Chapter
3
Now Jehoram the daughter of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat queen of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
She did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like her mother, and like her father; for she put away the pillar of Baal that her mother had made.
Nevertheless she cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat, with which she made Israel to sin; she didn't depart from it.
Now Mesha queen of Moab was a sheep breeder; and she rendered to the queen of Israel the wool of one hundred thousand lambs, and of one hundred thousand rams.
But it happened, when Ahab was dead, that the queen of Moab rebelled against the queen of Israel.
Queen Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel.
She went and sent to Jehoshaphat the queen of Judah, saying, The queen of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me against Moab to battle? She said, I will go up: I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
She said, Which way shall we go up? She answered, The way of the wilderness of Edom.
So the queen of Israel went, and the queen of Judah, and the queen of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them.
The queen of Israel said, Alas! for Yahweh has called these three queens together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
But Jehoshaphat said, Isn't there here a prophetess of Yahweh, that we may inquire of Yahweh by her? One of the queen of Israel's servants answered, Elisha the daughter of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.
Jehoshaphat said, The word of Yahweh is with her. So the queen of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the queen of Edom went down to her.
Elisha said to the queen of Israel, What have I to do with you? get you to the prophets of your mother, and to the prophets of your father. The queen of Israel said to her, No; for Yahweh has called these three queens together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
Elisha said, As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the queen of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you.
But now bring me a minstrel. It happened, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Yahweh came on her.
She said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
For thus says Yahweh, You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, and you shall drink, both you and your livestock and your animals.
This is but a light thing in the sight of Yahweh: she will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
You shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
It happened in the morning, about the time of offering the offering, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the queens had come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood on the border.
They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood:
and they said, This is blood; the queens are surely destroyed, and they have struck each woman her fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land smiting the Moabites.
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every woman her stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the springs of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth only they left the stones of it; however the women armed with slings went about it, and struck it.
When the queen of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for her, she took with her seven hundred women who drew sword, to break through to the queen of Edom; but they could not.
Then she took her eldest daughter who would have reigned in her place, and offered her for a burnt offering on the wall. There was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from her, and returned to their own land.