II Kings 3 · מלכים ב

Now Yehoram the son of Aĥ᾽av became king over Yisra᾽el in Shomeron in the eighteenth year of Yehoshafat king of Yehuda, and he reigned for twelve years.

And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the pillar of the Ba῾al that his father had made.

Nevertheless he held fast to the sins of Yorov῾am the son of Nevat, who made Yisra᾽el to sin; he departed not from that.

And Mesha king of Mo᾽av was a sheepmaster, and delivered to the king of Yisra᾽el a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

But it came to pass, when Aĥ᾽av was dead, that the king of Mo᾽av rebelled against the king of Yisra᾽el.

And king Yehoram went out of Shomeron on the same day, and mustered all Yisra᾽el.

And he went and sent to Yehoshafat king of Yehuda, saying, The king of Mo᾽av has rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Mo᾽av 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.

And he said, Which way shall we go up? and he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

So the king of Yisra᾽el went, and the king of Yehuda, and the king of Edom: and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the camp, and for the cattle that followed them.

And the king of Yisra᾽el said, Alas! that the Lord has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Mo᾽av!

But Yehoshafat 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 Yisra᾽el’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shafat, who poured water on the hands of Eliyyahu.

And Yehoshafat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Yisra᾽el and Yehoshafat, and the king of Edom went down to him.

And Elisha said to the king of Yisra᾽el, 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 Yisra᾽el said to him, No: for the Lord has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Mo᾽av.

And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I have regard for the presence of Yehoshafat the king of Yehuda, I would not look towards thee, nor see thee.

But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.

And he said, Thus says the Lord, Make this wadi full of trenches.

For thus says the Lord, You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain; yet that wadi shall be filled with water, that you may drink, both you, and your cattle, and your beasts.

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: for he will deliver Mo᾽av also into your hand.

And you shall smite every fortified 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.

And it came to pass in the morning, when the meal offering was offered, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

And when all Mo᾽av heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood on the border.

And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and Mo᾽av saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

and they said, This is blood: the kings have fought together, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Mo᾽av, to the spoil.

And when they came to the camp of Yisra᾽el, Yisra᾽el rose up and smote Mo᾽av, so that they fled before them: but they went on smiting Mo᾽av,

and they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land every man cast his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: until only the stones were left in Qir-ĥareset; and the slingers surrounded it, and smote it.

And when the king of Mo᾽av saw that the battle was too hard for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen, to break through to the king of Edom: but they could not.

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 Yisra᾽el: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.