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2 Kings 3
New American Standard Bible

Jehoram Meets Moabite Rebellion

3 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria (A)in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for (B)he removed the memorial stone of Baal (C)which his father had made. 3 Nevertheless, (D)he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into (E)which he misled Israel; he did not abandon them.

4 Now Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he (F)used to make tribute payments to the king of Israel of a hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 However, (G)when King Ahab died, the king of Moab broke with the [a]king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram left Samaria for battle [b]at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has broken away from me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up. [c](H)Consider me yours, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he [d]answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

9 So (I)the king of Israel went with (J)the king of Judah and (K)the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey. But there was no water for the army or for the cattle that [e]followed them. 10 Then the king of Israel said, “It is hopeless! For the Lord has called these three kings to hand them over to Moab!” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “(L)Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “(M)Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, (N)who used to pour 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 Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “[f]What business do you have with me? (O)Go to your father’s prophets and your mother’s prophets.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” 14 Elisha said, “(P)As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 But now (Q)bring me a [g]musician.” And it came about, when the [h]musician played, that (R)the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make this valley [i]full of trenches.’ 17 For the Lord says this: ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain; yet that valley (S)shall be filled with water, so that you will drink, you, your livestock, and your other animals. 18 And this is an (T)insignificant thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. 19 (U)Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and [j]cut down every good tree and stop up all the springs of water, and spoil every good plot of land with stones.’” 20 And it happened in the morning (V)about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21 Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to [k]put on armor and older were summoned and they took their positions on the border. 22 Then they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. 23 So they said, “This is blood; the kings must have fought each other, and they have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoils!” 24 But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled from them; and the Israelites invaded [l]the land, [m]killing the Moabites. 25 (W)So they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every plot of good land and filled it. So they stopped up every spring of water and [n]cut down every good tree, until in (X)Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the rock slingers surrounded it and struck it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27 Then the king of Moab took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and (Y)offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great anger came upon Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 3:5 I.e., Jehoram, the new king
  2. 2 Kings 3:6 Lit in that day
  3. 2 Kings 3:7 Lit As I, as you, as my people...
  4. 2 Kings 3:8 Lit said
  5. 2 Kings 3:9 Lit were in their footsteps
  6. 2 Kings 3:13 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
  7. 2 Kings 3:15 Lit string player
  8. 2 Kings 3:15 Lit string player
  9. 2 Kings 3:16 Lit trenches, trenches
  10. 2 Kings 3:19 Lit fell
  11. 2 Kings 3:21 Lit strap on a belt (for weapons)
  12. 2 Kings 3:24 Lit it
  13. 2 Kings 3:24 Lit striking
  14. 2 Kings 3:25 Lit felled
Close VOICE

2 Kings 3
The Voice

3 During the 18th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah, Jehoram (Ahab’s son) took over the throne of Israel at Samaria for 12 years. 2 The Eternal saw that he did wicked things, but not to the same degree his parents did. He tore down and had nothing to do with the pillar honoring Baal that his father had crafted. 3 But still, he walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) that caused the Israelites to live sinful lives. He never repented from his wickedness.

4 Mesha (Moab’s king) bred sheep and, as payment, he would give Israel’s king 100,000 lambs and the fleece of 100,000 rams. 5 But when Ahab died, Mesha (Moab’s king) turned against Israel’s king. 6 King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled the entire community of Israel. 7 He sent a message to Jehoshaphat (Judah’s king).

Jehoram’s Message: Moab’s king is no longer on Israel’s side. He has turned against me. Will you accompany us in battle against him?

Jehoshaphat’s Reply: Yes, I will fight beside you. What is mine is yours—my people, my horses, everything.

Jehoram’s Second Message: 8 What path do you want to take?

Jehoshaphat’s Reply: We will travel through the desert of Edom.

