 1 Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and his mother. For he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. 3 But he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He did not depart from them. 4 Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and paid to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs, and 100,000 rams with the wool. 5 When Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 King Jehoram left Samaria at the same time and numbered all Israel. 7 He sent to King Jehoshaphat of Judah saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses. 8 He said, Which way shall we go up? He answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom. 9 So the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom went around behind for seven days' journey. But there was no water for the army and for the cattle that followed them. 10 The king of Israel said, Alas, the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the Lord here so that we may ask of the Lord by him? Then one of the king of Israel's servants said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. 12 Jehoshaphat said, The Word of the Lord is with him. And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother. And the king of Israel said to him, No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 14 Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely if it were not that I regard the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look toward you nor see you. 15 Now bring me a minstrel. When the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came on him. 16 He said, Thus says the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For thus says the Lord, You will not see wind, nor will you see rain. Still that valley will be filled with water, so that you may drink, both you and your cattle, and your animals. 18 This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the Moabites to you. 19 You shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city. And you shall cut down every good tree and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. 20 In the morning when the food offering was offered, behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered all who were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood in the border. 22 They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side red like blood. 23 They said, This is blood. The kings are surely slain, and they have stricken one another. Now, Moab, to the spoil. 24 They came to the camp of Israel, and the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them. But they entered it and struck Moab. 25 They beat down the cities and each man cast his stone on every good piece of land and filled it. They stopped all the wells of water and cut down all the good trees. Only in Kirharaseth did they leave the stones of it. But the slingers surrounded it and struck it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took 700 men who drew swords with him in order to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not. 27 So he took his oldest son who would have reigned in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. Then there was great anger against Israel and they left him and returned to the land.
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