SECOND KINGS

 

2 Kings Chapter 3

1 ¶ During the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for twelve years.

2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and his mother: for he removed the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless he continued in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

4 Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and paid to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.

5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 ¶ So king Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all of Israel.

7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me to fight against Moab? And he said, I will go: I will be like you, my troops as your troops, and my horses as your horses.

8 And he said, Which way shall we take? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel went with, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they circled around which took seven days: and there was no water for the army, or for the cattle that followed them.

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! the LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the LORD here, so that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants said, Elisha the son of Shaphat, who served Elijah is here.

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.

13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother. And the king of Israel said to him, No: for the LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of armies lives, before whom I stand, surely, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you, or notice you.

15 But now bring me a minstrel. And while the minstrel played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.

16 And he said, The LORD says, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For the LORD says, You will not see wind, nor will you see rain; yet that valley will be filled with water, that you may drink, both you, and your cattle, and your beasts.

18 But this is a small thing in the sight of the LORD: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

19 And you will destroy every fenced city, and every choice city, and will fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

20 ¶ In the morning, at the time of the food offering, behold, water was flowing from Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered all who were old enough to put on armor, and stood at the border.

22 And they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have destroyed one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward slaying the Moabites, even in their country.

25 And they beat down the cities, and every man threw a stone on every good piece of land, covering it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only the stone walls of Kirharaseth were left; however the slingers surrounded it, and took it.

26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom: but they could not.

27 Then he took his eldest son who would have been king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they left him, and returned to their own land.