Israel and Moab at War
4 Kingdoms 3, verse 1. Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 2. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillars of Baal his father built. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 3. But still he persisted in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not depart from it. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 4. Now Mesha king of Moab was a herdsman, and in the beginning of the year he regularly paid tribute to the king of Israel, one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 5. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 6. So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and inspected all Israel. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 7. Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 8. Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Desert of Edom.” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 9. So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and this roundabout march took them seven days to complete. There was no water for the army or for the animals that went with them. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 10. And the king of Israel said, “Alas! That the Lord should call these three kings together only to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 11. But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on Elijah's hands, is here.” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 12. And Jehoshaphat said, “He has the word of the Lord.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 13. Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, has the Lord called these three kings together to deliver them into the hands of Moab?” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 14. And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 15. But now bring me a harpist.” When the harpist played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 16. And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Fill this valley with ditches.’ 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 17. For Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your beasts, and your cattle may drink.’ 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 18. And this is easy in the eyes of the Lord. Then I will deliver Moab into your hand. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 19. Thus you shall attack every fortified city; you shall cut down every good tree; you shall stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 20. Now when the grain offering was offered in the morning, behold water came from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with water. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 21. All the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to wage war against them. All those being able to bear armor and older uttered loud cries and stood at the border. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 22. The Moabites rose early in the morning, when the sun was shining on the water. They saw the water on the other side being as red as blood. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 23. So they said, “This is blood. The kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another. Now Moab, to the spoils!” 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 24. They entered the camp of Israel; and Israel rose and smote Moab, and they fled before them. They pursued them and killed the Moabites as they went. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 25. They razed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; they stopped every spring; cut down all the good trees, leaving only the stones of the wall; and they pulled down the sling-throwers that surrounded them and broke them. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 26. When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took seven hundred men with him who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not. 4 Kingdoms 3, verse 27. Then he took his firstborn son who would rule in his place, and up against the wall they offered him up as a burnt offering. Then a great remorse came upon Israel, and they departed from him and turned back toward their land.