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2 Kings 8:7-13
Contemporary English Version
2 Kings 8:7-13
Contemporary English Version
Hazael Kills Benhadad
7 Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, 8 he said to Hazael,[a] “Go meet with Elisha the man of God and get him to ask the Lord if I will get well. And take along a gift for him.”
9 Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, “Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well.”
10 “Tell him he will,” Elisha said to Hazael. “But the Lord has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die.” 11 Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying.[b]
12 “Sir, why are you crying?” Hazael asked.
Elisha answered, “Because I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn down their walled cities and slaughter their young men. You will even crush the heads of their babies and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 (A) “How could I ever do anything like that?” Hazael replied. “I'm only a servant and don't have that kind of power.”
“Hazael, the Lord has told me that you will be the next king of Syria.”
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2 Kings 8:7-13
New International Version
2 Kings 8:7-13
New International Version
Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad
7 Elisha went to Damascus,(A) and Ben-Hadad(B) king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,” 8 he said to Hazael,(C) “Take a gift(D) with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult(E) the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
9 Hazael 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?’”
10 Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover.’(F) Nevertheless,[a] the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.” 11 He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed.(G) Then the man of God began to weep.(H)
12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.
“Because I know the harm(I) you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash(J) their little children(K) to the ground, and rip open(L) their pregnant women.”
13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog,(M) accomplish such a feat?”
“The Lord has shown me that you will become king(N) of Aram,” answered Elisha.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 8:10 The Hebrew may also be read Go and say, ‘You will certainly not recover,’ for.
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