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Now Yehoram ben Ach’av began to reign over Yisroel in Shomron the eighteenth year of Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, and reigned twelve shanah.

And he wrought rah in the eyes of Hashem; but not like Aviv, nor like Immo; for he put away matzvat HaBa’al (the image of Baal) that Aviv had made.

Nevertheless his deveykus was unto the chattot Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, which caused Yisroel to sin; therefrom he did not turn away.

And Mesha Melech Moav was a sheep breeder, and rendered unto the Melech Yisroel 100,000 lambs, and 100,000 rams, with the tzemer (wool).

But it came to pass, when Ach’av was mot, that Melech Moav rebelled against Melech Yisroel.

And Melech Yehoram went out of Shomron on that day, and mustered kol Yisroel.

And he went and sent to Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, saying, Melech Moav hath rebelled against me; wilt thou go with me against Moav for milchamah? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my Am as thy Am, and my susim as thy susim.

And he said, Which derech shall we go up [to attack]? And he answered, The derech through the Midbar Edom.

So Melech Yisroel, Melech Yehudah, Melech Edom went, made a circuit of shivat yamim in their derech; and there was no mayim for the machaneh, and for the behemah that followed them.

10 And Melech Yisroel said, Alas that Hashem hath called these three melachim together, to deliver them into the yad Moav!

11 But Yehoshaphat said, Is there not here a navi of Hashem, that we may inquire of Hashem through him? And one of the avadim of Melech Yisroel answered and said, Here is Elishah Ben Shaphat, which poured mayim on the hands of Eliyahu.

12 And Yehoshaphat said, The Devar Hashem is with him. So Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat and Melech Edom went down to him.

13 And Elishah said unto Melech Yisroel, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the [Ba’al] nevi’im of Avicha, and to the nevi’im of Immecha. And Melech Yisroel said unto him, No; for Hashem hath called these three melachim, to deliver them into the yad Moav.

14 And Elishah said, As Hashem Tzva’os liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

15 But now bring me menagen. And it came to pass, when the menagen played, that the Yad Hashem came upon him.

16 And he said, Thus saith Hashem, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus saith Hashem, Ye shall not see ruach, neither shall ye see geshem; yet this valley shall be filled with mayim, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your behemah (livestock).

18 And this is but a light thing in the eyes of Hashem; He will deliver Mo’av also into your yad.

19 And ye shall strike every fortified city, every ir mivchor, and shall fell every etz tov, stop up kol ma’yan mayim, mar every good allotment of land with avanim.

20 And it came to pass in the boker, when the minchah was offered, that, hinei, there came mayim by the derech of Edom, and HaAretz was filled with mayim.

21 And when kol Mo’av heard that the melachim were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that could bear arms, and older, and stood at the border.

22 And they rose up early in the boker, and the shemesh shone upon the mayim, and Mo’av saw the mayim on the other side, and to them it looked as red as dahm;

23 And they said, This is dahm; the melachim are surely slain, and they have struck one another; now therefore, Moav, to the plunder!

24 And when they came to the machaneh Yisroel, Yisroel rose up and struck Mo’av, so that they fled before them; but they went forward striking Mo’av, even invading their country.

25 And they beat down the towns, and on every good allotment of land every ish cast his even (stone), and filled it; and they stopped up kol ma’yan mayim, and felled kol etz tov; only in Kir Charaset left they the avanim thereof; howbeit the slingers surrounded it, and struck it.

26 And when Melech Moav saw that the milchamah was chazak against him, he took with him 700 ish that drew cherev, to break through even unto Melech Edom; but they could not.

27 Then he took bno habechor that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for an olah upon the chomah. And there was ketzef gadol (great fury) against Yisroel; and they withdrew, and returned to their own land.

Moab Revolts

Joram[a](A) son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. He did evil(B) in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father(C) and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone(D) of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he clung to the sins(E) of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

Now Mesha king of Moab(F) raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs(G) and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled(H) against the king of Israel. So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight(I) against Moab?”

“I will go with you,” he replied. “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

“By what route shall we attack?” he asked.

“Through the Desert of Edom,” he answered.

So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom.(J) After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.

10 “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”

11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire(K) of the Lord?”

An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha(L) son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.[b](M)

12 Jehoshaphat said, “The word(N) of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”

“No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”

14 Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. 15 But now bring me a harpist.”(O)

While the harpist was playing, the hand(P) of the Lord came on Elisha 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water,(Q) and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy(R) thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. 19 You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”

20 The next morning, about the time(S) for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.(T)

21 Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. 23 “That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. 25 They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth(U) was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.

26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. 27 Then he took his firstborn(V) son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 3:1 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verse 6
  2. 2 Kings 3:11 That is, he was Elijah’s personal servant.