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2 Kings 3
- 1
- Now 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 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
- Nevertheless he 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 sheepmaster, 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 Ahab 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
numbered all Israel.
- 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 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 wilderness of Edom.
- 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 host, and for the cattle that followed them.
- 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!
- 11
- But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the
LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's
servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured
water on the hands of Elijah.
- 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 unto the king of Israel, What 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: for the LORD hath
called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
- 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 toward thee, nor see thee.
- 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.
- 16
- And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full
of ditches.
- 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.
- 18
- And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD:
he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
- 19
- And ye shall smite every fenced 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.
- 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.
- 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 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
slain, 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 they went
forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
- 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 Kirharaseth left they
the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
- 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 his 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.
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