Since David defeated the nation of Moab (2 Samuel 8:2), it has been a vassal state to Israel; but under their new king Mesha, the Moabites are ready to revolt. Mesha has fortified the entire country, building a temple, palace, walls, and reservoirs. Most importantly, he fortifies the northern entrance to Moab, so Israel is forced to find another way to attack. Unfortunately, the only other option is for Israel to enter from the south, and that requires marching through Judah and Edom, something that would be perceived as an act of war. By securing Judah’s and Edom’s cooperation in the attack, Israel does not have to worry about being attacked while traveling through their nations, and she gains allies against the impressively strong Moab.

9 Israel’s king traveled with Judah’s king and Edom’s king. It was a difficult trip that lasted for seven days, a circular route around the territory held by Moab. By then there wasn’t any water for the army or for the livestock.

Jehoram: 10 This is terrible! The Eternal intends to hand the three of us over to Moab.

Jehoshaphat: 11 Surely there is a prophet of the Eternal One among us. If so, let him come forth so that we can talk with the Eternal through him.

Jehoram’s Servant: Yes, there is a prophet of the Lord among us! Elisha (Shaphat’s son)! He used to serve the great Elijah by pouring water on his hands!

Jehoshaphat: 12 The message and power of the Eternal One accompany him.

So Israel’s king (Jehoram), Jehoshaphat (Judah’s king), and Edom’s king went to find Elisha.

Elisha (to Jehoram): 13 What business do I have with you? Why don’t you go to the prophets of your parents’ god?

Jehoram: I can’t because the Eternal called the three of us together in order to hand us over to Moab.

Elisha: 14 As certain as the life of the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, to whom I offer my life, I would pay you no attention except that I have such great respect for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. But I have no regard for you! I will not even look at you! 15 But now, bring me a musician!

While the musician was playing, Elisha was empowered by the Eternal.

Elisha: 16 This is the Eternal’s message: “Dig trenches throughout this entire valley.”

17 This is the Eternal’s message: “You will not see rain fall from the sky or feel wind blow across your skin, but you will see this valley filled with water. You and your livestock will have plenty of water to quench your thirst!” 18 And that’s not all! It is indeed a small thing for the Eternal One: He is also going to hand the Moabites over to you. 19 Then you will attack every fortified and prosperous city, chop down every decent tree, plug up every water hole, and use stones to destroy every healthy piece of land along your way.

20 In the morning, water coming from the higher ground in Edom filled the entire land around the time that sacrifices were offered.

21 The Moabites heard a rumor that the kings were about to wage war against them, so every man who could wear armor—from young men to old men—was called to battle and waited at the border. 22 They woke up at dawn, as the fiery glow of the sunrise was kissing the water. From the view of the Moabites, the water was blood red.

Moabites: 23 Look! Blood! The kings have fought and killed each other, and now their blood fills the country. Go forth, Moab, and collect the spoil!

24 But when the Moabite warriors arrived at the Israelite encampment, the Israelites jumped up and killed the Moabites. The surviving Moabites ran away, but the Israelites ran after them and killed them all. 25 Then the Israelites destroyed every city, chopped down every decent tree, plugged up every water hole, and filled all the healthy land with stones along their way. Only the stone walls of Kir-hareseth remained after they were finished with it, but the men with slings later took care of these rocks as well. 26 When Moab’s king perceived how dangerous the battle was, he gathered up 700 of his swordsmen who tried to make their way through to Edom’s king. But it was impossible.

27 Desperate to survive, Moab’s king offered his own son, his oldest son who was next in line for the throne, as a burnt offering to Moab’s god Chemosh on the wall.

Unlike the Lord, who does not allow child sacrifice (Genesis 22), the Moabites believe their god, Chemosh, responds favorably to the sacrifice of children. Seeing that he is about to lose the war, Mesha makes the greatest sacrifice he can imagine: he offers his oldest son and heir. Not only does Mesha sacrifice the future of his nation and his son’s life, he believes he also sacrifices the boy’s afterlife, since burnt offerings are totally consumed and no body would remain for burial. Mesha’s action gives his army courage to fight, but it is the military engagement that saves his nation. Moab defeats Israel and her allies.

Then a fierce wrath swept against Israel, so they fled from Moab’s king and went back to their own country.

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