2 Kings 3:1-19

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.’”