Study Desk

The king said to ⁽ⁱ⁾Hazael, "^(j)Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^(k)inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?'"

So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels' loads; and he came and stood before him and said, "^(l)Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?'"

Then Elisha said to him, "^(m)Go, say to him, ‘You will surely recover,' but the ⁽ⁿ⁾ Lord has shown me that he will certainly die."

He ^[d]fixed his gaze steadily on him ^(o)until he was ashamed, and ^(p)the man of God wept.

Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" Then he ^[e]answered, "Because ^(q)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you ^(r)will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up."

Then Hazael said, "But what is your servant, ^(s)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" And Elisha ^[f]answered, "^(t)The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram."

So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he ^[g]answered, "He told me that ^(u)you would surely recover."

On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, ^(v)so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.