Dual Panel1In the eighteenth <06240> <08083> year <08141> of King <04428> Jehoshaphat’s <03092> reign over Judah <03063>, Ahab’s <0256> son <01121> Jehoram <03088> became king <04427> over <05921> Israel <03478> in Samaria <08111>; he ruled <04427> for twelve <06240> <08147> years <08141>.
2He did <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068>, but <07535> not <03808> to the same degree as his father <01> and mother <0517>. He did remove <05493> the sacred pillar <04676> of Baal <01168> that <0834> his father <01> had made <06213>.
3Yet <07535> he persisted <01692> in the sins <02403> of Jeroboam <03379> son <01121> of Nebat <05028>, who <0834> encouraged <02398> Israel <03478> to sin <02398>; he did not <03808> turn <05493> from <04480> them.
4Now King <04428> Mesha <04338> of Moab <04124> was <01961> a sheep breeder <05349>. He would send as tribute <07725> to the king <04428> of Israel <03478> 100,000 <0505> <03967> male lambs <03733> and the wool <06785> of 100,000 <0505> <03967> rams <0352>.
5When <01961> Ahab <0256> died <04194>, the king <04428> of Moab <04124> rebelled <06586> against the king <04428> of Israel <03478>.
6At that <01931> time <03117> King <04428> Jehoram <03088> left <03318> Samaria <08111> and assembled <06485> all <03605> Israel <03478> for war.
7He sent <07971> this message to <0413> King <04428> Jehoshaphat <03092> of Judah <03063>: “The king <04428> of Moab <04124> has rebelled against <06586> me. Will you fight <04421> with <0854> me against <0413> Moab <04124>?” Jehoshaphat replied <0559>, “I will join <05927> you in the campaign; my army <05971> and horses <05483> are at your disposal.”
8He then asked <0559>, “Which <0335> invasion route <01870> are we going to take <05927>?” Jehoram answered <0559>, “By the road <01870> through the Desert <04057> of Edom <0123>.”
9So <01980> the kings <04428> of Israel <03478>, Judah <03063>, and Edom <0123> set out together. They wandered around <05437> on the road <01870> for seven <07651> days <03117> and finally ran out <01961> <03808> of water <04325> for the men <04264> and animals <0929> they had with them.
10The king <04428> of Israel <03478> said <0559>, “Oh <0162> no! Certainly <03588> the Lord <03069> has summoned <07121> these <0428> three <07969> kings <04428> so that he can hand <03027> <05414> them over <03027> <05414> to the king of Moab <04124>!”
11Jehoshaphat <03092> asked <0559>, “Is there no <0369> prophet <05030> of the Lord <03068> here <06311> that we might seek <01875> the Lord’s <03068> direction <06030>?” One <0259> of the servants <05650> of the king <04428> of Israel <03478> answered <0559>, “Elisha <0477> son <01121> of Shapat <08202> is here <06311>; he used to be Elijah’s <0452> servant.”
12Jehoshaphat <03092> said <0559>, “The Lord <03068> speaks through <0854> him.” So the king <04428> of Israel <03478> and Jehoshaphat <03092> and the king <04428> of Edom <0123> went down <03381> to visit <0413> him.
13Elisha <0477> said <0559> to <0413> the king <04428> of Israel <03478>, “Why <04100> are you here? Go <01980> to <0413> your father’s <01> prophets <05030> or your mother’s <0517> prophets <05030>!” The king <04428> of Israel <03478> replied <0559> to him, “No <0408>, for <03588> the Lord <03068> is the one who summoned <07121> these <0428> three <07969> kings <04428> so that he can hand <03027> <05414> them over <03027> <05414> to Moab <04124>.”
14Elisha <0477> said <0559>, “As certainly as the Lord <03068> who rules over all <06635> lives <02416> (whom <0834> I serve <06440> <05975>), if <03588> I did not <03884> respect <05375> King <04428> Jehoshaphat <03092> of Judah <03063>, I <0589> would not <0518> pay attention <05027> to <0413> you or <0518> acknowledge <07200> you.
15But now <06258>, get <03947> me a musician <05059>.” When the musician <05059> played <05059>, the Lord <03068> energized <03027> <05921> him,
16and he said <0559>, “This is what <03541> the Lord <03068> says <0559>, ‘Make <06213> many <01356> cisterns <01356> in this <02088> valley <05158>,’
17for <03588> this is what <03541> the Lord <03068> says <0559>, ‘You will not <03808> feel <07200> any wind <07307> or <03808> see <07200> any rain <01653>, but this valley <05158> will be full <04390> of water <04325> and you <0859> and your cattle <04735> and animals <0929> will drink <08354>.’
18This <02063> is an easy task <07043> for the Lord <03068>; he will also hand <05414> Moab <04124> over <05414> to you.
19You will defeat <05221> every <03605> fortified <04013> city <05892> and every <03605> important <04004> city <05892>. You must chop down <05307> every <03605> productive <02896> tree <06086>, stop up <05640> all <03605> the springs <04325> <04599>, and cover <03510> all <03605> the cultivated <02896> land <02513> with stones <068>.”
20Sure enough, the next <05927> morning <01242>, at the time of the morning sacrifice <04503>, water <04325> came <0935> flowing down <01870> from Edom <0123> and filled <04390> the land <0776>.
21Now all <03605> Moab <04124> had heard <08085> that <03588> the kings <04428> were attacking <03898> <05927>, so everyone <03605> old enough <04605> to fight <02290> <02296> was mustered <06817> and placed <05975> at <05921> the border <01366>.
22When they got up early <07925> the next morning <01242>, the sun <08121> was shining <02224> on <05921> the water <04325>. To the Moabites <04124>, who were some distance <05048> away, the water <04325> looked red <0122> like blood <01818>.
23The Moabites said <0559>, “It’s <02088> blood <01818>! The kings <04428> are totally destroyed <02717> <02717>! They have struck <05221> one <0376> another <07453> down <05221>! Now <06258>, Moab <04124>, seize the plunder <07998>!”
24When they approached <0935> the Israelite <03478> camp <04264>, the Israelites <03478> rose up <06965> and struck down <05221> the Moabites <04124>, who then ran <05127> from <06440> them. The Israelites thoroughly defeated <05221> Moab <04124>.
25They tore down <02040> the cities <05892> and each man <0376> threw <07993> a stone <068> into every <03605> cultivated <02896> field <02513> until they were covered <04390>. They stopped up <05640> every <03605> spring <04325> <04599> and chopped down <05307> every <03605> productive <02896> tree <06086>. Only <05704> Kir Hareseth <07025> was left <07604> intact <068>, but the slingers <07051> surrounded <05437> it and attacked <05221> it.
26When the king <04428> of Moab <04124> realized <07200> he was losing <02388> the battle <04421>, he and 700 <03967> <07651> swordsmen <02719> <08025> <0376> tried to break through <01234> and attack the king <04428> of Edom <0123>, but they failed <03201> <03808>.
27So he took <03947> his firstborn <01060> son <01121>, who <0834> was to succeed <08478> him as king <04427>, and offered <05927> him up <05927> as a burnt sacrifice <05930> on <05921> the wall <02346>. There was an outburst <01961> of divine <01419> anger <07110> against <05921> Israel <03478>, so they broke off <05265> the attack and returned <07725> to their homeland <0776>.