Study Desk

Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.

When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.

He announced, "May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!"

Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?"

So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, "Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.'"

But one of his servants replied, "Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out."

Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.

So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he replied, "He told me that you would surely recover."

But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king's face. So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.

In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah.

Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

So Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

As for the rest of the acts of Joram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And Joram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah in his battle against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, since Joram had been wounded.

When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his companions, and take him to an inner room.

Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, 'This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run. Do not delay!"

So Jehu got up and went into the house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and declared, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anoint you king over the LORD's people Israel.