2 Kings 8 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had brought back to life, "Get up and go — you and your household. Settle wherever you can as foreigners, because Yahweh has summoned a famine, and it will hit the land for seven years."

So the woman did exactly what the man of God told her. She left with her household and lived as a foreigner in Philistine territory for seven years.

When the seven years were over, the woman came back from Philistine territory and went to appeal to the king for her house and her land.

Now the king had been talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me about all the incredible things Elisha has done."

And right as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life — at that exact moment — the woman whose son Elisha had revived walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land. Gehazi said, "My lord the king, this is the woman! And this is her son — the one Elisha brought back to life!"

When the king asked the woman about it, she confirmed the whole story. So the king assigned an official to her case, saying, "Restore everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her fields from the day she left the country until now."

Elisha went to Damascus. Ben-Hadad king of Aram was sick, and when he was told, "The man of God has come all the way here,"

the king said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Ask Yahweh through him: 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

So Hazael went to meet him, bringing a gift — forty camel-loads of every fine thing Damascus had to offer. He came and stood before Elisha and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask you: 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

Elisha told him, "Go tell him, 'You will definitely recover.' But Yahweh has shown me that he will actually die."

Then Elisha stared at Hazael with a fixed gaze until Hazael became uncomfortable. And the man of God began to weep.

Hazael asked, "Why is my lord weeping?" Elisha answered, "Because I know the terrible things you are going to do to the people of Israel. You will set their fortified cities on fire, you will slaughter their young men with the sword, you will dash their children to pieces, and you will rip open their pregnant women."

Hazael said, "But how could your servant — a nobody, just a dog — possibly do something that massive?" Elisha replied, "Yahweh has shown me that you will become king of Aram."

Then Hazael left Elisha and went back to his master. Ben-Hadad asked him, "What did Elisha tell you?" He answered, "He told me you would definitely recover."

But the very next day, Hazael took a thick cloth, soaked it in water, and spread it over the king's face, suffocating him. And Hazael became king in his place.

In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel (while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah), Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah.

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.

He lived the way the kings of Israel did, just like Ahab's family had — because he had married Ahab's daughter. He did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes.

Yet Yahweh was not willing to destroy Judah, because of his promise to his servant David — he had told David he would always keep a lamp burning for him and his descendants.

During Jehoram's reign, Edom broke free from Judah's control and set up their own king.

So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. He got up at night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but his army fled back home.

So Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. Libnah also broke away at the same time.

As for the rest of Jehoram's story — everything he did — isn't it written in the royal records of the kings of Judah?

Jehoram died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Ahaziah became king after him.

In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

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

He lived the way Ahab's family did and did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes, just like Ahab's household — because he was related to them by marriage.

He went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram,

and King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because Joram was wounded.