< 2 Kings 3 >

1 Truly, Joram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned for twelve years.
Ioram vero filius Achab regnavit super Israel in Samaria anno decimo octavo Iosaphat regis Iudæ. Regnavitque duodecim annis.
2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as his father and mother did. For he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.
Et fecit malum coram Domino, sed non sicut pater suus et mater: tulit enim statuas Baal, quas fecerat pater eius.
3 Yet truly, he did adhere to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; neither did he withdraw from these.
Verumtamen in peccatis Ieroboam filii Nabat, qui peccare fecit Israel, adhæsit, nec recessit ab eis.
4 Now Mesha, the king of Moab, raised many sheep. And he repaid to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and one hundred thousand rams, with their fleece.
Porro Mesa rex Moab, nutriebat pecora multa, et solvebat regi Israel centum millia agnorum, et centum millia arietum cum velleribus suis.
5 And when Ahab had died, he transgressed the pact that he had with the king of Israel.
Cumque mortuus fuisset Achab, prævaricatus est fœdus, quod habebat cum rege Israel.
6 Therefore, king Joram departed on that day from Samaria, and he took a count of all of Israel.
Egressus est igitur rex Ioram in die illa de Samaria, et recensuit universum Israel.
7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying: “The king of Moab has withdrawn from me. Come to battle with me against him.” And he responded: “I will go up. What is mine, is yours. My people are your people. And my horses are your horses.”
Misitque ad Iosaphat regem Iuda, dicens: Rex Moab recessit a me, veni mecum contra eum ad prælium. Qui respondit: Ascendam: qui meus est, tuus est: populus meus, populus tuus: et equi mei, equi tui.
8 And he said, “Along which way shall we ascend?” So he responded, “Along the desert of Idumea.”
Dixitque: Per quam viam ascendemus? At ille respondit: Per desertum Idumææ.
9 Therefore, the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Idumea, traveled, and they went by a circuitous path for seven days. But there was no water for the army or for the beasts of burden which were following them.
Perrexerunt igitur rex Israel, et rex Iuda, et rex Edom, et circuierunt per viam septem dierum, nec erat aqua exercitui, et iumentis, quæ sequebantur eos.
10 And the king of Israel said: “Alas, alas, alas! The Lord has gathered we three kings, so that he might deliver us into the hands of Moab.”
Dixitque rex Israel: Heu, heu, heu! Congregavit nos Dominus tres reges, ut traderet in manus Moab.
11 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, so that we may appeal to the Lord through him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel responded, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon the hands of Elijah.”
Et ait Iosaphat: Est ne hic propheta Domini, ut deprecemur Dominum per eum? Et respondit unus de servis regis Israel: Est hic Eliseus filius Saphat, qui fundebat aquam super manus Eliæ.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” And so, the king of Israel, with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and with the king of Idumea, descended to him.
Et ait Iosaphat: Est apud eum sermo Domini. Descenditque ad eum rex Israel, et Iosaphat rex Iuda, et rex Edom.
13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel: “What is there between you and me? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Why has the Lord gathered these three kings, so that he might deliver them into the hands of Moab?”
Dixit autem Eliseus ad regem Israel: Quid mihi et tibi est? Vade ad prophetas patris tui, et matris tuæ. Et ait illi rex Israel: Quare congregavit Dominus tres reges hos, ut traderet eos in manus Moab?
14 And Elisha said to him: “As the Lord of hosts lives, in whose sight I stand, if I was not humbled by the face of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, certainly I would neither have listened to you, nor have looked upon you.
Dixitque ad eum Eliseus: Vivit Dominus exercituum, in cuius conspectu sto, quod si non vultum Iosaphat regis Iudæ erubescerem, non attendissem quidem te, nec respexissem.
15 But now, bring a musician to me.” And while the musician was playing, the hand of the Lord fell upon him, and he said:
Nunc autem adducite mihi psaltem. Cumque caneret psaltes, facta est super eum manus Domini, et ait:
16 “Thus says the Lord: Make, in the channel of this torrent, pit after pit.
Hæc dicit Dominus: Facite alveum torrentis huius fossas, et fossas.
17 For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind or rain. And yet this channel shall be filled with water. And you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts of burden.
Hæc enim dicit Dominus: Non videbitis ventum, neque pluviam: et alveus iste replebitur aquis, et bibetis vos, et familiæ vestræ, et iumenta vestra.
18 And this is small in the sight of the Lord. So, in addition, he will also deliver Moab into your hands.
Parumque est hoc in conspectu Domini: insuper tradet etiam Moab in manus vestras.
19 And you shall strike every fortified town and every elect city. And you shall cut down every fruitful tree. And you shall obstruct all the sources of water. And you shall cover every excellent field with stones.”
Et percutietis omnem civitatem munitam, et omnem urbem electam, et universum lignum fructiferum succidetis, cunctosque fontes aquarum obturabitis, et omnem agrum egregium operietis lapidibus.
20 Then it happened that, in the morning, when the sacrifices were usually to be offered, behold, water was arriving along the way of Idumea, and the land was filled with water.
Factum est igitur mane, quando sacrificium offerri solet, et ecce, aquæ veniebant per viam Edom, et repleta est terra aquis.
21 Then all the Moabites, hearing that the kings had ascended so that they might fight against them, gathered all who had been girded with a belt around them, and they stood at the borders.
Universi autem Moabitæ audientes quod ascendissent reges ut pugnarent adversum eos, convocaverunt omnes qui accincti erant balteo desuper, et steterunt in terminis.
22 And rising up in early morning, and when the sun was now rising before the waters, the Moabites saw the waters opposite them, which were red like blood.
Primoque mane surgentes, et orto iam sole ex adverso aquarum, viderunt Moabitæ econtra aquas rubras quasi sanguinem,
23 And they said: “It is the blood of the sword! The kings have fought among themselves, and they have slain one another. Go now, Moab, to the spoils!”
dixeruntque: Sanguis gladii est: pugnaverunt reges contra se, et cæsi sunt mutuo: nunc perge ad prædam Moab!
24 And they went into the camp of Israel. But Israel, rising up, struck Moab, and they fled before them. And since they had prevailed, they went and struck down Moab.
Perrexeruntque in castra Israel: porro consurgens Israel, percussit Moab: at illi fugerunt coram eis. Venerunt igitur qui vicerant, et percusserunt Moab,
25 And they destroyed the cities. And they filled up every excellent field, each one casting stones. And they obstructed all the sources of water. And they cut down all the fruitful trees, to such an extent that only brick walls remained. And the city was encircled by the slingers of stones. And a great part of it was struck down.
et civitates destruxerunt: et omnem agrum optimum, mittentes singuli lapides, repleverunt: et universos fontes aquarum obturaverunt: et omnia ligna fructifera succiderunt, ita ut muri tantum fictiles remanerent: et circumdata est civitas a fundibulariis, et magna ex parte percussa.
26 And when the king of Moab had seen this, specifically, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men who draw the sword, so that he might break through to the king of Idumea. But they were unable.
Quod cum vidisset rex Moab, prævaluisse scilicet hostes, tulit secum septingentos viros educentes gladium, ut irrumperent ad regem Edom: et non potuerunt.
27 And taking his firstborn son, who would have reigned in his place, he offered him as a holocaust upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel. And they promptly withdrew from him, and they turned back to their own land.
Arripiensque filium suum primogenitum, qui regnaturus erat pro eo, obtulit holocaustum super murum: et facta est indignatio magna in Israel, statimque recesserunt ab eo, et reversi sunt in terram suam.

< 2 Kings 3 >