2 Kings Chapter 3

Moab Revolts

¹ Jehoram Ben-Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and ruled for 12 years. ² He did evil, though not as bad as his parents. He did put away Baal’s sacred pillar his father had built, ³ but he held onto the sins of Jeroboam^I that got Israel to sin.

⁴ Mesha, king of Moab, raised sheep and was paying the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams. ⁵ But when Ahab died, he revolted. ⁶ Jehoram went out from Samaria and mustered all Israel. ⁷ He sent word to Jehoshaphat, “The king of Moab has revolted against me. Will you help me fight Moab?”

“Yes, I’m like you, my troops like yours, my horses like yours.”

⁸ He said, “Which way will we go up?”

“From the Wilderness of Edom.”                                                                            2 Kg 3:1-8

⁹ The king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of a week’s journey, and there wasn’t any water for the army or the livestock that they had with them. ¹⁰ The king of Israel said, “What are we going to do? Yahveh has called these three kings to deliver them to Moab!” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahveh here we can ask?”

One of the king’s officials answered, “Elisha Ben-Shaphat. He used to pour water on Elijah’s hands.”

¹² Jehoshaphat agreed, “He prophesies for Yahveh.”

The king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha told the king of Israel, “Why come to me? Go to your parents’ prophets.”

“No, Yahveh called these three kings together to deliver them to Moab!”           2 Kg 3:9-13

¹⁴ Elisha said,

“As Yahveh of Hosts lives that I serve, if it weren’t that I care about Jehoshaphat, I wouldn’t even look at you^sg. ¹⁵ Bring me a musician.”

While the musician played, Yahveh came on him. ¹⁶ He said,

“Yahveh says to fill this valley with trenches. ¹⁷ You won’t see wind or rain, but the valley will be full of water for you, your cattle, and other animals. ¹⁸ This is just a little thing for Yahveh to deliver the Moabites to you. ¹⁹ Then strike every fortified city, every select city, cut down every fruit tree, stop up every spring, and trash every cultivated piece of land with rocks.’”

²⁰ The next day about the time of morning sacrifice, water flowed down from Edom, and the country was full of water.  2 Kg 3:14-20

²¹ The Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight them. They called in everybody that could put on armor and stationed themselves along the border. ²² When they got up early, the morning sun was reflecting off the water. From a distance it looked red like blood. ²³ They said, “The kings must have fought and killed one another. Now Moab, to your spoils!” ²⁴ But when they got to the camp, the Israelites rose up and struck them, and they fled. The Israelites advanced into the land, slaughtering the Moabites. ²⁵ They destroyed their towns, and each one threw a rock on every piece of cultivated land and trashed it. They stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees till in Kir-hareseth only they left its rocks alone. But the stone slingers surrounded it and attacked it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took 700 swordsmen to break through near the king of Edom, but they couldn’t. ²⁷ Then he took his oldest son, who was to reign, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. Great horror came over Israel, and they went home. 2 Kg 3:21-27