2 Kings 3

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

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.

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

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.

3 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.

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

4 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

7 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.

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.

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

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

9 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.

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.

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

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.

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

13 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?

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.

14 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.

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.

15 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,

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.

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

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

17 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.

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.

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

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

19 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.

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.

20 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.

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.

21 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.

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.

22 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.

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.

23 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.

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.

24 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;

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;

25 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.

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.

26 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.

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.

27 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.

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.