2 Kings 3
Wycliffe Bible
3 Forsooth Joram[a], [the] son of Ahab, reigned on Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. And he reigned twelve years, (Now Joram, Ahab’s son, began to reign upon Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned for twelve years,)
2 and he did evil before the Lord, but not as his father and his mother (had done); for he took away the images of Baal, which his father had made,
3 nevertheless he cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that made Israel to do sin (who made Israel to do sin); and he went not away from them.
4 Forsooth Mesha, king of Moab, nourished many beasts, and paid to the king of Israel an hundred thousand of lambs, and an hundred thousand wethers, with their fleeces.
5 And when Ahab was dead, he brake the bond of peace, which he had with the king of Israel. (But when Ahab died, he broke the covenant which he had with the king of Israel.)
6 Therefore king Joram went out of Samaria in that day, and numbered all Israel. (And King Joram went out of Samaria that day, and gathered together Israel’s army.)
7 And he sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and said, The king of Moab hath gone away from me; come thou with me against him to battle. And Jehoshaphat answered, I shall go up with thee; he that is mine, is thine (all that is mine, is thine); my people is thy people; and mine horses be thine horses.
8 And he said, By what way shall we ascend? And Joram answered, By the desert of Idumea (And Joram answered, Through the wilderness of Edom).
9 Therefore the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, went forth, and compassed by the way of seven days; and (then) there was not water to the host, and to the beasts, that followed them. (And so the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, went forth, and travelled on the way for seven days; and then there was no more water for the army, and for the beasts, that followed them.)
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! alas! alas! the Lord hath gathered together us three kings to betake us in(to) the hand of Moab. (And the king of Israel said, Alas! alas! alas! the Lord hath gathered us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of the Moabites.)
11 And Jehoshaphat said, Whether any prophet of the Lord is here, (so) that we (can) beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, that poured water upon the hands of Elijah (Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon Elijah’s hands).
12 And Jehoshaphat said, Is the word of the Lord at him? Which said, Yea/It is (And Jehoshaphat said, And the word of the Lord is with him). And (so) the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom, went down to him.
13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What is to me and to thee, an idolater? Go thou to the prophets of thy father and of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, Why hath the Lord gathered together these three kings, to betake them into the hands of Moab? (But the king of Israel said to him, Nay! for the Lord hath gathered these three kings together, to deliver them into the hands of the Moabites.)
14 And Elisha said to him, The Lord of hosts liveth, in whose sight I stand, if I were not ashamed[b] of the cheer of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, truly I had not perceived, neither I had beheld thee. (And Elisha said to him, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, if I did not have such great respect for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, truly I would not have bothered to look upon thee, nor receive thee into my presence.)
15 Now forsooth bring ye to me a psalterer (But now bring ye to me a singer of psalms, or of songs). And when the psalterer sang, the hand of the Lord was made upon Elisha,
16 and he said, The Lord saith these things, Make ye the womb, either the depth, of this strand, ditches and ditches. (and he said, The Lord saith these things, Make ye the trough of this dry stream, or this dry river-bed, into ditches and ditches.)
17 For the Lord saith these things, Ye shall not see wind, neither rain, and this depth shall be filled with waters, and ye shall drink, and your families, and your beasts. (For the Lord saith these things, Though ye shall not see wind, or rain, yet this depth shall be filled with water, so that ye, and your families, and your beasts, shall have water to drink.)
18 And this is (but a) little thing in the sight of the Lord. Furthermore also he shall betake Moab into your hands (And furthermore he shall deliver the Moabites into your hands);
19 and ye shall smite each strengthened city, and each chosen city, and ye shall cut down each tree bearing fruit, and ye shall stop all the wells of waters, and ye shall cover with stones each noble field. (and ye shall strike down each fortified city, and each chosen city, and ye shall cut down each fruit-bearing tree, and ye shall stop, or close up, all the water wells, or all the springs, and ye shall cover each fertile field with stones.)
20 Therefore it was done early, when (the) sacrifice is wont to be offered, and, lo! waters came by the way of Edom, and the land was filled with waters.
21 Soothly all the men of Moab heard, that these kings had gone up to fight against them; and they called together all men, that were gird with a knight’s girdle above, and they stood in the terms. (And all the Moabites heard, that these kings had gone up to fight against them; and they called together all the men who were girded with a horseman’s girdle, and who were stationed at the border.)
22 And men of Moab rose full early, and when the sun was risen then even against the waters, they saw the waters (as) red as blood even against them. (And the men of Moab rose up very early, and when the sun rose up over the water, they saw that the water before them was as red as blood/was red like blood.)
23 And they said, It is the blood of (the) sword, that is, shed out by (the) sword; [the] kings have fought against themselves, and they be slain together (and they have killed one another); now go thou, Moab, to the prey.
24 And they went into the castles of Israel; forsooth Israel rose, and smote Moab, and they fled before the men of Israel. Then they that had over-come, came, and smote Moab, (And they went to the tents, or to the camp, of the Israelites; but Israel rose up, and struck down the Moabites, and they fled before the men of Israel. Then the Israelites came forth, and entered, and struck down the Moabites in their own land,)
25 and destroyed their cities; and all men sending stones filled each best field, and stopped all the wells of waters, and cut down all the trees bearing fruit, so that only [the] earthen walls were left; and the city was compassed of men setting engines, and it was smitten by great part thereof. (and destroyed their cities; and all the men threw stones, and filled up each best field, and they stopped, or closed up, all the water wells, or all the springs, and cut down all the fruit-bearing trees, so that only the walls in Kirhareseth were left; and the city was encompassed, or surrounded, with men setting up engines, or bulwarks, and a great part of it was struck down.)
26 And when the king of Moab had seen this, that is, that the enemies had the mastery, he took with him seven hundred men drawing out swords, that they should break (through) into the king of Edom; and they might not. (And when the king of Moab had seen this, that is, that the enemies had the mastery, he took with him seven hundred men drawing out swords, to try to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not do so.)
27 And he took his first engendered son, that should reign for him, and offered him (as) a burnt sacrifice on the wall; and great indignation was made in Israel; and anon they went away from him, and turned again into their land. (And so he took his first-born son, who would reign for him, and offered him as a burnt sacrifice on the wall; and great indignation was felt by all the Israelites; and at once they went away from him, and returned to their own land.)
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 3:1 Also known as Jehoram.
- 2 Kings 3:14 Ashamed; in denying his asking to him (in denying his request), since he is faithful and devout.
2 Kings 3
King James Version
3 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 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 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
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 it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
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 he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
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 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 Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire 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 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 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 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 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, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
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 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
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 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 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 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 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
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 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 Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
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 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.
2 Kings 3
English Standard Version
Moab Rebels Against Israel
3 (A)In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the (B)pillar of Baal (C)that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless, he clung to (D)the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (E)which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, (F)and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But (G)when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. (H)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jehoram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and (I)the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. 10 Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! (J)The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 11 (K)And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel's servants answered, (L)“Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, (M)who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 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 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, (N)“What have I to do with you? Go to (O)the prophets of your father and to (P)the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is (Q)the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, (R)“As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. 15 But now (S)bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, (T)the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ 18 This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, 19 and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water (U)and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” 20 The next morning, about the time of (V)offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.
21 When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border. 22 And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. 23 And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!” 24 But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went.[a] 25 And they overthrew the cities, and (W)on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in (X)Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 (Y)swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place (Z)and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 3:24 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
