H1004H7704H1522H559H113H4428H802H1121H477H2421

6In 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.H4428H7592H802H5608H4428H5414H259H5631H559H7725H8393H7704H3117H5800H776

Elisha and King Benhadad of Syria

7Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there,H477H935H1834H1130H4428H758H2470H5046H559H376H430H935H2008

8he 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."H4428H559H2371H3947H4503H3027H3212H7125H376H430H1875H3068H559H2421H2483

9So 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."H2371H3212H7125H3947H4503H3027H2898H1834H705H1581H4853H935H5975H6440H559H1121H1130H4428H758H7971H559H2421H2483

10Elisha answered, "The LORD has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover."H477H559H3212H559H2421H2421H3068H7200H4191H4191

11Then Elisha stared at him with a horrified look on his face until Hazael became ill at ease. Suddenly Elisha burst into tears.H5975H6440H7760H954H376H430H1058

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."H2371H559H1058H113H559H3045H7451H6213H1121H3478H4013H7971H784H970H2026H2719H7376H5768H1234H2030

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.H2371H559H5650H3611H6213H1419H1697H477H559H3068H7200H4428H758

14Hazael went back to Benhadad, who asked him, "What did Elisha say?" "He told me that you would certainly get well," Hazael answered.H3212H477H935H113H559H559H477H559H559H2421H2421

15But on the following day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king. And Hazael succeeded Benhadad as king of Syria.H4283H3947H4346H2881H4325H6566H6440H4191H2371H4427

King Jehoram of Judah

16In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of JudahH2568H8141H3141H1121H256H4428H3478H3092H4428H3063H3088H1121H3092H4428H3063H4427

17at the age of thirty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.H7970H8147H8141H1121H4427H4427H8083H8141H3389

18His 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,H3212H1870H4428H3478H6213H1004H256H1323H256H802H6213H7451H5869H3068

19but the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that his descendants would always continue to rule.H3068H14H7843H3063H1732H5650H559H5414H3117H5216H1121

20During Jehoram's reign Edom revolted against Judah and became an independent kingdom.H3117H123H6586H3027H3063H4427H4428

21So 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.H3141H5674H6811H7393H6965H3915H5221H123H5437H8269H7393H5971H5127H168

22Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted.H123H6586H3027H3063H3117H3841H6586H1931H6256

23Everything else that Jehoram did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.H3499H1697H3141H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063

24Jehoram died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.H3141H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H274H1121H4427

King Ahaziah of Judah

25In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of JudahH8147H6240H8141H8141H3141H1121H256H4428H3478H274H1121H3088H4428H3063H4427

26at 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.H8147H6242H8141H1121H274H4427H4427H259H8141H3389H517H8034H6271H1323H6018H4428H3478

27Since Ahaziah was related to King Ahab by marriage, he sinned against the LORD, just as Ahab's family did.H3212H1870H1004H256H6213H7451H5869H3068H1004H256H2860H1004H256

28King 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.H3212H3141H1121H256H4421H2371H4428H758H7433H1568H761H5221H3141

29He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.H4428H3141H7725H7495H3157H4347H761H5221H7414H3898H2371H4428H758H274H1121H3088H4428H3063H3381H7200H3141H1121H256H3157H2470