2 Kings 3

1 Nowe Iehoram the sonne of Ahab beganne to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, the eighteenth yeere of Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, and reigned twelue yeeres.

Forsothe Joram, sone of Achab, regnede on Israel, in Samarie, in the eiytenthe yeer of Josephat, kyng of Juda. And he regnede twelue yeer,

2 And he wrought euill in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father nor like his mother: for he tooke away the image of Baal that his father had made.

and he dide yuel bifor the Lord, but not as his fader and modir;

3 Neuerthelesse, he cleaued vnto the sinnes of Ieroboam, the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne, and departed not therefrom.

for he took awei the ymagis of Baal, whiche his fadir hadde maad, netheles in the synnes of Jeroboam, sone of Nabath, that made Israel to do synne, `he cleuyde, and yede not awei fro tho.

4 Then Mesha King of Moab had store of sheepe, and rendred vnto the King of Israel an hundreth thousande lambes, and an hundreth thousande rammes with the wooll.

Forsothe Mesa, kyng of Moab, nurschide many beestis, and paiede to the kyng of Israel an hundrid thousynde of lambren, and an hundrid thousynde of wetheris, with her fleesis.

5 But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the King of Israel.

And whanne Achab was deed, he brak the boond of pees, which he hadde with the kyng of Israel.

6 Therefore King Iehoram went out of Samaria the same season, and nombred all Israel,

Therfor kyng Joram yede out of Samarie in that dai, and noumbride al Israel.

7 And went, and sent to Iehoshaphat King of Iudah, saying, The King of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou goe with me to battell against Moab? And he answered, I will goe vp: for I am, as thou art, my people, as thy people, and mine horses as thine horses.

And he sente to Josephat, kyng of Juda, and seide, The kyng of Moab yede awei fro me; come thou with me ayens him to batel. Which Josephat answeride, Y schal stie; he that is myn, is thin; my puple is thi puple; and myn horsis ben thin horsis.

8 Then said he, What way shall we goe vp? And he answered, The way of the wildernesse of Edom.

And he seide, Bi what weie schulen we stie? And he answeride, Bi the deseert of Ydumee.

9 So went the King of Israel and the king of Iudah, and the King of Edom, and when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoste, nor for the cattell that followed them.

Therfor the kyng of Israel, and the kyng of Juda, and the kyng of Edom, yeden forth, and cumpassiden bi the weie of seuene daies; and `watir was not to the oost, and to the beestis, that sueden hem.

10 Therefore the King of Israel sayde, Alas, that the Lord hath called these three Kings, to giue them into the hand of Moab.

And the kyng of Israel seide, Alas! alas! alas! the Lord hath gaderide vs thre kyngis to bitake vs in the hond of Moab.

11 But Iehoshaphat saide, Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the King of Israels seruants answered, and said, Here is Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, which powred water on the handes of Eliiah.

And Josephat seide, Whether ony prophete of the Lord is here, that we biseche the Lord bi hym? And oon of the seruauntis of the kyng of Israel answeride, Elisee, the sone of Saphat, is here, that schedde watir on the hondis of Elie.

12 Then Iehoshaphat saide, The worde of the Lord is with him. Therefore the King of Israel, and Iehoshaphat, and the King of Edom went downe to him.

And Josephat seide, Is the word of the Lord at hym? Whiche seiden, `It is. And the kyng of Israel, and Josephat, kyng of Juda, and the kyng of Edom, yeden doun to hym.

13 And Elisha sayde vnto the King of Israel, What haue I to doe with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother. And the King of Israel saide vnto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three Kings, to giue them into the hande of Moab.

Forsothe Elise seide to the kyng of Israel, What is to me and to thee? Go thou to the prophetis of thi fadir and of thi modir. And the kyng of Israel seide to hym, Whi hath the Lord gaderid these thre kyngis, to bitake hem into the hondis of Moab?

14 Then Elisha said, As the Lord of hostes liueth, in whose sight I stande, if it were not, that I regarde the presence of Iehoshaphat the King of Iudah, I woulde not haue looked towarde thee, nor seene thee.

