2 Könige 3

1And Joram the son of Achab reigned over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Josaphat king of Juda. And he reigned twelve years.

2And he did evil before the Lord, but not like his father and his mother: for he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.

3Nevertheless he stuck to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, nor did he depart from them.

4Now Mesa, king of Moab, nourished many sheep, and he paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams with their fleeces.

5And when Achab was dead, he broke the league which he had made with the king of Israel.

6And king Joram went out that day from Samaria, and mustered all Israel.

7And he sent to Josaphat king of Juda, saying: The king of Moab is revolted from me, come with me against him to battle. And he answered: I will come up: he that is mine, is thine: my people, thy people: and my horses, thy horses.

8And he said: Which way shall we go up? But he answered: By the desert of Edom.

9So the king of Israel, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom went, and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army, and for the beasts, that followed them.

10And the king of Israel said: Alas, alas, alas, the Lord hath gathered us three kings together, to deliver us into the hands of Moab!

11And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered: Here is Eliseus the son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Elias.

12And Josaphat said: The word of the Lord is with him. And the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, and the king of Edom went down to him.

13And Eliseus said to the king of Israel: What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him: Why hath the Lord gathered together these three kings, to deliver them into the hands of Moab?

14And Eliseus said to him: As the Lord of hosts liveth, in whose sight I stand, if I did not reverence the face of Josaphat king of Juda, I would not have hearkened to thee, nor looked on thee.

15But now bring me hither a minstrel. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he said:

16Thus saith the Lord: Make the channel of this torrent full of ditches.

17For thus saith the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor rain: and yet this channel shall be filled with waters, and you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts.

18And this is a small thing in the sight of the Lord: moreover he will deliver also Moab into your hands.

19And you shall destroy every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall cut down every fruitful tree, and shall stop up all the springs of waters, and every goodly field you shall cover with stones.

20And it came to pass in the morning, when the sacrifices used to be offered, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21And all the Moabites hearing that the kings were come up to fight against them, gathered together all that were girded with a belt upon them, and stood in the borders.

22And they rose early in the morning, and the sun being now up, and shining upon the waters, the Moabites saw the waters over against them red, like blood,

23And they said: It is the blood of the sword: the kings have fought among themselves, and they have killed one another: go now, Moab, to the spoils.

24And they went into the camp of Israel: but Israel rising up defeated Moab, who fled before them. And they being conquerors, went and smote Moab.

25And they destroyed the cities: and they filled every goodly field, every man casting his stone: and they stopt up all the springs of waters: and cut down all the trees that bore fruit, so that brick walls only remained: and the city was beset by the slingers, and a great part thereof destroyed.

26And when the king of Moab saw this, to wit, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men that drew the sword, to break in upon the king of Edom: but they could not.

27Then 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 in Israel, and presently they departed from him, and returned into their own country.

1Joram vero filius Achab regnavit super Israël in Samaria anno decimooctavo Josaphat regis Judæ: regnavitque duodecim annis.

2Et fecit malum coram Domino, sed non sicut pater suus et mater: tulit enim statuas Baal quas fecerat pater ejus.

3Verumtamen in peccatis Jeroboam filii Nabat, qui peccare fecit Israël, adhæsit, nec recessit ab eis.

4Porro Mesa rex Moab nutriebat pecora multa, et solvebat regi Israël centum millia agnorum, et centum millia arietum cum velleribus suis.

5Cumque mortuus fuisset Achab, prævaricatus est fœdus quod habebat cum rege Israël.

6Egressus est igitur rex Joram in die illa de Samaria, et recensuit universum Israël.

7Misitque ad Josaphat regem Juda, dicens: Rex Moab recessit a me: veni mecum contra eum ad prælium. Qui respondit: Ascendam: qui meus est, tuus est: populus meus, populus tuus, et equi mei, equi tui.

8Dixitque: Per quam viam ascendemus? At ille respondit: Per desertum Idumææ.

9Perrexerunt igitur rex Israël, et rex Juda, et rex Edom, et circuierunt per viam septem dierum, nec erat aqua exercitui et jumentis quæ sequebantur eos.

10Dixitque rex Israël: Heu ! heu ! heu ! congregavit nos Dominus tres reges ut traderet in manus Moab.

11Et ait Josaphat: Estne hic propheta Domini, ut deprecemur Dominum per eum? Et respondit unus de servis regis Israël: Est hic Eliseus filius Saphat, qui fundebat aquam super manus Eliæ.

12Et ait Josaphat: Est apud eum sermo Domini. Descenditque ad eum rex Israël, et Josaphat rex Juda, et rex Edom.

13Dixit autem Eliseus ad regem Israël: Quid mihi et tibi est? vade ad prophetas patris tui et matris tuæ. Et ait illi rex Israël: Quare congregavit Dominus tres reges hos ut traderet eos in manus Moab?

14Dixitque ad eum Eliseus: Vivit Dominus exercituum, in cujus conspectu sto, quod si non vultum Josaphat regis Judæ erubescerem, non attendissem quidem te, nec respexissem.

15Nunc autem adducite mihi psaltem. Cumque caneret psaltes, facta est super eum manus Domini, et ait:

16Hæc dicit Dominus: Facite alveum torrentis hujus fossas et fossas.

