2 Kings 3
The Reign of Jehoram of
Israel |
1 |
Now Jeho'ram the son of Ahab began to
reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehosh'aphat
king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
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2 |
And he wrought evil in the sight of the
LORD; but not like his father, and like his
mother: for he put away the image of Ba'al that his father had
made.
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3 |
Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of
Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed
not therefrom.
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Elisha Predicts Victory
over Moab |
4 |
And Mesha king of Moab was a
sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel a hundred thousand
lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
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5 |
But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead,
that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
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6 |
And king Jeho'ram went out of Samaria the
same time, and numbered all Israel.
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7 |
And he went and sent to Jehosh'aphat the
king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me:
wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go
up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
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8 |
And he said, Which way shall we go up?
And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
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9 |
So the king of Israel went, and the
king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of
seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for
the cattle that followed them.
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10 |
And the king of Israel said, Alas! that
the LORD hath called these three kings
together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
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11 |
But Jehosh'aphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may
inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king
of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Eli'sha the
son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of
Eli'jah.
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12 |
And Jehosh'aphat said, The word of the
LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and
Jehosh'aphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
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13 |
And Eli'sha said unto the king of
Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy
father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel
said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called
these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of
Moab.
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14 |
And Eli'sha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely,
were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosh'aphat the king of
Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
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15 |
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came
to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
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16 |
And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
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17 |
For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see
rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink,
both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
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18 |
And this is but a light thing in
the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the
Moabites also into your hand.
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19 |
And ye shall smite every fenced city, and
every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all
wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with
stones.
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20 |
And it came to pass in the morning, when
the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the
way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
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21 |
And when all the Moabites heard that
the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that
were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood in the
border.
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22 |
And they rose up early in the morning,
and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on
the other side as red as blood:
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23 |
and they said, This is blood: the
kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now
therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
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24 |
And when they came to the camp of Israel,
the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled
before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
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25 |
And they beat down the cities, and on
every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it;
and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good
trees: only in Kir-har'aseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit
the slingers went about it, and smote it.
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26 |
And when the king of Moab saw that the
battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that
drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but
they could not.
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27 |
Then he took his eldest son that should
have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt
offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against
Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
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