2 Kings 3
Common English Bible
Moab’s rebellion
3 Joram,[a] Ahab’s son, became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king. He ruled for twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes, but he wasn’t as bad as his father and mother. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 But he nevertheless clung to the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, had caused Israel to commit. He didn’t deviate from them.
4 Now Moab’s King Mesha kept sheep. He would pay Israel’s king one hundred thousand lambs and the wool from one hundred thousand rams. 5 But when Ahab died, Moab’s king rebelled against Israel’s king. 6 So King Joram set out from Samaria at once. He prepared all Israel for war. 7 He sent word to Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, “Moab’s king has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
Jehoshaphat responded, “Yes, I’ll go. We’ll fight as one: you and I, our troops and our horses.”
8 “Which road should we take?” Joram asked.
Jehoshaphat responded, “The road that goes through the Edomite wilderness.”
9 So Israel’s and Judah’s kings set out with the king of Edom. They marched around for seven days until there was no water left for the army or for the animals with them. 10 Israel’s king said, “This is terrible! Has the Lord brought us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?”
11 Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there any prophet of the Lord around, so we could question the Lord through him?”
One of the servants of Israel’s king answered, “Elisha, Shaphat’s son, is here. He used to pour water on Elijah’s hands.”
12 Jehoshaphat said, “He has the Lord’s word!” So Israel’s king and Jehoshaphat and Edom’s king went down to see Elisha.
13 Elisha said to Israel’s king, “What do we have to do with each other? Go to your father’s or mother’s prophets.”
Then Israel’s king said to him, “Don’t say that, because it is the Lord who has brought us three kings together—but only to hand us over to Moab!”
14 Elisha said, “I swear by the life of the Lord of heavenly forces, the one I stand before and serve, if I didn’t care about Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, I wouldn’t notice you or even look at you! 15 Now bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the Lord’s power came over Elisha. 16 He said, “This is what the Lord says: This valley will be filled with pools.[b] 17 This is what the Lord says: You won’t see any wind or rain, but that valley will be full of water. Then you’ll be able to drink—you, your cattle, and your animals. 18 This is easy for the Lord to do. He will also hand Moab over to you. 19 You will then attack every fort and every grand city, cutting down all the good trees, stopping up all the springs, and ruining the good fields with stones.”
20 The next morning, at the time to offer the grain offering, water came flowing from the direction of Edom. The land filled up with water.
21 Now all the Moabites had heard how these kings had come to fight against them. So all who were able to fight were summoned, and they took up positions along the border. 22 They got up early in the morning as the sun’s rays shone on the water. The Moabites saw the water from a distance. It looked as red as blood. 23 They said, “It’s blood! The kings must have fought each other and killed themselves! Now get the plunder, Moab!”
24 But when they entered Israel’s camp, the Israelites rose up and attacked the Moabites. The Moabites fled from them. Israel moved forward, striking the Moabites down as they went.[c] 25 Then the Israelites destroyed the Moabite cities. Each Israelite threw a stone on every piece of good land until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-hareseth remained with its stone wall intact,[d] but then stone throwers[e] surrounded it and attacked it.
26 Moab’s king saw that he was losing the battle. So he took seven hundred soldiers with him, each with sword in hand, to break through to Edom’s king. But they failed. 27 Then he took his oldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and he offered him on the wall as an entirely burned offering. As a result, outrage was expressed by Israel. So they pulled back from Moab’s king and returned to their own country.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 3:1 Heb Jehoram (also in 3:6); the king’s name is variously spelled in either long Jehoram or short Joram form.
- 2 Kings 3:16 LXX, Vulg Fill this valley with ditches.
- 2 Kings 3:24 Heb uncertain
- 2 Kings 3:25 Heb uncertain
- 2 Kings 3:25 Heb uncertain
Melachim Bais 3
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Now Yehoram ben Ach’av began to reign over Yisroel in Shomron the eighteenth year of Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, and reigned twelve shanah.
2 And he wrought rah in the eyes of Hashem; but not like Aviv, nor like Immo; for he put away matzvat HaBa’al (the image of Baal) that Aviv had made.
3 Nevertheless his deveykus was unto the chattot Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, which caused Yisroel to sin; therefrom he did not turn away.
4 And Mesha Melech Moav was a sheep breeder, and rendered unto the Melech Yisroel 100,000 lambs, and 100,000 rams, with the tzemer (wool).
5 But it came to pass, when Ach’av was mot, that Melech Moav rebelled against Melech Yisroel.
6 And Melech Yehoram went out of Shomron on that day, and mustered kol Yisroel.
7 And he went and sent to Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, saying, Melech Moav hath rebelled against me; wilt thou go with me against Moav for milchamah? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my Am as thy Am, and my susim as thy susim.
8 And he said, Which derech shall we go up [to attack]? And he answered, The derech through the Midbar Edom.
9 So Melech Yisroel, Melech Yehudah, Melech Edom went, made a circuit of shivat yamim in their derech; and there was no mayim for the machaneh, and for the behemah that followed them.
10 And Melech Yisroel said, Alas that Hashem hath called these three melachim together, to deliver them into the yad Moav!
11 But Yehoshaphat said, Is there not here a navi of Hashem, that we may inquire of Hashem through him? And one of the avadim of Melech Yisroel answered and said, Here is Elishah Ben Shaphat, which poured mayim on the hands of Eliyahu.
12 And Yehoshaphat said, The Devar Hashem is with him. So Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat and Melech Edom went down to him.
13 And Elishah said unto Melech Yisroel, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the [Ba’al] nevi’im of Avicha, and to the nevi’im of Immecha. And Melech Yisroel said unto him, No; for Hashem hath called these three melachim, to deliver them into the yad Moav.
14 And Elishah said, As Hashem Tzva’os liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 But now bring me menagen. And it came to pass, when the menagen played, that the Yad Hashem came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith Hashem, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith Hashem, Ye shall not see ruach, neither shall ye see geshem; yet this valley shall be filled with mayim, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your behemah (livestock).
18 And this is but a light thing in the eyes of Hashem; He will deliver Mo’av also into your yad.
19 And ye shall strike every fortified city, every ir mivchor, and shall fell every etz tov, stop up kol ma’yan mayim, mar every good allotment of land with avanim.
20 And it came to pass in the boker, when the minchah was offered, that, hinei, there came mayim by the derech of Edom, and HaAretz was filled with mayim.
21 And when kol Mo’av heard that the melachim were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that could bear arms, and older, and stood at the border.
22 And they rose up early in the boker, and the shemesh shone upon the mayim, and Mo’av saw the mayim on the other side, and to them it looked as red as dahm;
23 And they said, This is dahm; the melachim are surely slain, and they have struck one another; now therefore, Moav, to the plunder!
24 And when they came to the machaneh Yisroel, Yisroel rose up and struck Mo’av, so that they fled before them; but they went forward striking Mo’av, even invading their country.
25 And they beat down the towns, and on every good allotment of land every ish cast his even (stone), and filled it; and they stopped up kol ma’yan mayim, and felled kol etz tov; only in Kir Charaset left they the avanim thereof; howbeit the slingers surrounded it, and struck it.
26 And when Melech Moav saw that the milchamah was chazak against him, he took with him 700 ish that drew cherev, to break through even unto Melech Edom; but they could not.
27 Then he took bno habechor that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for an olah upon the chomah. And there was ketzef gadol (great fury) against Yisroel; and they withdrew, and returned to their own land.
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