Knox Bible

1

Now turn we to the mother of that boy whom Eliseus raised to life. Eliseus had said to her, Up, go on thy travels, thou and all thy household with thee, and there dwell where dwell thou canst; the Lord has a drought in store for us, which will fall upon this land for seven years together.

2

She lost no time in carrying out the prophet’s command, went abroad with all her household, and for a long time dwelt in the Philistine country;

3

then, when the seven years were over, she came back from the Philistine country, and sought an audience with the king, to reclaim her house and lands.

4

The king, at that very time, was in talk with Giezi, the prophet’s servant, and had bidden him tell the story of all Eliseus’ marvellous deeds;

5

and Giezi was even then describing how the dead boy had been raised to life, when in came the boy’s own mother, appealing to the king to restore her house and lands. My lord king, said Giezi, this is the very woman, and this is that son of hers, whom Eliseus restored to life.

6

So the king, when he had questioned the woman and had the story from her, charged one of his own chamberlains to see that she came into her own, and recovered the revenues the lands had brought in ever since she left the country.

7

Eliseus was on a visit to Damascus when Benadad, king of Syria, fell sick. And when he heard that the servant of God was there,

8

the king bade Hazael take gifts with him and go to meet the prophet; Bid him enquire of the Lord, he said, whether I shall recover from this sickness of mine or not.

9

So Hazael went to meet him, and gifts went too, all the best Damascus had to offer, forty camels’ burden of them. And when he had made his way to Eliseus’ presence, and told how Benadad king of Syria had sent to know whether he would recover from his sickness,

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Eliseus said, Go and assure him of health restored; but for all that, the Lord has revealed to me that he is doomed to die.

11

Hazael, as he stood there talking to him, was in great confusion, so that his face blushed red; but the servant of God fell a-weeping.

12

Why weeps my lord? asked Hazael; and his answer was, I weep for all the calamity I know thou art to bring on the sons of Israel. Their cities thou wilt burn down, their young men thou wilt slay in battle; dash little children to the ground, and rip open the pregnant womb.

13

Nay, said Hazael, not for a low-born wretch like thy servant here such great exploits as these! Thou art to be king of Syria, Eliseus answered; the Lord has revealed it to me.

14

So he parted from Eliseus and went back to his master. What said Eliseus? asked he, and Hazael gave him the message that he should recover his health;

15

but next day he took a piece of cloth, soaked it in water, and held it over Benadad’s face till he was stifled; and thus he succeeded to the throne.

16

It was in the fifth year of Joram, Achab’s son, king of Israel (and Josaphat, king of Juda), that Josaphat’s son Joram became king of Juda;✻

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he was thirty-two years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted eight years.

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And he followed the example of the Israelite kings, just as Achab’s line did; he himself had married a daughter of Achab’s. So he defied the Lord’s will;

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but the Lord would not bring ruin upon Juda; had he not promised his servant David to keep the lamp of his line unquenched for ever?

20

It was in Joram’s days that the Edomites renounced their allegiance to Juda and set up a king of their own choice.

21

Joram indeed attacked Seira with his whole force of chariots, and when the Edomites surrounded him, he broke through them with a night assault, broke through the commanders of the chariots and drove the foot-soldiers back to their tents;

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but Edom has never been subject to Juda from that day to this. Lobna, too, revolted at the same time.

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What else Joram did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda.

24

So he was laid to rest with his fathers, and shared their burying-place in the Keep of David; and the throne passed to his son Ochozias.

25

This Ochozias, son of king Joram of Juda, came to the throne in the twelfth year of Achab’s son Joram, king of Israel;

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he was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned at Jerusalem but one year; his mother was Athalia, descended from Amri, king of Israel.

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He, too, followed the example of Achab’s line, and defied the Lord’s will; to Achab’s house he was close allied.✻

28

And with Joram, Achab’s son, he went to fight against Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-Galaad. Joram was wounded in this engagement with the Syrians,

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and went back to Jezrahel to recover his health. And when Joram, Achab’s son, lay sick at Jezrahel, recovering from the wound he had received in fighting against Hazael at Ramoth-Galaad, Ochozias son of Joram king of Juda came there to visit him.