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 he reigned for twelve years. 2He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for 2he removed the memorial stone of Baal 3which his father had made. 3Nevertheless, 4he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into 5which he misled Israel; he did not abandon them.

4Now Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he 6used to make tribute payments to the king of Israel of a hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5However, 7when King Ahab died, the king of Moab broke with the 8king of Israel. 6So King Jehoram left Samaria for battle 9at that time and mustered all Israel. 7Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has broken away from me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up. 1011Consider me yours, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he 12answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

9So 13the king of Israel went with 14the king of Judah and 15the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey. But there was no water for the army or for the cattle that 16followed them. 10Then the king of Israel said, “It is hopeless! For the Lord has called these three kings to hand them over to Moab!” 11But Jehoshaphat said, “17Is there no 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, “18Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, 19who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” 12And 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.

13Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “20What business do you have with me? 21Go to your father’s prophets and your mother’s prophets.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” 14Elisha said, “22As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15But now 23bring me a 24musician.” And it came about, when the 25musician played, that 26the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make this valley 27full of trenches.’ 17For the Lord says this: ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain; yet that valley 28shall be filled with water, so that you will drink, you, your livestock, and your other animals. 18And this is an 29insignificant thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. 1930Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and 31cut down every good tree and stop up all the springs of water, and spoil every good plot of land with stones.’”