The Father Gives Victory over Moab
3 1 Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of our Father, though not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Yet he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he used to pay the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Joram set out from Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 He 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 replied, "I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
8 Then he asked, "By which way shall we go up?" And he answered, "By the way of the wilderness of Edom."
9 So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They marched a roundabout way for seven days, and there was no water for the army or for the animals following them. 10 The king of Israel said, "Alas! For our Father has summoned these three kings only to give them into the hand of Moab." 1 1 v10 Even this faithless king, quick to blame, still belongs to the covenant family — he names the very Father he distrusts.
11 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of our Father here, through whom we may inquire of our Father?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."
12 Jehoshaphat said, "The word of our Father is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for our Father has summoned these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab."
14 Elisha said, "As the Father of heaven's armies lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or notice you." 15 "But now bring me a musician." And when the musician played, the hand of our Father came upon him.
16 He said, "This is what our Father says: Make this valley full of ditches." 17 "For this is what our Father says: You will not see wind, and you will not see rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, so that you will drink—you, your livestock, and your animals." 18 "This is a trivial thing in the eyes of our Father; he will also give Moab into your hand." 19 "You will strike down every fortified city and every choice city, fell every good tree, stop up all the springs of water, and ruin every good field with stones."
20 In the morning, at the time of the grain offering, water suddenly came flowing from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, and everyone old enough to bear arms and older was called out, and they took their stand at the border. 22 When they rose early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them red as blood. 23 They said, "This is blood! The kings have surely fought and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the plunder!"
24 But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who fled before them. And Israel pressed forward into the land, striking the Moabites down as they went. 25 They tore down the cities, and on every good field each man threw his stone until it was covered. They stopped up every spring of water and felled every good tree, until only the stones of Kir-hareseth were left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 Then he took his firstborn son, who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great wrath came against Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.