II Kings 3

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

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

3. But he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin. He did not depart from them.

4. And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams with the wool.

5. Now it came to pass when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6. And King Jehoram went out of Samaria at the same time and assembled all Israel.

7. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?” And he said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

8. And he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “The way through the wilderness of Edom.”

9. And the king of Israel and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom went. And they went a roundabout way for seven days’ journey, but there was no water for the army, and for the livestock that followed them.

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

11. And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of the LORD that we may ask 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.”

12. And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” And 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 do I have 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 hosts lives, before Whom I stand, surely if it were not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you nor see you.

15. And now bring me a minstrel.” And it came to pass when the minstrel played, the hand of the LORD came upon him.

16. And he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Make this valley full of ditches,’

17. For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain. Still that valley shall be filled with water, so that you may drink, both you and your cattle, and your animals.’

18. And this is a light thing in the sight of the LORD. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

19. And you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city. And you shall cut down every good tree and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.”

20. Now it came to pass in the morning when the grain offering was offered, behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21. And when all Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armor, and even older men, and stood at the border.

22. When they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water on the other side red like blood.

23. And they said, “This is blood. The kings are surely slain, and they have stricken one another. And now, Moab, to the spoil!”

24. And they came to the camp of Israel, and the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them. And they entered their land and struck Moab.

25. And they beat down the cities, and each man cast his stone on every good piece of land, and filled it. And they stopped up all the wells of water, and cut down all the good trees. Only in Kir Haraseth did they leave the stones of it. But the slingers surrounded it and struck it.

26. And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords in order to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not.

27. So he took his oldest son, who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great anger against Israel. And they left him, and returned to the land.