3:1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in
Samaria [in] the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah,
and reigned twelve years.
3:2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like
his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of
Baal that his father had made.
3:3 Nevertheless, he cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, who made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
3:4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master, and rendered to
the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred
thousand rams, with the wool.
3:5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of
Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
3:6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and
numbered all Israel.
3:7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah,
saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go
with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go: I [am]
as thou [art], my people as thy people, [and] my horses as thy
horses.
3:8 And he said, which way shall we go up? And he answered, The
way through the wilderness of Edom.
3:9 So the king 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 army, and for the
cattle that followed them.
3:10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath
called these three kings together, to deliver them into the
hand of Moab!
3:11 But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the
LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the
king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here [is] Elisha
the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.
3:12 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.
3:13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do
with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and to the
prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, No:
for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver
them into the hand of Moab.
3:14 And Elisha said, [As] the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom
I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look towards thee,
nor see thee.
3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the
minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
3:16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of
ditches.
3:17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye 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.
3:18 And this is [but] a light thing in the sight of the LORD:
he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
3:19 And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice
city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of
water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
3:20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat-offering
was offered, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom,
and the country was filled with water.
3:21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up
to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put
on armor, and upward, and stood in the border.
3:22 And they rose 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:
3:23 And they said, This [is] blood: the kings are surely slain,
and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the
spoil.
3:24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites
rose and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but
they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in [their]
country.
3:25 And they 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: only in
Kirhara-seth they left the stones of it; but the slingers went
about [it], and smote it.
3:26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too
severe for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew
swords, to break through to the king of Edom: but they could
not.
3:27 Then he took his eldest son that was to reign 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.
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