And Elisee seide to hym, The Lord of oostis lyueth, in whos siyt Y stonde, if Y were not aschamed of the cheer of Josephat, king of Juda, treuli Y hadde not perseyued, nethir Y hadde biholde thee.

15 But nowe bring me a minstrel. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came vpon him.

Now forsothe brynge ye to me a sautrere. And whanne the sautrere song, the hond of the Lord was maad on hym, and he seide, The Lord seith these thingis,

16 And he saide, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.

Make ye the wombe, ether depthe, of this stronde dichis and dichis.

17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall neither see winde nor see raine, yet the valley shalbe filled with water, that ye may drinke, both ye and your cattel, and your beastes.

For the Lord seith these thingis, Ye schulen not se wynd, nethir reyn, and this depthe schal be fillid with watris, and ye schulen drynke, and youre meynees, and youre beestis.

18 But this is a small thing in the sight of the Lord: for he will giue Moab into your hande.

And this is litil in the siyt of the Lord. Ferthermore also he schal bitake Moab in to youre hondis;

19 And ye shall smite euery strong towne and euery chiefe citie, and shall fell euery faire tree, and shall stoppe all the fountaines of water, and marre euery good fielde with stones.

and ye schulen smyte ech strengthid citee, and ech chosun citee, and ye schulen kitte doun ech tre berynge fruyt, and ye schulen stoppe alle the wellis of watris, and ye schulen hile with stonys ech noble feeld.

20 And in the morning whe the meat offring was offred, beholde, there came water by the way of Edom: and the countrey was filled with water.

Therfor it was doon eerli, whanne sacrifice is wont to be offrid, and, lo! watris camen bi the weie of Edom, and the lond was fillid with watris.

21 And when al the Moabites heard that the Kings were come vp to fight against them, they gathered all that was able to put on harnesse, and vpwarde, and stood in their border.

Sotheli alle men of Moab herden, that kyngis hadden stied to fiyte ayens hem; `and men of Moab clepiden togidere alle men, that weren gird with girdil aboue, and thei stoden in the termes.

22 And they rose earely in the morning, when the sunne arose vpon the water, and the Moabites saw the water ouer against them, as red as blood.

And men of Moab risiden ful eerli, and whanne the sunne was risun thanne euen ayens the watris, thei sien the watris reed as blood euene ayens.

23 And they saide, This is blood the Kings are surely slaine, and one hath smitten another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoyle.

And thei seiden, It is the blood of swerd, `that is, sched out bi swerd; kyngis fouyten ayens hem silf, and thei ben slayn togider; now go thou, Moab, to the prey.

24 And when they came to the host of Israel, the Israelites arose vp, and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them, but they inuaded them, and smote Moab.

And thei yeden in to the castels of Israel; forsothe Israel roos, and smoot Moab, and thei fledden bifor men of Israel. Therfor thei that hadden ouercome, camen, and smytiden Moab, and destrieden cytees;

25 And they destroyed the cities: and on all the good field euery man cast his stone, and filled them and they stopt all the fountaines of water, and felled all the good trees: onely in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof: howebeit they went about it with slings, and smote it.

and alle men sendynge stoonys filliden ech beste feeld, and stoppiden alle the wellis of watris, and kittiden doun alle trees berynge fruyt, so that oneli `wallis maad of erthe weren left; and the citee was cumpassid of men settinge engynes, and was smytun bi greet part.

26 And when the King of Moab saw that the battel was too sore for him, he tooke with him seuen hudreth men that drew the sword, to break through vnto the King of Edom: but they could not.

And whanne the kyng of Moab hadde seyn this, that is, that the enemyes hadden the maistrie, he took with hym seuene hundrid men drawynge swerdis, that thei shulden breke in to the kyng of Edom; and thei myyten not.

27 Then he tooke his eldest sonne, that should haue reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offring vpon the wall: so that Israel was sore grieued, and they departed from him, and returned to their countrey.

And he took his firste gendrid sone, that schulde regne for hym, and offride brent sacrifice on the wal; and greet indignacioun was maad in Israel; and anoon thei yeden awei fro hym, and turneden ayen in to her lond.