2 Kings 3
3
Israel’s King Joram
1Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat and reigned 12 years. # 2Kg 1:17 2He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like his father and mother, # 1Kg 21:25-26 for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made. 3Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. # 1Kg 16:31-32 He did not turn away from them.
Moab’s Rebellion against Israel
4King Mesha of Moab # Gn 19:37; 2Kg 1:1 was a sheep breeder. He used to pay # 2Sm 8:2 the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams, # Is 16:1-2 5but when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. # 2Kg 1:1 6So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all Israel. 7Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat # 1Kg 22:41-50 of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. # 2Kg 1:1 Will you go with me to fight against Moab? ”
Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” # 1Kg 22:4 8Then he asked, “Which route should we take? ”
Joram replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”
9So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom # 1Kg 22:47; 2Kg 8:20 set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or their animals.
10Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the Lord has summoned three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”
11But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of Yahweh through him.” # 1Kg 22:7
One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, # 1Kg 19:16,19-21; 2Kg 2:9 who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”
12Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The Lord’s words are with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him. # 2Kg 2:25
13However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “We have nothing in common. Go to the prophets of your father and your mother! ” # 1Kg 18:19,22; 22:6
But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”
14Elisha responded, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, # 1Kg 17:1; 2Kg 5:16 I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, # 1Kg 22:41-50 I would not look at you; I wouldn’t take notice of you. 15Now, bring me a musician.” # 1Sm 10:5
While the musician played, # 1Sm 16:23 the Lord’s hand # Ezk 3:14 came on Elisha. 16Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’ 17For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water, # Ps 107:35; Is 32:2 and you will drink — you and your cattle and your animals.’ 18This is easy in the Lord’s sight. # Gn 18:14 He will also hand Moab over to you. # 2Kg 3:7 19Then you must attack every fortified city and every choice city. You must cut down every good tree and stop up every spring of water. You must ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
20About the time for the grain offering # Ex 29:39-40 the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
21All Moab had heard that the kings # 2Kg 3:9 had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border. 22When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood. # Ex 7:17,20 23“This is blood! ” they exclaimed. “The kings # 2Kg 3:9 have clashed swords and killed each other. So, to the spoil, Moab! ”
24However, when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So Israel went into the land and struck down the Moabites. 25They destroyed the cities, and each of them threw stones to cover every good piece of land. They stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree. In the end, only the buildings of Kir-hareseth # Jr 48:31,36 were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.
26When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took 700 swordsmen with him to try to break through to the king of Edom, # 2Kg 3:9 but they could not do it. 27So he took his firstborn son, # Dt 12:31; 2Kg 16:3 who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
2 Kings 3
3
King Joram of Israel
1Joram,#3:1 In the Masoretic Text this king of Israel is also called Jehoram, a longer form of Joram. son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat’s eighteenth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years. 2He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn’t do what his father or mother had done. He put away the sacred stone that his father had set up and dedicated to Baal. 3But he would not give up the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. Joram would not turn away from those sins.
King Mesha of Moab Defeated
4King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. ⌞Each year⌟ he had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams. 5But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the ⌞new⌟ king of Israel. 6King Joram immediately left Samaria to prepare Israel’s army for war. 7He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight Moab with me?”
Jehoshaphat answered, “I’ll go. I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do.”
8Joram asked, “Which road should we take?”
Jehoshaphat answered, “The road through the desert of Edom.”
9So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom took an indirect route ⌞to Moab⌟. After seven days they ran out of water for the army and the animals. 10The king of Israel said, “Oh no! The Lord has put the three of us at the mercy of ⌞the people of⌟ Moab.”
11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?”
One of the officials of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here. He used to be Elijah’s assistant.” #3:11 Or “He used to pour water on Elijah’s hands.”
12Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord’s word is with him.” So King Jehoshaphat of Judah, the king of Israel, and the king of Edom went to Elisha.
13Elisha asked the king of Israel, “Why did you come to me? Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets.”
The king of Israel answered him, “No. The Lord has called the three of us in order to put us at Moab’s mercy.”
14Elisha answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord of Armies whom I serve lives, I wouldn’t even bother to look at you or notice you if it weren’t for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15But get me someone to play some music.”
While the musician was playing, the Lord’s power came over Elisha. 16He said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. 17You will not see wind or rain, but this valley will be filled with water. You, your cattle, and your other animals will drink. 18The Lord considers that an easy thing to do. In addition, he will put Moab at your mercy. 19You will defeat every walled city and every important city. You will cut down every good tree, seal all the wells, and use rocks to ruin every good piece of land.”
20That is what happened in the morning. At the time of the grain offering, water flowed from Edom and filled the countryside.
21All the people of Moab heard that the kings had come to fight them. So all men old enough to bear arms were called to fight. They stood at the border. 22When the Moabites got up early in the morning as the sun was rising over the water, they saw the water from a distance. It was as red as blood. 23They said, “It’s blood! The kings have been fighting one another and have killed each other. Now, Moabites, let’s take their goods!”
24So when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from the Israelites. Israel went after the Moabites and defeated them. 25Then Israel tore down the cities, each man throwing rocks on every good field until it was covered. They sealed every well and cut down every good tree. Only the stones ⌞in the walls⌟ of Kir Hareseth were left. Soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it with slings and stones. 26When the king of Moab saw he was losing the battle, he took 700 swordsmen to try to break through to the king of Edom. But they couldn’t do it. 27Then he took his firstborn son, who would have succeeded him as king, and sacrificed him on the wall as a burnt offering. There was bitter anger against the Israelites. So they went home to their own country.
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