2 Kings 3

Jehoram Meets Moab Rebellion

1Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria 1in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for 2he put away the sacred pillar of Baal 3which his father had made. 3Nevertheless, 4he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 5which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and 6used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5But 7when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6And King Jehoram went out of Samaria 8at that time and mustered all Israel. 7Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the 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; 9I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8He said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he 10answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

9So 11the king of Israel went with 12the king of Judah and 13the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them. 10Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 11But Jehoshaphat said, “14Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “15Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, 16who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” 12Jehoshaphat 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.

13Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? 17Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14Elisha said, “18As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15But now 19bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that 20the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ 17For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley 21shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts. 18This is but a 22slight thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. 1923Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” 20It happened in the morning 24about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to 25put on armor and older were summoned and stood on the border. 22They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. 23Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!” 24But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward 26into the land, 27slaughtering the Moabites. 2528Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in 29Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it. 26When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and 30offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.