2 Kings 8:10-20

10 Elisha said to Hazael, "Go and tell Ben-Hadad, 'You will surely recover,' but the Lord has told me he will really die."
11 Hazael stared at Elisha until he felt ashamed. Then Elisha cried.
12 Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, master?" Elisha answered, "Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites. You will burn their strong, walled cities with fire and kill their young men with swords. You will throw their babies to the ground and split open their pregnant women."
13 Hazael said, "Am I a dog? How could I do such things?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram."
14 Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master. Ben-Hadad said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael answered, "He told me that you will surely recover."
15 But the next day Hazael took a blanket and dipped it in water. Then he put it over Ben-Hadad's face, and he died. So Hazael became king in Ben-Hadad's place.
16 While Jehoshaphat was king in Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah. This was during the fifth year Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel.
17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to rule, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem.
18 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the family of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab's daughter. Jehoram did what the Lord said was wrong.
19 But the Lord would not destroy Judah because of his servant David. The Lord had promised that one of David's descendants would always rule.
20 In Jehoram's time Edom broke away from Judah's rule and chose their own king.

2 Kings 8:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 8

This chapter gives an account of some advice Elisha had formerly given to the Shunammite woman, and of the success of it, 2Ki 8:1-6 and of the sickness of the king of Syria, who sent to Elisha, then being at Damascus, by Hazael, to know whether he should recover; by whom a message was returned, and Hazael was told by the prophet he should be king of Syria, and exercise great cruelty in Israel, 2Ki 8:7-15 and of the bad reign of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, over Judah, 2Ki 8:16-24 and of the reign of his son Ahaziah, 2Ki 8:25-29.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.