2 Kings

2 Kings 3 ©

1 Jehoram's evil reign. 4 Mesha king of Moab rebelleth. 6 Jehoram with Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom goeth against him; being distressed for want of water they apply to Elisha, who promiseth them water, and assureth them of victory. 20 The water cometh in great plenty, and is mistaken by the Moabites for blood; they come in hopes of spoil, and are entirely defeated. 26 The king of Moab, failing in his attempt to break through unto the king of Edom, sacrificeth his son, and raiseth the siege.

1

NOW Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the aeighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

2

And he bwrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but cnot like his father, and like his mother: for he put away dthe 1image of Baal that his father had made.

3

Nevertheless ehe cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

4

¶And Mesha king of Moab was a fsheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

5

But it came to pass, when gAhab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6

¶And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and hnumbered all Israel.

7

And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: iwilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

8

And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the jwilderness of Edom.

9

So the kking of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they *fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle 2that followed them.

10

And the king of Israel said, lAlas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

11

But Jehoshaphat said, mIs there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And none of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which opoured water on the hands of Elijah.

12

And Jehoshaphat said, pThe word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom qwent down to him.

13

And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, rWhat have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: sfor the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

14

And Elisha said, tAs the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that uI regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

15

But now vbring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the whand of the LORD came upon him.

16

And he said, Thus saith the LORD, xMake this valley full of ditches.

17

For thus saith the LORD, yYe shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

18

And this zis but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

19

And ye shall asmite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall *fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and 3mar every good piece of land with stones.

20

And it came to pass in the morning, when bthe meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country cwas filled with water.

21

¶And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they 4gathered all that were able to 5put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.

22

And they rose 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 6slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

24

And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but 7they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

25

And dthey beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and *felled all the good trees: 8only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

d v.19.
26

¶And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too *sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

27

Then he took ehis eldest son that should have reigned in his *stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

e Am. 2.1.