2 Kings 3

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 Truly, Joram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned for 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 did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as his father and mother did. For he took away the statues of Baal, which 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 Yet truly, he did adhere to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; neither did he withdraw from these.
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 Now Mesha, the king of Moab, raised many sheep. And he repaid to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and one hundred thousand rams, with their fleece.
5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebel ed against the king of Israel.	5 And when Ahab had died, he transgressed the pact that he had with the king of Israel.
6 At once King Jehoram left Samaria and mustered al Israel.	6 Therefore, king Joram departed on that day from Samaria, and he took a count of all of 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my men as yours, my horses as yours,'	7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying: “The king of Moab was withdrawn from me. Come to battle with me against him.” And he responded: “I will go up. What is mine, is yours. My people are your people. And my horses are your horses.”
8 and added, 'Which way are we to attack?' 'Through the desert of Edom,' the other answered.	8 And he said, “Along which way shall we ascend?” So he responded, “Along the desert of Idumea.”
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 Therefore, the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Idumea, traveled, and they went by a circuitous path for seven days. But there was no water for the army or for the beasts of burden which were following 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, alas, alas! The Lord has gathered we three kings, so that he might deliver us into the hands 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 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, so that we may appeal to the Lord through him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel responded, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon 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.” And so, the king of Israel, with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and with the king of Idumea, descended 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 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel: “What is there between you and me? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Why has the Lord gathered these three kings, so that he might deliver them into the hands 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 to him: “As the Lord of hosts lives, in whose sight I stand, if I was not humbled by the face of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, certainly I would neither have listened to you, nor have looked upon you.
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 a musician to me.” And while the musician was playing, the hand of the Lord fell upon him, and he said:
16 and he said, 'Yahweh says this, "Dig in this val ey ditch after ditch,"	16 “Thus says the Lord: Make, in the channel of this torrent, pit after pit.
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 says the Lord: You shall not see wind or rain. And yet this channel shall be filled with water. And you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts of burden.
18 But this is only a trifle in Yahweh's eyes, for he wil put Moab itself into your power.	18 And this is small in the sight of the Lord. So, in addition, he will also deliver Moab into your hands.
19 You wil storm every fortified town, fell every productive tree, block every water-hole, ruin al the bestfields with stones.'	19 And you shall strike every fortified town and every elect city. And you shall cut down every fruitful tree. And you shall obstruct all the sources of water. And you shall cover every excellent field 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 Then it happened that, in the morning, when the sacrifices were usually to be offered, behold, water was arriving along the way of Idumea, and the land 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 Then all the Moabites, hearing that the kings had ascended so that they might fight against them, gathered all who had been girded with a belt around them, and they stood at the borders.
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 rising up in early morning, and when the sun was now rising before the waters, the Moabites saw the waters opposite them, which were red like 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: “It is the blood of the sword! The kings have fought among themselves, and they have slain one another. Go now, Moab, to the spoils!”
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 they went into the camp of Israel. But Israel, rising up, struck Moab, and they fled before them. And since they had prevailed, they went and struck down Moab.
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 destroyed the cities. And they filled up every excellent field, each one casting stones. And they obstructed all the sources of water. And they cut down all the fruitful trees, to such an extent that only brick walls remained. And the city was encircled by the slingers of stones. And a great part of it was struck down.
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 had seen this, specifically, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men who draw the sword, so that he might break through to the king of Idumea. But they were unable.
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 And taking his firstborn son, who would have reigned in his place, he offered him as a holocaust upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel. And they promptly withdrew from him, and they turned back to their own land.