2 Kings 3

¹In the eighteenth year of Jehoshʹaphat king of Judah, Jehoʹram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samarʹia, and he reigned twelve years. ²He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baʹal which his father had made. ³Nevertheless he clung to the sin of Jeroboʹam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.

⁴Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he had to deliver annually to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶So King Jehoʹram marched out of Samarʹia at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷And he went and sent word to Jehoshʹaphat king of Judah, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸Then he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jehoʹram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the beasts which followed them. ¹⁰Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹¹And Jehoshʹaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Eliʹsha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Eliʹjah.” ¹²And Jehoshʹaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshʹaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³And Eliʹsha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹⁴And Eliʹsha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, whom I serve, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshʹaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you, nor see you. ¹⁵But now bring me a minstrel.” And when the minstrel played, the power of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry stream-bed full of pools.’ ¹⁷For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that stream-bed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your cattle, and your beasts.’ ¹⁸This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord; he will also give the Moabites into your hand, ¹⁹and you shall conquer every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” ²⁰The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.

²¹When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out, and were drawn up at the frontier. ²²And when they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and slain one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!” ²⁴But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and attacked the Moabites, till they fled before them; and they went forward, slaughtering the Moabites as they went. ²⁵And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone, until it was covered; they stopped every spring of water, and felled all the good trees; till only its stones were left in Kir-harʹeseth, and the slingers surrounded and conquered it. ²⁶When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷Then he took his eldest son who was to reign in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there came great wrath upon Israel; and they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.