6 son, whom Elisha restored to life. And the king inquired of the woman; and she related it to him. And the king granted to her an officer, saying: Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field from the day that she left the land, and until now.

7

And Elisha came to Damascus. And Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, was sick; and it was told him, saying: The man 8 of God is come hither. And the king said to Hazael: Take a present in thy hand, and go, meet the man of God; and inquire of Jehovah by him, saying: Shall I recover from 9 this disease? And Hazael went to meet him. And he took a present with him, and every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said: Thy son Ben-hadad, king of Syria, has sent me to thee, say10 ing Shall I recover from this disease? And Elisha said to

him Go, say to him: Thou mayest certainly recover. But 11 Jehovah has showed me, that he shall surely die. And he settled his countenance steadily upon him, until he was ashamed 12 and the man of God wept. And Hazael said: Why weeps my lord? And he answered: Because I know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel. Their strong-holds thou wilt set on fire, and their young men thou wilt slay with the sword, and wilt dash in pieces their children, and rip up 13 their women with child. And Hazael said: What then is thy servant, the dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered: Jehovah has showed me that thou shalt be 14 king over Syria. And he departed from Elisha, and came to his lord. And he said to him: What said Elisha to thee? And he answered: He told me that thou shouldst surely

V. 10. Thou mayest recover; namely, from this disease; it will not be the cause of death. This was true; see v. 15.-The earlier English versions (Coverdale, Matthews, Cranmer, Taverner, Genevan, Bishops') translate, "Thou shalt recover. The Bishops' version, following the Genevan, has the marginal note, "Meaning that he should not die of that disease; yet he should die by the hand of Hazael the messenger."-Some Hebraists now translate, "Say to him, thou shalt surely live; but [to Hazael] Jehovah has showed me, that he shall surely die." The message to the king is an answer to his question, "shall I recover from this disease"; and the message means, this illness is not unto death. That he should die by other means, was no answer to the question; but it concerned Hazael, as showing him that Jehovah read his most secret thoughts. That the king was in the way of recovery, is evident from Hazael's haste to remove him.-V. 13. Thou shall be king over Syria. See 1 Kings 19: 15-17.

15 recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took the thick-woven cover, and dipped it in the water, and spread it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael reigned in his stead.

16

And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the 17 son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he 18 reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had a daughter of Ahab for a wife; and he did evil in the 19 sight of Jehovah. Yet Jehovah would not destroy Judah for the sake of David his servant; as he said to him, that he would give him a light at all times in his offspring.

20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, 21 and made a king over themselves. And Jehoram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him. And he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites who had surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents. 22 And Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this 23 day. Then Libnah revolted, at the same time. And the

rest of the acts of Jehoram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24 And Jehoram lay down with his fathers. And he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

25 In the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Ahab king of Israel, did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin 26 to reign. Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah, when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king

V. 16. The most probable solution of the chronological difficulty is that of Keil: "Jehoram became king in the fifth year of Joram king of Israel (Jehoshaphat having while yet king made over to him the government) and reigned eight years, two before his father's death, and eight years after it." (Keil, on the passage.)— -V. 21. He seems to have penetrated to the interior of Edom, and was there surrounded. In a night attack he broke through the enemy, and retreated to his own land.- -V. 26. Daughter (granddaughter) of Omri. She was a daughter of Ahab (v. 18); but is here called the daughter (descendant) of Omri, because he was the more renowned of the two.

27 of Israel. And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did the house of Ahab; for he was connected by marriage with the house of Ahab.

28

And he went with Joram, the son of Ahab, to the war against Hazael king of Syria, in Ramoth-gilead; and the 29 Syrians wounded Joram. And Joram the king went back, to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians gave 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.

1 AND Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him: Gird up thy loins, and take this 2 vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when thou comest thither, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi; and go in, and have him rise up from among his fellows, and lead him into an inner chamber; 3 and take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, thus says Jehovah: I anoint thee king over Israel. Then open the door and flee, and tarry not.

4

And the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to 5 Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting. And he said: I have an errand to thee, Captain. And Jehu said: To which of us all? And 6 he said: To thee, Captain. And he arose, and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, thus says Jehovah, God of Israel: I anoint thee king over 7 the people of Jehovah, over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy lord. And I will avenge the blood

V. 27. Compare 2 Chron. 22: 3, 4.- —V. 2. Jehu. The personal character, and the extraordinary official career, of this remarkable man are well exhibited in the article JEHU, of Smith's Bible Dictionary. He is first made known in history as one of the body-guard of Ahab, when with his comrade Bidkar (v. 25) he heard the warning of Elijah, 1 Kings 21 : 23. His early youth had marked him for important service in the State; and Elijah was directed to anoint him to be king over Israel, 1 Kings 19: 16, which from some cause was deferred. In the interval he rose to great distinction in the army, and at the siege of Ramoth-gilead was captain of the host. His personal character is represented as a "union of intrepid daring, profound secrecy and dissimulation, with a stern, fanatic, wayward zeal; an instrument for accomplishing great purposes, rather than as great or good in himself."

of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. And all the house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond and free, in Israel. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and 10 like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the field of Jezreel, and none shall bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

11

And Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord. And one said to him: Is all well? Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said to them: Ye know the man, and 12 his errand. And they said: Deception! Tell us now. And he said, thus and thus he spoke to me, saying: Thus says 13 Jehovah, I anoint thee king over Israel. Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the bare steps; and they blew with the trumpet, saying: 14 Jehu is king. So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.-Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of 15 Syria. But king Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians gave him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.-And Jehu said: If it be your mind, let no fugitive go forth out of the city, to go and tell 16 it in Jezreel. And Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there, and Ahaziah king of Judah had 17 come down to see Joram. And the watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel. And he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said: I see a company. And Joram said: Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say: Is it 18 peace? And there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, thus says the king: Is it peace? And Jehu said: What hast thou to do with peace? Turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying: The messenger came to them ; 19 and he comes not back. Then he sent out a second on horse

V. 11. Ye know the man, and his errand; suspecting that they had some part in it.——— V. 12. Deception! In their turn, suspecting some secret plot, withheld from them for reasons of his own. The next verse shows their confidence in him as a leader.

back, who came to them, and said, thus says the king: Is it peace? And Jehu answered: What hast thou to do with 20 peace? Turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying: He came even unto them; and he comes not back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nim21 shi; for he drives furiously. And Joram said: Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and they found him in the 22 field of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said: Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered: What peace, during the harlotries of Jezebel thy 23 mother, and her many sorceries? And Joram turned his

hands, and fled; and he said to Ahaziah: Treachery, Aha24 ziah! And Jehu grasped the bow with his full hand; and he smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went 25 out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. And he said to Bidkar his captain: Take up, and cast him into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when I and thou were riding two by two after Ahab his 26 father, and Jehovah laid this burden upon him :-Surely I have yesterday seen the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, says Jehovah; and I will requite thee in this field, says Jehovah. And now take up, and cast him into the field, according to the word of Jehovah.

27

And Ahaziah the king of Judah saw it, and he fled by the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him, and said: Him also! Smite him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur (which is by Ibleam). And he fled to Megiddo, and 28 died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to

Jerusalem; and they buried him in his sepulchre with his 29 fathers, in the city of David. And in the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

V. 24. With his full hand. The bow (belonging to the chariot) filled his hand, showing its great size and strength.-V. 27. At the ascent of Gur; where his flight would be retarded. Which is by Ibleam; the historian's explanation.