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.

And Jehoram the son of Achab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, and he reigned 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.

And he did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother; and he removed the statue of Ba'al which 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.

Nevertheless unto the sins of Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, who had induced Israel to sin, did he cleave: he departed not therefrom.

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.

And Mesha' the king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered as tribute unto the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

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

And it came to pass, when Achab was dead, that 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.

And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and numbered all Israel.

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.

And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up, I as thyself, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

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

And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he said, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

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 went with the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they took a circuitous route, a seven days' journey; and there was no water for the camp, and for the cattle that followed in their train.

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.

And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

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 said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord from him? And there answered one of the king of Israel's servants and said, Here is Elisha' the son of Shaphat, 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.

And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. And there went down to him the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom.

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.

And Elisha' said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Not so; for the Lord hath called these three kings, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

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.

And Elisha' said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I have stood, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

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.

But now bring me a musician. And it came to pass, when the musician played, that the inspiration of the Lord came upon him.

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

And he said, Thus hath said the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.

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.

For thus hath said the Lord, Ye shall not perceive wind, nor shall ye see rain; yet this valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, yourselves, and your flocks, and your cattle.

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

And this is yet too light a thing in the eyes of the Lord; and he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

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.

And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and every good tree shall ye fell, and all springs of water shall ye stop, and every good piece of land shall ye spoil with stones.

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.

And it came to pass in the morning, at the time when the meat-offering is offered, that, behold, there came water by the way from Edom, and the country was filled with the 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.

And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they were called together from every one who was girded with a sword, and upward, and they posted themselves on 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.

And when they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water at a distance as red as blood.

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.

And they said, This is blood; the kings have certainly had a contest among themselves, and they have smitten one another: and now, up to the spoil, Moab.

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 they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they smote the Moabites completely, even in their own country.

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.

And the cities they pulled down, and into every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it up, and every spring of water they stopped, and every good tree they felled, until they left only its stones in Kir-chareseth, and this the slingers encompassed and smote it.

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.

And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew the sword, to break through unto the king of Edom; but they could not.

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.

Then took he his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their land.