2 Kings 3

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king ofJudah, and reigned for twelve years.	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 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, though not like his father and mother, for he did away with thepil ar to Baal which his father had made.	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 Nonetheless, he continued to practise the sins into which Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel and didnot give them up.	3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
4 Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-breeder and used to pay the king of Israel in tribute a hundredthousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams with their wool.	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 when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebel ed against the king of Israel.	5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 At once King Jehoram left Samaria and mustered al Israel.	6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 After this he sent word to the king of Judah, 'The king of Moab has rebel ed against me. Wil you go towar with me against Moab?' 'I wil ,' he replied. 'I wil be as you, my men as yours, my horses as yours,'	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 added, 'Which way are we to attack?' 'Through the desert of Edom,' the other answered.	8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
9 So they set out, the king of Israel, the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They carried out a flankingmovement for seven days, until there was no water left for the troops or for the beasts of their baggage train.	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 'Alas!' the king of Israel exclaimed, 'Yahweh has summoned us three kings, only to put us into thepower of Moab.'	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 the king of Judah said, 'Is there no prophet of Yahweh here for us to consult Yahweh through him?'One of the king of Israel's servants answered, 'Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on thehands of Elijah.'	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, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 'The word of Yahweh is with him,' the king of Judah said. So the king of Israel, the king of Judah andthe king of Edom went to consult him.	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 But Elisha said to the king of Israel, 'What business have you with me? Go to your father's and yourmother's prophets.' 'No,' the king of Israel answered, 'Yahweh is the one who has summoned us three kings,only to put us into the power of Moab.' Elisha replied,	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 'By the life of Yahweh Sabaoth whom I serve, if I did not respect the king of Judah, I would take nonotice of you, nor so much as look at you.	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 Now bring me someone who can play the lyre.' And as the musician played, the hand of Yahweh cameon him	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, 'Yahweh says this, "Dig in this val ey ditch after ditch,"	16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 for Yahweh says, "You wil see no wind, you will see no rain, but this val ey wil become ful of water,and you and your troops and your baggage animals will drink."	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 But this is only a trifle in Yahweh's eyes, for he wil put Moab itself into your power.	18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
19 You wil storm every fortified town, fell every productive tree, block every water-hole, ruin al the bestfields with stones.'	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 Next morning at the time when the oblation was being offered, water came from the direction of Edom,and the whole terrain was flooded.	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 When the Moabites learned that the kings were advancing to fight them, al those of an age to beararms were mobilised; they took up position on the frontier.	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 In the morning when they got up, the sun was shining on the water; and in the distance the Moabitessaw the water as red as blood.	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 'This is blood!' they said. 'The kings must have fought among themselves and killed one another. Sonow for the booty, Moab!'	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 But when they reached the Israelite camp, the Israelites launched their attack and the Moabites fledbefore them, and as they advanced they cut the Moabites to pieces.	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 They laid the towns in ruins, and each man threw a stone into al the best fields to fil them up, and theyblocked every water-hole and felled every productive tree. In the end, there was only Kir-Hareseth left, which theslingers surrounded and bombarded.	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 Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle had turned against him, he mustered seven hundredswordsmen in the hope of breaking a way out and going to the king of Aram, but he failed.	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 who was to succeed him and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wal .Alarmed at this, the Israelites withdrew and retired to their own territory.	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.