1Now Jehoram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years.
2He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, though not like his father and his mother; for he removed the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from it.
4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-breeder, and he used to pay tribute to the king of Israel of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams.
5But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6So King Jehoram went out from Samaria on that day and mustered all Israel.
7He went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to war?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8Then he said, “By which way shall we go up?” And he said, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9So the king of Israel went, with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey. But there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
10Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.”
11But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of Yahweh through him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
12And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.”
14And Elisha said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you.”
15“But now, bring me a musician.” And it happened that as the musician played, the hand of Yahweh came upon him.
16And he said, “Thus says Yahweh: Make this valley full of pits, pits.”
17For thus says Yahweh: You will not see wind, and you will not see rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.
18This is a trivial thing in the eyes of Yahweh; he will also give Moab into your hand.
19You shall strike down every fortified city and every choice city, fell every good tree, stop up all the springs of water, and ruin every good field with stones.
20And it happened in the morning, at the time of offering the sacrifice, that water suddenly came from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with the water.
21Now when all Moab heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who could gird on a belt and older were mustered, and they took their stand at the border.
22They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and Moab saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
23They said, “This is blood! The kings have surely destroyed one another and struck each man his fellow. So now, to the spoil, Moab!”
24But when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land, striking down Moab.
25They tore down the cities, and on every good field each man threw his stone until it was filled, and they stopped up every spring of water and felled every good tree—until only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth; and the slingers surrounded it and struck it.
26When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took seven hundred men who drew the sword, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not.
27Then he took his firstborn son, who was to reign in his place, and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
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