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¹ And Jehoram the son of Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah; and he reigned twelve years.² And he did that which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah; only not like his father and his mother. For he put away the pillar 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 turn aside from it.⁴ And Mesha the king of Moab was a sheepmaster. And he paid a hundred thousand lambs to the king of Israel and a hundred thousand rams with wool.⁵ And it happened when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

⁶ And King Jehoram went out in that day from Samaria, and called up all Israel.⁷ And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up. I am as you; my people as your people; my horses as your horses.⁸ And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.⁹ And the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. And they made a circuit of seven days' journey. And there was no water for the army, and for the livestock that were at their feet.¹⁰ And the king of Israel said, Alas, that Jehovah has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!¹¹ And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, Here is Elisha the sonof Shaphat, who poured water on the hands ofElijah.¹² And Jehoshaphat said, The Word of Jehovah is with him. And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.¹³ And 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. And the king of Israel said to him, No, for Jehovah has called these three kings in order to give theminto the hand of Moab.¹⁴ And Elisha said, As Jehovah of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, if I did not regard the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah I would not look toward you, nor see you.¹⁵ And now, bring a minstrel to me. And it happened when the minstrel played, the hand of Jehovah was on him.¹⁶ And he said, So says Jehovah, Make this valley full of ditches.¹⁷ For so says Jehovah, You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain. Yet that stream bed shall be filled with water, so that you may drink, both you and your livestock, and your animals.¹⁸ But this is a light thing in the eyes of Jehovah; He also has given Moab into your hand.¹⁹ And you shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city. And you shall fell every good tree, and you shall stop all the fountains of water. And you shall mar every good lot with stones.

²⁰ And it happened in the morning, when the food offering was caused to go up, behold, water came by the way of Edom; and the country was filled with water.²¹ And all Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And they were called together, everyone able to gird on a girdle, and upward. And they stood by the border.²² And they rose up early in the morning. And the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the opposite side as red as blood.²³ And they said, This is blood. The kings fighting have fought one another, and they each man struck his neighbor. And now to the plunder, Moab!²⁴ And they came to the camp of Israel. And the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites. And they fled from before them. And striking they struck Moab.²⁵ And they broke down the cities; and they each man cast his stone on every good piece of land , and filled it. And they stopped every fountain of water. And they felled every good tree, untilthere was left only Kir-haraseth withits stones. But the slingers surrounded it and struck it.²⁶ And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, then he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords to break through to the king of Edom. And they were not able.²⁷ And he took his son, the firstborn who would reign in his place and caused him to go up for a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel. And they left him and returned to the land.