17Hæc enim dicit Dominus: Non videbitis ventum, neque pluviam: et alveus iste replebitur aquis, et bibetis vos, et familiæ vestræ, et jumenta vestra.

18Parumque est hoc in conspectu Domini: insuper tradet etiam Moab in manus vestras.

19Et percutietis omnem civitatem munitam, et omnem urbem electam, et universum lignum fructiferum succidetis, cunctosque fontes aquarum obturabitis, et omnem agrum egregium operietis lapidibus.

20Factum est igitur mane, quando sacrificium offerri solet, et ecce aquæ veniebant per viam Edom, et repleta est terra aquis.

21Universi autem Moabitæ audientes quod ascendissent reges ut pugnarent adversum eos, convocaverunt omnes qui accincti erant balteo desuper, et steterunt in terminis.

22Primoque mane surgentes, et orto jam sole ex adverso aquarum, viderunt Moabitæ e contra aquas rubras quasi sanguinem,

23dixeruntque: Sanguis gladii est: pugnaverunt reges contra se, et cæsi sunt mutuo: nunc perge ad prædam, Moab.

24Perrexeruntque in castra Israël: porro consurgens Israël, percussit Moab: at illi fugerunt coram eis. Venerunt igitur qui vicerant, et percusserunt Moab,

25et civitates destruxerunt: et omnem agrum optimum, mittentes singuli lapides, repleverunt: et universos fontes aquarum obturaverunt: et omnia ligna fructifera succiderunt, ita ut muri tantum fictiles remanerent: et circumdata est civitas a fundibulariis, et magna ex parte percussa.

26Quod cum vidisset rex Moab, prævaluisse scilicet hostes, tulit secum septingentos viros educentes gladium, ut irrumperent ad regem Edom: et non potuerunt.

27Arripiensque filium suum primogenitum, qui regnaturus erat pro eo, obtulit holocaustum super murum: et facta est indignatio magna in Israël, statimque recesserunt ab eo, et reversi sunt in terram suam.

1Truly, Joram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. And he reigned for twelve years.

2And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as his father and mother did. For he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.

3Yet truly, he did adhere to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; neither did he withdraw from these.

4Now Mesha, the king of Moab, raised many sheep. And he repaid to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs, and one hundred thousand rams, with their fleece.

5And when Ahab had died, he transgressed the pact that he had with the king of Israel.

6Therefore, king Joram departed on that day from Samaria, and he took a count of all of Israel.

7And he sent to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying: “The king of Moab has withdrawn from me. Come to battle with me against him.” And he responded: “I will go up. What is mine, is yours. My people are your people. And my horses are your horses.”

8And he said, “Along which way shall we ascend?” So he responded, “Along the desert of Idumea.”

9Therefore, the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Idumea, traveled, and they went by a circuitous path for seven days. But there was no water for the army or for the beasts of burden which were following them.

10And the king of Israel said: “Alas, alas, alas! The Lord has gathered we three kings, so that he might deliver us into the hands of Moab.”

11And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, so that we may appeal to the Lord through him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel responded, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who poured water upon the hands of Elijah.”

12And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” And so, the king of Israel, with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and with the king of Idumea, descended to him.

13Then Elisha said to the king of Israel: “What is there between you and me? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Why has the Lord gathered these three kings, so that he might deliver them into the hands of Moab?”

14And Elisha said to him: “As the Lord of hosts lives, in whose sight I stand, if I was not humbled by the face of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, certainly I would neither have listened to you, nor have looked upon you.

15But now, bring a musician to me.” And while the musician was playing, the hand of the Lord fell upon him, and he said:

16“Thus says the Lord: Make, in the channel of this torrent, pit after pit.

17For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind or rain. And yet this channel shall be filled with water. And you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts of burden.

18And this is small in the sight of the Lord. So, in addition, he will also deliver Moab into your hands.

19And you shall strike every fortified town and every elect city. And you shall cut down every fruitful tree. And you shall obstruct all the sources of water. And you shall cover every excellent field with stones.”

20Then it happened that, in the morning, when the sacrifices were usually to be offered, behold, water was arriving along the way of Idumea, and the land was filled with water.

21Then all the Moabites, hearing that the kings had ascended so that they might fight against them, gathered all who had been girded with a belt around them, and they stood at the borders.

22And rising up in early morning, and when the sun was now rising before the waters, the Moabites saw the waters opposite them, which were red like blood.

23And they said: “It is the blood of the sword! The kings have fought among themselves, and they have slain one another. Go now, Moab, to the spoils!”

24And they went into the camp of Israel. But Israel, rising up, struck Moab, and they fled before them. And since they had prevailed, they went and struck down Moab.

25And they destroyed the cities. And they filled up every excellent field, each one casting stones. And they obstructed all the sources of water. And they cut down all the fruitful trees, to such an extent that only brick walls remained. And the city was encircled by the slingers of stones. And a great part of it was struck down.

26And when the king of Moab had seen this, specifically, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men who draw the sword, so that he might break through to the king of Idumea. But they were unable.

27And taking his firstborn son, who would have reigned in his place, he offered him as a holocaust upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel. And they promptly withdrew from him, and they turned back to their own land.