2 Kings
Chapter Three
1 ¶ Now Jehoram the
son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat
king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother;
for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had
made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king
of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the
king of Israel.
6 ¶ So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel.
7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king
of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"
And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people,
my horses as your horses."
8 Then he said, "Which way shall we go up?" And he answered, "By
way of the Wilderness of Edom."
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and
they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for
the army, nor for the animals that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said, "Alas! For the LORD has called these three
kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."
11 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we
may inquire of the LORD by him?" So one of the servants of the king of
Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured
water on the hands of Elijah."
12 And Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the
king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you?
Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." But
the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three
kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."
14 And Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely
were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would
not look at you, nor see you.
15 "But now bring me a musician." Then it happened, when the musician
played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
16 And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Make this valley full of ditches.'
17 "For thus says the LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see
rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle,
and your animals may drink.'
18 "And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also
deliver the Moabites into your hand.
19 "Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and
shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin
every good piece of land with stones."
20 ¶ Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered,
that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against
them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they stood
at the border.
22 Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water;
and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.
23 And they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and
have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!"
24 So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the
Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered their land, killing
the Moabites.
25 Then they destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good
piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and
cut down all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact.
However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he
took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king
of Edom, but they could not.
27 Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered
him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against
Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land.
Go to Chapter Four
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