2Kings 3:15 - Prayer Tents



Share: Select All button

Previous ChapterNext ChapterReduce Font SizeIncrease Font Size
2Kings 3
The Message Help

Joram of Israel

3Joram son of Ahab began his rule over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He was king for twelve years.H3088H1121H256H4427H3478H8111H8083H6240H8141H3092H4428H3063H4427H8147H6240H8141 2In GOD's sight he was a bad king. But he wasn't as bad as his father and mother—to his credit he destroyed the obscene Baal stone that his father had made.H6213H7451H5869H3068H1H517H5493H4676H1168H1H6213 3But he hung on to the sinful practices of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the ones that had corrupted Israel for so long. He wasn't about to give them up.H1692H2403H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398H5493 4King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. He was forced to give the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and another hundred thousand rams.H4338H4428H4124H5349H7725H4428H3478H3967H505H3733H3967H505H352H6785 5When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.H256H4194H4428H4124H6586H4428H3478 6So King Joram set out from Samaria and prepared Israel for war.H4428H3088H3318H8111H3117H6485H3478 7His first move was to send a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Would you join me and fight him?" "I'm with you all the way," said Jehoshaphat. "My troops are your troops, my horses are your horses.H3212H7971H3092H4428H3063H559H4428H4124H6586H3212H4124H4421H559H5927H5971H5971H5483H5483 8Which route shall we take?" "Through the badlands of Edom."H559H1870H5927H559H1870H4057H123 9The king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom started out on what proved to be a looping detour. After seven days they had run out of water for both army and animals.H4428H3478H3212H4428H3063H4428H123H5437H7651H3117H1870H4325H4264H929H7272 10The king of Israel said, "Bad news! GOD has gotten us three kings out here to dump us into the hand of Moab."H4428H3478H559H162H3068H7121H7969H4428H7121H5414H3027H4124 11But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there a prophet of GOD anywhere around through whom we can consult GOD?" One of the servants of the king of Israel said, "Elisha son of Shaphat is around somewhere—the one who was Elijah's right-hand man."H3092H559H5030H3068H1875H3068H259H4428H3478H5650H6030H559H477H1121H8202H3332H4325H3027H452 12Jehoshaphat said, "Good! A man we can trust!" So the three of them—the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom—went to meet him.H3092H559H1697H3068H3426H4428H3478H3092H4428H123H3381 13Elisha addressed the king of Israel, "What do you and I have in common? Go consult the puppet-prophets of your father and mother." "Never!" said the king of Israel. "It's GOD who has gotten us into this fix, dumping all three of us kings into the hand of Moab."H477H559H4428H3478H3212H5030H1H5030H517H4428H3478H559H3068H7121H7969H4428H7121H5414H3027H4124 14Elisha said, "As GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies lives, and before whom I stand ready to serve, if it weren't for the respect I have for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I wouldn't give you the time of day.H477H559H3068H6635H2416H6440H5975H3884H5375H6440H3092H4428H3063H5027H7200 15But considering—bring me a minstrel." (When a minstrel played, the power of GOD came on Elisha.)H3947H5059H5059H5059H3027H3068 16He then said, "GOD's word: Dig ditches all over this valley.H559H559H3068H6213H5158H1356 17Here's what will happen—you won't hear the wind, you won't see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill.H559H3068H7200H7307H7200H1653H5158H4390H4325H8354H4735H929 18This is easy for GOD to do; he will also hand over Moab to you.H7043H5869H3068H5414H4124H3027 19You will ravage the country: Knock out its fortifications, level the key villages, clear-cut the orchards, clog the springs, and litter the cultivated fields with stones."H5221H4013H5892H4004H5892H5307H2896H6086H5640H4599H4325H3510H2896H2513H68 20In the morning—it was at the hour of morning sacrifice—the water had arrived, water pouring in from the west, from Edom, a flash-flood filling the valley with water.H1242H4503H5927H935H4325H1870H123H776H4390H4325 21By this time everyone in Moab had heard that the kings had come up to make war against them. Everyone who was able to handle a sword was called into service and took a stand at the border.H4124H8085H4428H5927H3898H6817H2296H2290H4605H5975H1366 22They were up and ready early in the morning when the sun rose over the water. From where the Moabites stood, the water reflecting the sun looked red, like blood.H7925H1242H8121H2224H4325H4124H7200H4325H5048H122H1818 23"Blood! Look at the blood!" they said. "The kings must have fought each other—a bloody massacre! Go for the loot, Moab!"H559H1818H4428H2717H2717H5221H376H7453H4124H7998 24When Moab entered the camp of Israel, the Israelites were up on their feet killing Moabites right and left, the Moabites running for their lives, Israelites relentless in pursuit—a slaughter.H935H4264H3478H3478H6965H5221H4124H5127H6440H5221H5221H4124 25They leveled the towns, littered the cultivated fields with rocks, clogged the springs, and clear-cut the orchards. Only the capital, Kir Hareseth, was left intact, and that not for long; it too was surrounded and attacked with thrown and flung rocks.H2040H5892H2896H2513H7993H376H68H4390H5640H4599H4325H5307H2896H6086H7025H7604H68H7051H5437H5221 26When the king of Moab realized that he was fighting a losing battle, he took seven hundred swordsmen to hack a corridor past the king of Edom, but they didn't make it.H4428H4124H7200H4421H2388H3947H7651H3967H376H8025H2719H1234H4428H123H3201 27Then he took his son, his firstborn who would succeed him as king, and sacrificed him on the city wall. That set off furious anger against Israel. Israel pulled back and returned home.H3947H1060H1121H4427H5927H5930H2346H1419H7110H3478H5265H7725H776


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
Old Testament
  • 25. Lamentations (5)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 29. Joel (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 31. Obadiah (1)
  • 1
  • 34. Nahum (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 35. Habakkuk (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 36. Zephaniah (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 37. Haggai (2)
  • 1
  • 2

New Testament
  • 50. Philippians (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 51. Colossians (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 52. 1 Thessalonians (5)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 53. 2 Thessalonians (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 55. 2 Timothy (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 56. Titus (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 57. Philemon (1)
  • 1
  • 61. 2 Peter (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 63. 2 John (1)
  • 1
  • 64. 3 John (1)
  • 1
  • 65. Jude (1)
  • 1
Please login to see history of your searches
Table of Contents
Hide Subtitles
Hide Footnotes
Spacing: 0 1 2 3
Verse Numbers Toggle
Strong Numbers Toggle
Info Language ArrowReturn to top