When Elisha received the message about Banhadad's ill-health, the prophet wept be...

When Elisha received the message about Banhadad's ill-health, he wept because he knew that Hazael, who would soon succeed Banhadad as king, would be cruel to Israel. This is the correct answer to the question. Elisha was a prophet who had a close relationship with God and had been given prophetic insight into the future. He knew that Hazael would not be a good king and would bring harm to the people of Israel.

It is important to note that prophets were highly respected in ancient Israel and were considered to be messengers of God. They often had unique insights into the future and could see things that others could not. In this case, Elisha wept because he knew that the future of Israel would be bleak under the rule of Hazael.

The other options in the question are not correct. Option A suggests that Elisha wept because Banhadad was his friend, but there is no evidence to support this in the text. Option B implies that Elisha wept because Banhadad would not recover from his illness, but this is also not supported by the text. Option C suggests that Elisha wept because Hazael would not succeed Banhadad, but this is not true - Elisha wept because he knew that Hazael would succeed Banhadad and would be cruel to Israel.