2 Kings 3

1 And Jehoram, the son of Ahab, became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of the rule of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; and he was king for twelve years.

Joram, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He reigned in Samaria for twelve years.

2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord; but not like his father and his mother, for he put away the stone pillar of Baal which his father had made.

He did evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father and mother had done, for he got rid of the stone image of Baal that his father had made.

3 But still he did the same sins which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, did and made Israel do; he went on in them.

However, he still held on to the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had made Israel commit—he did not give them up.

4 Now Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep-farmer; and he gave regularly to the king of Israel the wool from a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand sheep.

Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep breeder. He used to provide a tribute to the king of Israel of one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.

5 But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab got free from the authority of the king of Israel.

But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 At that time, King Jehoram went out from Samaria and got all Israel together in fighting order.

Immediately King Joram called up the whole Israelite army and left Samaria.

7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has got free from my authority: will you go with me to make war on Moab? And he said, I will go with you: I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.

On his way he sent a message to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in an attack on Moab?” Jehoshaphat replied, “Yes, I will join you. You and I are as one, my men and your men are as one, and my horses and your horses are as one.”

8 And he said, Which way are we to go? And he said in answer, By the waste land of Edom.

Then he asked, “Which way shall we go?” “We'll take the road through the desert of Edom,” he replied.

9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom by a roundabout way for seven days: and there was no water for the army or for the beasts they had with them.

So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set off. Having followed an indirect route for seven days, they ran out of water for their army and for their animals.

10 And the king of Israel said, Here is trouble: for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them into the hands of Moab.

“What are we doing?” complained the king of Israel. “The Lord has brought us three kings here to hand us over to the Moabites!”

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may get directions from the Lord? And one of the king of Israel's men said in answer, Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who was servant to Elijah.

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there a prophet of the Lord here with us? Let us consult the Lord through him.” One of the king of Israel's officers answered, “Elisha, son of Shaphat, is here. He was Elijah's assistant.”

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.

Jehoshaphat agreed, “The Lord communicates by him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went to see him.

13 But Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? go to the prophets of your father and your mother. And the king of Israel said, No; for the Lord has got these three kings together to give them up into the hands of Moab.

Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I got to do with you? Go to your own prophets, those of your father and your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No—because it's the Lord who has brought these three kings here to hand them over to the Moabites!”

14 Then Elisha said, By the life of the Lord of armies whose servant I am, if it was not for the respect I have for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, I would not give a look at you, or see you.

Elisha replied, “As the Lord Almighty lives, the one I serve, if I didn't respect the fact that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, is here, I wouldn't even look in your direction or acknowledge you.

15 But now, get me a player of music, and it will come about that while the man is playing, the hand of the Lord will come on me and I will give you the word of the Lord: and they got a player of music, and while the man was playing, the hand of the Lord was on him.

Now bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the Lord's power came upon Elisha,

16 And he said, The Lord says, I will make this valley full of water-holes.

and he announced, “This is what the Lord says: This valley will be filled with pools of water. For the Lord says:

17 For the Lord says, Though you see no wind or rain, the valley will be full of water, and you and your armies and your beasts will have drink.

You won't see any wind, you won't see any rain, but even so this valley will be filled with water. You will drink, and your cattle, and your animals.

18 And this will be only a small thing to the Lord: in addition he will give the Moabites into your hands.

The Lord views this as something trivial to do; and he will also make you victorious over the Moabites.

19 And you are to put every walled town to destruction, cutting down every good tree, and stopping up every water-spring, and making all the good land rough with stones.

You will conquer every fortified town, and every important town. You will chop down every good tree, block up every spring, and spoil every good field by throwing stones on them.”

20 Now in the morning, about the time when the offering was made, they saw water flowing from the direction of Edom till the country was full of water.

The next day, around the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom, filling the whole countryside with water.

21 Now all Moab, hearing that the kings had come to make war against them, got together all who were able to take up arms and went forward to the edge of the country.

All the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to attack them. So everyone who could wear a sword, young and old, was called up and went to guard the border.

22 And early in the morning they got up, when the sun was shining on the water, and they saw the water facing them as red as blood.

But the next morning when they got up the sun was shining on the water, and to the Moabites on the other side it looked blood red.

23 Then they said, This is blood: it is clear that destruction has come on the kings; they have been fighting one another: now come, Moab, let us take their goods.

“This is blood!” they said. “The kings and their armies must have attacked and killed each other! Moabites, let's grab the plunder!”

24 But when they came to the tents of Israel, the Israelites came out and made a violent attack on the Moabites, so that they went in flight before them; and they went forward still attacking them;

But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the Israelites ran out and attacked them, and they ran away from them. So the Israelites invaded their country and killed the Moabites.

25 Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it.

They destroyed the towns, and each soldier threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They blocked up every spring and chopped down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth still had its walls, but soldiers using slingshots surrounded it and attacked it as well.

26 And when the king of Moab saw that the fight was going against him, he took with him seven hundred men armed with swords, with the idea of forcing a way through to the king of Aram, but they were not able to do so.

When the king of Moab realized he'd lost the battle, he led seven hundred swordsmen in an attempt to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they weren't able to do so.

27 Then he took his oldest son, who would have been king after him, offering him as a burned offering on the wall. So there was great wrath against Israel; and they went away from him, back to their country.

So the king of Moab took his firstborn son, who was meant to succeed him, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the town wall. Great anger came upon the Israelites, so they left and went back to their own country.