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¶ Lè sa a, wa Jozafa t'ap mache sou dizwitan depi li t'ap gouvènen nan peyi Jida lè Joram, pitit Akab la, moute sou fotèy wa peyi Izrayèl la. Li pase douzan ap gouvènen nan lavil Samari.

Li fè sa ki mal nan je Seyè a, men pa tankou papa l' ak manman l' Jezabèl. Li wete gwo wòch papa l' te mete kanpe pou sèvis Baal la.

Men, li fè menm peche ak Jewoboram, pitit gason Nebat la, li lakòz pèp Izrayèl la fè peche. Li pa t' soti pou l' te kite vye chemen sa a.

Mesa, wa peyi Moab la, te fè gadinaj mouton. Se konsa li te pran angajman pou li te bay wa peyi Izrayèl la sanmil (100.000) ti mouton ak sanmil (100.000) belye ak tout lenn yo sou yo.

Men, lè Akab, wa peyi Izrayèl la, mouri, wa peyi Moab la revòlte kont otorite wa peyi Izrayèl la.

¶ Lamenm, wa Joram kite lavil Samari, li sanble tout lame pèp Izrayèl la.

Epi li pati, li voye di Jozafa, wa peyi Jida a: --Wa peyi Moab la revòlte kont otorite mwen. Ou pa ta vle vin avè m' pou nou atake moun Moab yo? Jozafa reponn: --Men wi! Mwen menm ak tout sòlda mwen yo ak kavalye mwen yo, nou avè ou ansanm ak pèp ou a. Se yonn nou ye!

Ki wout n'ap pran pou n' al atake? Joram reponn li: --N'ap pran chemen ki pase nan dezè Edon an.

Se konsa Joram, wa peyi Izrayèl la, ansanm ak wa peyi Jida a ak wa peyi Edon an pati. Yo pase sèt jou ap mache. Lè sa a dlo yo fini, pa t' gen yon ti gout dlo ni pou sòlda yo ni pou bèt chay ki te avè yo.

10 Joram, wa peyi Izrayèl la, di: --Woy! Nou fini! Seyè a fè nou tou twa vin isit la ansanm pou l' lage nou nan men wa Moab la.

11 Jozafa mande: --Pa gen yon pwofèt bò isit la ki ta ka pale ak Seyè a pou nou? Yonn nan chèf wa peyi Izrayèl yo di: --Bò isit la gen Elize, pitit gason Chafa a. Se li ki t'ap sèvi ak Eli.

12 Jozafa di: --Sèten l'ap gen kichòy pou l' di nou nan non Seyè a! Se konsa wa peyi Izrayèl la ansanm ak Jozafa ak wa peyi Edon an pati, y' al wè Elize.

13 Elize di wa Izrayèl la konsa: --Ki rapò m' gen avè ou! Al wè pwofèt papa ou ak manman ou te konn al wè yo! Joram reponn: --Non! Se Seyè a ki voye chache nou pou l' lage nou twa wa sa yo nan men wa peyi Moab la.

14 Elize reponn: --Mwen pran Seyè vivan m'ap sèvi a pou temwen! Si mwen pa t' gen respè pou Jozafa, wa peyi Jida a, m' pa ta menm gade ou, m' pa ta okipe ou.

15 Koulye a, al chache yon mizisyen pou mwen. Pandan mizisyen an t'ap jwe mizik, pouvwa Seyè a desann sou Elize.

16 Elize di: --Men sa Seyè a di: Fouye anpil gwo twou nan fon ravin sa a.

17 Paske, men sa li di ankò: Nou p'ap wè van, nou p'ap wè lapli, men ravin sa a pral plen dlo. Konsa n'a jwenn kont dlo pou nou bwè ansanm ak bèf, kabrit nou yo ak bèt chay nou yo.

18 Men tou sa pa anyen bò kote sa Seyè a ka fè. Li pral lage moun peyi Moab yo nan men nou.

19 Nou pral pran tout bèl lavil ak ranpa yo, nou pral koupe tout bèl pyebwa yo, nou pral bouche tout sous dlo yo. Nou pral gate tout pi bèl jaden yo, nou pral kouvri yo ak wòch.

20 ¶ Nan denmen maten, lè lè pou yo fè ofrann lan rive, yon dlo soti nan direksyon Edon, li kouvri tout tè a.

21 Lè moun Moab yo pran nouvèl twa wa yo te moute vin atake yo, tout gason ki te gen laj pou pote zam, gran kou piti, yo sanble, y' al mase kò yo sou fwontyè a.

22 Nan denmen maten, lè yo leve, limyè solèy la t'ap bat sou dlo a. Li bay dlo a yon koulè wouj, moun Moab yo te kwè se san.

23 Yo di: --Gade san! Lame wa yo gen lè goumen yonn ak lòt, yonn touye lòt. Ann al piye kan yo!

24 Men lè moun Moab yo rive nan kan moun Izrayèl yo, moun Izrayèl yo tonbe sou yo, yo kòmanse bat yo. Moun Moab yo pran kouri. Moun Izrayèl yo antre dèyè yo nan peyi Moab, yo touye tout moun Moab ki tonbe anba men yo.

25 Yo detwi lavil yo. Chak fwa yo rive bò yon bèl jaden, chak moun pran wòch, yo voye ladan l' jouk jaden an kouvri nèt ak wòch. Yo bouche tout sous dlo yo, yo koupe tout bèl pyebwa yo. Sèl kote ki te rete kanpe se te lavil Kiraresèt, kapital la. Sòlda yo sènen l', yo atake l' ak kout wòch.

26 Lè wa peyi Moab la wè li t'ap pèdi batay la, li pran sètsan (700) sòlda avè l'. Avèk nepe yo, yo chache mwayen pou yo pase nan mitan sòlda Izrayèl yo al fè wout yo nan direksyon peyi Edon, men yo pa t' kapab.

27 Lè sa a, wa peyi Moab la pran premye pitit gason l' lan, sa ki te pou pran plas li sou fotèy la, li ofri l' bay bondye peyi Moab la, li touye l' sou tèt miray lavil la. Lè moun Izrayèl yo wè sa, yo pè pou malè pa rive yo. Yo rale kò yo dèyè, yo tounen nan peyi yo.

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.