2 Kings 3
3
Moab’s rebellion
1Joram,#3.1 Heb Jehoram (also in 3:6); the king’s name is variously spelled in either long Jehoram or short Joram form. Ahab’s son, became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king. He ruled for twelve years. 2He 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. 3But he nevertheless clung to the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, had caused Israel to commit. He didn’t deviate from them.
4Now Moab’s King Mesha kept sheep. He would pay Israel’s king one hundred thousand lambs and the wool from one hundred thousand rams. 5But when Ahab died, Moab’s king rebelled against Israel’s king. 6So King Joram set out from Samaria at once. He prepared all Israel for war. 7He 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.”
9So 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. 10Israel’s king said, “This is terrible! Has the LORD brought us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?”
11Jehoshaphat 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.”
12Jehoshaphat said, “He has the LORD’s word!” So Israel’s king and Jehoshaphat and Edom’s king went down to see Elisha.
13Elisha 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!”
14Elisha 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! 15Now bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the LORD’s power came over Elisha. 16He said, “This is what the LORD says: This valley will be filled with pools.#3.16 LXX, Vulg Fill this valley with ditches. 17This 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. 18This is easy for the LORD to do. He will also hand Moab over to you. 19You 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.”
20The next morning, at the time to offer the grain offering, water came flowing from the direction of Edom. The land filled up with water.
21Now 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. 22They 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. 23They said, “It’s blood! The kings must have fought each other and killed themselves! Now get the plunder, Moab!”
24But 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.#3.24 Heb uncertain 25Then 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,#3.25 Heb uncertain but then stone throwers#3.25 Heb uncertain surrounded it and attacked it.
26Moab’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. 27Then 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.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
2 Kings 3
3
1Joram, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He reigned in Samaria for twelve years. 2He did evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father and mother had done, for he got rid of the stone image of Baal that his father had made. 3However, he still held on to the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had made Israel commit—he did not give them up.
4Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep breeder. He used to provide a tribute to the king of Israel of one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6Immediately King Joram called up the whole Israelite army and left Samaria. 7On his way he sent a message to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in an attack on Moab?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “Yes, I will join you. You and I are as one, my men and your men are as one, and my horses and your horses are as one.”
8Then he asked, “Which way shall we go?”
“We'll take the road through the desert of Edom,” he replied.
9So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set off. Having followed an indirect route for seven days, they ran out of water for their army and for their animals.
10“What are we doing?” complained the king of Israel. “The Lord has brought us three kings here to hand us over to the Moabites!”
11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there a prophet of the Lord here with us? Let us consult the Lord through him.”
One of the king of Israel's officers answered, “Elisha, son of Shaphat, is here. He was Elijah's assistant.”#3:11. “He was Elijah's assistant”: literally, “He used to pour water on Elijah's hands.”
12Jehoshaphat agreed, “The Lord communicates by him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went to see him.
13Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I got to do with you? Go to your own prophets, those of your father and your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No—because it's the Lord who has brought these three kings here to hand them over to the Moabites!”
14Elisha replied, “As the Lord Almighty lives, the one I serve, if I didn't respect the fact that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, is here, I wouldn't even look in your direction or acknowledge you. 15Now bring me a musician.”#3:15. “Musician”: usually referring to someone who could play a stringed instrument. A harp is often suggested.
While the musician played, the Lord's power came upon Elisha, 16and he announced, “This is what the Lord says: This valley will be filled with pools of water. For the Lord says: 17You won't see any wind, you won't see any rain, but even so this valley will be filled with water. You will drink, and your cattle, and your animals. 18The Lord views this as something trivial to do; and he will also make you victorious over the Moabites. 19You will conquer every fortified town, and every important town. You will chop down every good tree, block up every spring, and spoil every good field by throwing stones on them.”
20The next day, around the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom, filling the whole countryside with water. 21All the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to attack them. So everyone who could wear a sword, young and old, was called up and went to guard the border. 22But the next morning when they got up the sun was shining on the water, and to the Moabites on the other side it looked blood red. 23“This is blood!” they said. “The kings and their armies must have attacked and killed each other! Moabites, let's grab the plunder!”
24But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the Israelites ran out and attacked them, and they ran away from them. So the Israelites invaded their country and killed the Moabites. 25They destroyed the towns, and each soldier threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They blocked up every spring and chopped down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth still had its walls, but soldiers using slingshots surrounded it and attacked it as well.
26When the king of Moab realized he'd lost the battle, he led seven hundred swordsmen in an attempt to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they weren't able to do so. 27So the king of Moab took his firstborn son, who was meant to succeed him, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the town wall. Great anger came upon the Israelites, so they left and went back to their own country.#3:27. Whether this was great anger displayed by the Moabites against the Israelites, or whether such a horrific act made the Israelites very angry is debated. It seems more likely that such a gruesome human sacrifice was so offensive, even to the Israelites in their lax spiritual state, that they simply left.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com