2 Kings 8:1-13 ▼

1 Then spake Elisa vnto the woman (whose sonne he had restored to lyfe againe) saying: Up, and go thou and thyne house, and soiourne where so euer thou canst: For the Lord hath called for a dearth, and the same shall come vpon the lande seuen yeres.

2 And the woman arose, and dyd after the saying of the man of God, and went both she and her houshold, & soiourned in the land of the Philistines seue yeres.

3 And at the seuen yeres ende, it fortuned that the woman came againe out of the land of the Philistines, and went out to call vpon the king for her house and for her lande.

4 And the king talked with Gehezi the seruaunt of the man of God, saying: Tel me I pray thee al the great deedes that Elisa hath done.

5 He told the king howe he had restored a dead body to lyfe againe: but in the meane time the woman whose sonne he had raysed vp againe, cryed to the king for her house, and for her land: And Gehezi sayde, My lorde O king, this is the woman, and this is her sonne whom Elisa raysed vp againe.

6 And when the king asked the woman, she tolde him: And so the king deliuered her a chamberlayne, saying, Restore thou vnto her all that are hers and all the fruites of the fielde, sence the day that she left the land, vnto this tyme.

7 And Elisa came to Damascon, & Benhadad the king of Syria was sycke: And one tolde him, saying, The man of God is come hyther.

8 And the king sayd vnto Hazael: Take a present in thyne hande, and go meete the man of God, that thou mayest inquire of the Lord by him, saying: Shal I recouer of this disease?

9 And so Hazael went to meete him, and toke the present with him, and of euery good thing of Damascon, euen as much as fourtie camels coulde beare: & came and presented him selfe before him, and said: Thy sonne Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying: Shal I recouer of this disease?

10 And Elisa sayde vnto him: Go, and say vnto him, Thou shalt recouer: howebeit, the Lorde hath shewed me that he shall surely dye.

11 He loked vpon him stedfastlie, vntill he was ashamed: & the man of God wept.

12 And Hazael sayde: Why weepeth my lorde? He aunswered: For I knowe the euyl thinges that thou shalt do vnto the children of Israel: for their strong cities shalt thou set on fire, and their young men shalt thou slay with the sword, and shalt dashe out the braynes of their sucking children, and al to teare their women with childe.

13 But Hazael sayd: What is thy seruaunt a dogge, that I shoulde do this great thing? And Elisa aunswered: The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king of Syria.