Hazael

15The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came. Go to the desert near Damascus. When you get there, pour oil on Hazael's head to make him king of Syria.

And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

NotePouring oil on someone's head showed that God had picked them for a big job. Damascus was a large city in Syria, a country north of Israel.

16Also pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king of Israel. And pour oil on Elisha son of Shaphat, from the town of Abelmeholah, to be a prophet in your place.

And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

Note"In your place" means Elisha would take over Elijah's job. He would be the next prophet after Elijah.

17Anyone who gets away from Hazael's sword, Jehu will kill. Anyone who gets away from Jehu's sword, Elisha will kill.

And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

18But I have kept seven thousand people in Israel for myself. They have never bowed down to the god Baal. They have never kissed his statue."

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

NoteBowing down low and kissing a statue was how people worshiped Baal. Seven thousand people had never done that.

7Elisha went to the city of Damascus. Benhadad, the king of Syria, was sick there. Someone told the king, "The man of God has come."

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

NoteDamascus was a big city far to the north of Israel. It was the main city of Syria, a country that often fought with Israel.

8The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift to the man of God. Ask him to ask the LORD something for me. Ask if I will get well."

And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

NotePeople believed a prophet could ask God a question for them. Bringing a gift was the polite way to come to a prophet with a question.

9Hazael went to meet Elisha. He brought a gift of the best things from Damascus. It took forty camels to carry it all. He stood before Elisha and said, "Your son Benhadad, king of Syria, sent me. He asks, will he get well?"

So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

NoteCamels are big animals that carry heavy loads on their backs. Forty camel loads was an enormous gift, meant to show great respect. Calling himself "thy son" was a polite way to speak to an older, honored man.

10Elisha said, "Go and tell him, 'You will surely get well.' But the LORD has shown me that he will really die."

And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

11Elisha stared at Hazael without looking away. Hazael felt uneasy. Then the man of God began to cry.

And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

12Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, sir?" Elisha said, "Because I know the terrible things you will do to Israel. You will burn their strong walled towns. You will kill their young men with swords. You will smash their little children to pieces. You will cut open their pregnant women."

And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

NoteIsrael here means the northern part of God's people. Long wars in those days were very cruel to whole towns. Elisha cries because he can see the sad things coming.

13Hazael said, "But I am nobody, like a dog. How could I do such a huge thing?" Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king of Syria."

And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

NoteCalling yourself a dog meant "I am small and unimportant." Hazael is saying he is far too little to do something so big.

14Hazael left Elisha and went back to his king. The king asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael answered, "He told me you will surely get well."

So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.

15The next day Hazael took a thick cloth. He dipped it in water. He spread it over the king's face, and the king died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

28Ahaziah went with Joram, son of Ahab, to fight a war. They fought Hazael, king of Syria, at a place called Ramothgilead. The Syrians hurt Joram in the battle.

And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

NoteRamothgilead was a town east of the Jordan River. Israel and Syria fought over that town again and again. Here the two kings, one from Israel and one from Judah, fought side by side.

29King Joram went back to the town of Jezreel to get better. The Syrians had wounded him at Ramah when he fought Hazael. Then Ahaziah, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to visit Joram, because Joram was hurt.

And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

NoteJezreel was a town in Israel where the kings had a second palace. Wounded kings went home to rest and heal there.

32In those days the LORD began to make Israel smaller. King Hazael beat the Israelites all across their land.

In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

NoteHazael was the king of Aram, a country next to Israel. Making Israel smaller means enemies took some of its land.

33This land was east of the Jordan River. It was all of Gilead, where the families of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh lived. It went from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

NoteThe Jordan was the big river in that land. Gilead and Bashan were areas east of it. Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh were three family groups of Israel. Each family group had its own part of the land.

17Around that time, Hazael the king of Aram went to war. He fought the city of Gath and took it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.

Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

NoteAram was a country north of Israel. Today we call that land Syria. Gath was a city near the sea, not far from Judah.

18So Joash, king of Judah, gathered up the holy gifts. Some had been given by earlier kings, his own family: Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah. Joash added his own gifts too. He took all the gold from the temple and from his palace. He sent it all to Hazael, king of Aram. Then Hazael went away and left Jerusalem alone.

And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

NoteThe holy gifts were treasures given to God. Kings had brought them to the temple over many years. Sometimes a smaller king sent treasure to a stronger king. It was a way of saying, please do not attack us.

1Joash son of Ahaziah was king of Judah. In Joash's twenty-third year as king, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel. He ruled from the city of Samaria for seventeen years.

In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

NoteGod's people once split into two countries. The north was called Israel. The south was called Judah. Each one had its own king. People told time by saying which year a king had ruled.

2Jehoahaz did what the LORD said was wrong. He kept doing the same sins as King Jeroboam son of Nebat. Jeroboam had led Israel into sin. Jehoahaz never turned away from those sins.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

NoteJeroboam was a king of Israel long before this. He set up gold statues for people to pray to. The kings after him kept doing the same thing.

3So the LORD became angry with Israel. He let Hazael, the king of Syria, beat them. Hazael's son Ben-hadad beat them too. This kept happening again and again.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.

NoteSyria was a country next to Israel, on the north side. Its army fought Israel many times.

4Then Jehoahaz begged the LORD to help. The LORD listened to him. He saw how badly the king of Syria was hurting Israel.

And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

5The LORD sent someone to save Israel. They got away from the power of the Syrians. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes again, like before.

(And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.

NoteThe Bible does not tell us this helper's name. He was someone God used to push the Syrian army back.

6But they still did not stop the sins of Jeroboam's family. They kept on doing them. The tall wooden pole for a false god still stood in Samaria.

Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)

NotePeople set up tall wooden poles to honor a false god named Asherah. Standing a pole up was their way of worshiping her.

7Jehoahaz had almost no army left. He had only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand soldiers on foot. The king of Syria had wiped out the rest. He crushed them like dust.

Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

NoteA chariot is a small cart pulled by horses. Soldiers rode in chariots to fight. Fifty horsemen and ten chariots is a very small army.

22Hazael the king of Syria kept hurting Israel the whole time Jehoahaz was king.

But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

23But the LORD was kind to Israel and felt sorry for them. He turned toward them because of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He would not destroy them or send them away from him.

And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.

NoteAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived long before this. All of Israel came from their family. God had promised them long ago to care for their family.

24Then Hazael the king of Syria died. His son Ben-hadad became king after him.

So Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead.

25Hazael had taken some towns from Jehoahaz in war. Now Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took those towns back from Ben-hadad. Joash beat him three times and won the cities of Israel back.

And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.

5Ahaziah did what they told him. He went with Joram, son of Ahab and king of Israel, to fight Hazael, the king of Aram. They fought at a place called Ramoth-gilead. The soldiers of Aram wounded Joram there.

He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead: and the Syrians smote Joram.

NoteAram was a country north of Israel. Older Bibles call it Syria. Ramoth-gilead was a town both sides wanted.

6So Joram went back to the town of Jezreel to get better. He had been hurt at Ramah while fighting Hazael, king of Aram. Then Ahaziah, son of Jehoram and king of Judah, went down to Jezreel. He went to visit Joram, because Joram was hurt.

And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick.

NoteJezreel was a town in Israel where the king had a house. Kings often went there to rest.