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2 Kings 3:1-27 — Moab Revolts

2Kgs.3.1-27

¹Now Jehoram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. ²He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and like his mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. ³Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. ⁴Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he used to pay the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. ⁵But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶So King Jehoram went out from Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷He went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people are as your people, my horses are as your horses.” ⁸Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?” He answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.” ⁹So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They marched on a roundabout route for seven days, and there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. ¹⁰The king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” ¹¹But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” ¹²Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. ¹³Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” ¹⁴Elisha said, "As the LORD of Hosts lives, in whose presence I stand, were it not that I have regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you. ¹⁵But now bring me a musician." And it happened that while the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him. ¹⁶And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Make this valley full of many ditches.' ¹⁷For thus says the LORD: 'You will not see wind, and you will not see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, you and your livestock and your animals.' ¹⁸This is an easy thing in the sight of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. ¹⁹You shall strike down every fortified city and every choice city, and you shall cut down every good tree, and stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones." ²⁰In the morning, at the time of offering the morning sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with water. ²¹Now all Moab heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So they were summoned together, all who were able to put on a belt and older, and they stood at the border. ²²They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and Moab saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³They said, “This is blood! The kings have surely fought each other and struck one another down. Now then, to the plunder, Moab!” ²⁴But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck Moab, so that they fled before them. And they went forward into the land, striking down Moab. ²⁵They tore down the cities, and on every good piece of land each man threw his stone and filled it. They stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree, until only the stones of Kir-hareseth were left in it; but the slingers surrounded it and struck it. ²⁶When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew the sword to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. ²⁷Then he took his firstborn son, who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, so the allied forces withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

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4/11/2026

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