2 Kings 3
1NOW Joram son of Achab, began his reign in Israel in the eighteenth year of Josaphat king of Juda, and reigned twelve years,
2and did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father nor his mother. He indeed removed the pillars of Baal which his father had erected;
3but he adhered to the sin of Jeroboam son of Nabat, who had caused Israel to sin, and did not depart from that.
4Now Mosa king of Moab, was a Noked [one who paid tribute in sheep] and rebelliously withheld from the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams with the wool.
5And it happened that after the death of Achab, when the king of Moab broke covenant with Israel,
6king Joram was at that time gone from Samaria and was reviewing Israel.
7So he proceeded on and sent to Josaphat king of Juda, saying, The king of Moab hath broken covenant with me, wilt thou go with me to battle against Moab? To which he replied, I will go up. He is the same to me as he is to thee. My people is as thy people; my horses as thy horses.
8Then he said, Which way must I go up? To which he answered, By the way to the wilderness of Edom.
9So the king of Israel and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom, went out and took a circuit of seven days, and there was no water for the army nor for the cattle which attended them.
10And when the king of Israel said, Alas! for the Lord hath called the three kings who have come thus far, to deliver them into the hand of Moab;
11Josaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? Whereupon one of the king of Israel’s servants in reply, said, Elisha son of Saphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elias.
12And Josaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel, with Josaphat king of Juda and the king of Edom, went down to him.
13And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What hast thou to do with me? Go to the prophets of thy father and the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, I am fearful that the Lord hath called these three kings to deliver them into the hands of Moab.
14To which Elisha replied, As the Lord of hosts liveth in whose presence I stand, were it not that I respect the person of Josaphat king of Juda, I would not look on thee nor see thee.
15But now bring me a musician. And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him,
16and he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
17For thus saith the Lord: You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain, nevertheless this valley shall be filled with water that you and your beasts and your cattle may drink.
18And this is but a small matter in the eyes of the Lord; for I will deliver Moab into your hands,
19and you shall smite every fenced city, and cut down every goodly tree. And all the wells of water you shall stop up, and every good piece of ground you shall mar with stones.
20Accordingly in the morning when the sacrifice ascended, behold there came water by the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21Now all Moab upon hearing that the three kings were coming to fight against them, had sounded the alarm, To arms from every place all who wear a girdle, and having repeated the alarm Woe, were drawn up at their border.
22And when they arose in the morning and the sun shone on the waters, the Moabites saw the waters over against them red like blood,
23and said, This is the blood of the sword. The kings have fought and every man hath slain his fellow, now therefore to the spoils, O Moab!
24But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites arose and smote Moab. And as the Moabites fled before them they entered the country advancing and smiting Moab.
25The cities they demolished, and on every good piece of ground they threw, every man his stone. And when they had filled it and stopped up every fountain, and cut down every goodly tree, until they left only the stones of the wall of Katheremenus, then the slingers surrounded this and smote it.
26And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew the sword, to cut their way through to the king of Edom.
27But when he could not, he took his son, his first-born, whom he had made king in his stead, and offered him up as a whole burnt offering on the walls. Upon which great commiseration came upon Israel, and they departed from him, and returned into their own land.