3In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twelve years.H3088H1121H256H4427H3478H8111H8083H6240H8141H3092H4428H3063H4427H8147H6240H81412He sinned against the LORD, but he was not as bad as his father or his mother Jezebel; he pulled down the image his father had made for the worship of Baal.H6213H7451H5869H3068H1H517H5493H4676H1168H1H62133Yet, like King Jeroboam son of Nebat before him, he led Israel into sin and would not stop.H1692H2403H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398H54934King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, and every year he gave as tribute to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 sheep.H4338H4428H4124H5349H7725H4428H3478H3967H505H3733H3967H505H352H67855But when King Ahab of Israel died, Mesha rebelled against Israel.H256H4194H4428H4124H6586H4428H34786At once King Joram left Samaria and gathered all his troops.H4428H3088H3318H8111H3117H6485H34787He sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you join me in war against him?" "I will," King Jehoshaphat replied. "I am at your disposal, and so are my men and my horses.H3212H7971H3092H4428H3063H559H4428H4124H6586H3212H4124H4421H559H5927H5971H5971H5483H54838What route shall we take for the attack?" "We will go the long way through the wilderness of Edom," Joram answered.H559H1870H5927H559H1870H4057H1239So King Joram and the kings of Judah and Edom set out. After marching seven days, they ran out of water, and there was none left for the men or the pack animals.H4428H3478H3212H4428H3063H4428H123H5437H7651H3117H1870H4325H4264H929H727210"We're done for!" King Joram exclaimed. "The LORD has put the three of us at the mercy of the king of Moab!"H4428H3478H559H162H3068H7121H7969H4428H7121H5414H3027H412411King Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet here through whom we can consult the LORD?" An officer of King Joram's forces answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's assistant."H3092H559H5030H3068H1875H3068H259H4428H3478H5650H6030H559H477H1121H8202H3332H4325H3027H45212"He is a true prophet," King Jehoshaphat said. So the three kings went to Elisha.H3092H559H1697H3068H3426H4428H3478H3092H4428H123H338113"Why should I help you?" Elisha said to the king of Israel. "Go and consult those prophets that your father and mother consulted." "No!" Joram replied. "It is the LORD who has put us three kings at the mercy of the king of Moab."H477H559H4428H3478H3212H5030H1H5030H517H4428H3478H559H3068H7121H7969H4428H7121H5414H3027H412414Elisha answered, "By the living LORD, whom I serve, I swear that I would have nothing to do with you if I didn't respect your ally, King Jehoshaphat of Judah.H477H559H3068H6635H2416H6440H5975H3884H5375H6440H3092H4428H3063H5027H720015Now get me a musician." As the musician played his harp, the power of the LORD came on Elisha,H3947H5059H5059H5059H3027H306816and he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Dig ditches all over this dry stream bed.H559H559H3068H6213H5158H135617Even though you will not see any rain or wind, this stream bed will be filled with water, and you, your livestock, and your pack animals will have plenty to drink.' "H559H3068H7200H7307H7200H1653H5158H4390H4325H8354H4735H92918And Elisha continued, "But this is an easy thing for the LORD to do; he will also give you victory over the Moabites.H7043H5869H3068H5414H4124H302719You will conquer all their beautiful fortified cities; you will cut down all their fruit trees, stop all their springs, and ruin all their fertile fields by covering them with stones."H5221H4013H5892H4004H5892H5307H2896H6086H5640H4599H4325H3510H2896H2513H6820The next morning, at the time of the regular morning sacrifice, water came flowing from the direction of Edom and covered the ground.H1242H4503H5927H935H4325H1870H123H776H4390H432521When the Moabites heard that the three kings had come to attack them, all the men who could bear arms, from the oldest to the youngest, were called out and stationed at the border.H4124H8085H4428H5927H3898H6817H2296H2290H4605H5975H136622When they got up the following morning, the sun was shining on the water, making it look as red as blood.H7925H1242H8121H2224H4325H4124H7200H4325H5048H122H181823"It's blood!" they exclaimed. "The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!"H559H1818H4428H2717H2717H5221H376H7453H4124H799824But when they reached the camp, the Israelites attacked them and drove them back. The Israelites kept up the pursuit, slaughtering the MoabitesH935H4264H3478H3478H6965H5221H4124H5127H6440H5221H5221H412425and destroying their cities. As they passed by a fertile field, every Israelite would throw a stone on it until finally all the fields were covered; they also stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees. At last only the capital city of Kir Heres was left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.H2040H5892H2896H2513H7993H376H68H4390H5640H4599H4325H5307H2896H6086H7025H7604H68H7051H5437H522126When the king of Moab realized that he was losing the battle, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him and tried to force his way through the enemy lines and escape to the king of Syria, but he failed.H4428H4124H7200H4421H2388H3947H7651H3967H376H8025H2719H1234H4428H123H320127So he took his oldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they drew back from the city and returned to their own country.H3947H1060H1121H4427H5927H5930H2346H1419H7110H3478H5265H7725H776
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