Elisha<n id="1" /> just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable.<n id="2" /> Then the prophet started crying.

He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the <sc>Lordsc>,

The next day Hazael<n id="1" /> took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad&#8217;s<n id="2" /> face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.p>

He looked up at the window and said, &#8220;Who is on my side? Who?&#8221; Two or three<n id="1" /> eunuchs looked down at him.

<p class="bodytext">At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked<n id="1" /> Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">So the <sc>Lordsc> was furious<n id="1" /> with Israel and rejected them;<n id="2" /> only the tribe of Judah was left.

Just as the <sc>Lordsc> had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence.<n id="1" /> Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now Elisha had a terminal illness.<n id="1" /> King Joash of Israel went down to visit him.<n id="2" /> He wept before him and said, &#8220;My father, my father! The chariot<n id="3" /> and horsemen of Israel!&#8221;<n id="4" />

But the <sc>Lordsc> had mercy on them and felt pity for them.<n id="1" /> He extended his favor to them<n id="2" /> because of the promise he had made<n id="3" /> to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day.<n id="4" />

Finally<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> rejected Israel<n id="2" /> just as he had warned he would do<n id="3" /> through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.p>