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.”