The Shunammite’s Land Restored
1Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” 2The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. 4The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad
7Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,” 8he said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
9Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
10Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover.’ Nevertheless,8:10 The Hebrew may also be read Go and say, ‘You will certainly not recover,’ for. the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.” 11He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep.
12“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.
“Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.”
13Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?”
“The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,” answered Elisha.
14Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, “What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
Jehoram King of Judah
16In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 19Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
20In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 21So Jehoram8:21 Hebrew Joram, a variant of Jehoram; also in verses 23 and 24 went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. 22To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.
23As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 24Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
Ahaziah King of Judah
25In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.
28Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 29so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth8:29 Hebrew Ramah, a variant of Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
書念婦人得回產業
1以利沙曾經救活了一位書念婦人的兒子。他對那婦人說：「你和家人要離開這裡去別處寄居，因為耶和華已決定使這裡遭受七年饑荒。」 2那婦人遵照上帝僕人的話，舉家遷往非利士，在那裡寄居了七年。 3七年後，她從非利士返回，去向王請求收回自己的房屋和田地。 4那時，王正與上帝僕人的侍者基哈西談話，讓基哈西把以利沙所做的一切大事講給他聽。 5基哈西正在向王講述以利沙如何使死人復活的時候，以利沙救活的孩子的母親剛好進宮為自己的房屋和田地來求王，基哈西便說：「我主我王，這就是那婦人，這是她那個被以利沙救活的兒子。」 6王問那婦人，她便如實稟告王。王委派一位臣僕處理她的事情，並吩咐說：「凡屬於這婦人的東西，包括從她離開本地直到今天她田地的所有出產，要全部還給她。」
以利沙對哈薛的預言
7一天，以利沙到了大馬士革。當時亞蘭王便·哈達正在生病，他得知上帝的僕人來了， 8便對哈薛說：「你帶著禮物去見上帝的僕人，請他求問耶和華，看看我這病能否痊癒。」 9哈薛用四十頭駱駝馱著大馬士革的各種美物前去拜見以利沙。到了那裡，他站在以利沙面前說：「你兒子亞蘭王便·哈達派我來問你，他的病能否痊癒？」
10以利沙對哈薛說：「你去告訴他，他一定會痊癒。不過，耶和華告訴我他必死。」 11他目不轉睛地盯著哈薛，盯得他很不安。然後，上帝的僕人哭了。 12哈薛問：「我主為什麼哭呢？」以利沙說：「因為我知道你會加害以色列人。你會放火燒他們的堡壘，用刀殺戮他們的壯丁，摔死他們的孩童，剖開他們的孕婦。」 13哈薛說：「你僕人算什麼，不過是一條狗，怎能做這樣的大事呢？」以利沙說：「耶和華告訴我，你要做亞蘭王。」 14哈薛辭別以利沙回到他主人那裡。王問他：「以利沙對你說什麼？」他答道：「以利沙告訴我，你一定會痊癒。」 15第二天，哈薛拿了一床浸透水的被子，蒙在王的臉上，王窒息而死。於是哈薛篡位。
約蘭做猶大王
16亞哈的兒子以色列王約蘭執政第五年，猶大王約沙法讓位給兒子約蘭。 17約蘭三十二歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政八年。 18他與亞哈家一樣步以色列諸王的後塵，因為他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻，做耶和華視為惡的事。 19但耶和華因祂僕人大衛的緣故而不願毀滅猶大，因為祂曾應許讓大衛和他的子孫永遠做王。 20約蘭執政期間，以東人脫離猶大的統治，自己立王。 21約蘭率領所有戰車前往撒益，他和戰車長們被以東人包圍。他們乘夜出擊，突出重圍，各自逃回家去。 22以東人至今仍脫離猶大的統治。立拿人也在那時候叛變了。
23約蘭其他的事及一切所為都記在《猶大列王史》上。 24約蘭與祖先同眠後，葬在大衛城他的祖墳裡。他兒子亞哈謝繼位。
亞哈謝做猶大王
25亞哈的兒子以色列王約蘭執政第十二年，猶大王約蘭的兒子亞哈謝登基。 26他二十二歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政一年。他母親叫亞她利雅，是以色列王暗利的孫女。 27亞哈謝是亞哈家的女婿，他步亞哈家的後塵，做耶和華視為惡的事。
28他聯合亞哈的兒子約蘭到基列的拉末與亞蘭王哈薛交戰。約蘭受了傷， 29便回到耶斯列養傷。約蘭的兒子猶大王亞哈謝下到耶斯列探望他，因為他病了。
