2 Kings Chapter 3
Other Translations
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
And Joram the son of Achaab began to reign in Israel in the eighteenth year of Josaphat king of Juda, and he reigned twelve years.
2
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as his father, nor as his mother: and he removed the pillars of Baal which his father had made.
3
Only he adhered to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin; he departed not from it.
4
And Mosa king of Moab was a sheep-master, and he rendered to the king of Israel in the beginning [of the year], a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5
And it came to pass, after the death of Achaab, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6
And king Joram went forth in that day out of Samaria, and numbered Israel.
7
And he went and sent to Josaphat king of Juda, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to war? And he said, I will go up: thou art as I, I am as thou; as my people, so [is] thy people, as my horses, so [are] thy horses.
8
And he said, What way shall I go up? and he said, The way of the wilderness of Edom.
9
And the king of Israel went, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey; and there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that went with them.
10
And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord should have called the three kings on their way, to give them into the hand of Moab.
11
And Josaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, [There is] here Elisaie son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Eliu.
12
And Josaphat said, He has the word of the Lord. And the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, and the king of Edom, went down to him.
13
And Elisaie said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, Has the Lord called the three kings to deliver them into the hands of Moab?
14
And Elisaie said, [As] the Lord of hosts before whom I stand lives, unless I regarded the presence of Josaphat the king of Juda, I would not have looked on thee, nor seen thee.
15
And now fetch me a harper. And it came to pass, as the harper harped, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
16
And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of trenches.
17
For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet this valley shall be filled with water, and ye, and your flocks, and your cattle shall drink.
18
And this [is] a light [thing] in the eyes of the Lord: I will also deliver Moab into your hand.
19
And ye shall smite every strong city, and ye shall cut down every good tree, and ye shall stop all wells of water, and spoil every good piece [of land] with stones.
20
And it came to pass in the morning, when the sacrifice was offered, that, behold! waters came from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21
And all Moab heard that the three kings were come up to fight against them; and they cried out on every [side, even] all that were girt with a girdle, and they said, Ho! and stood upon the border.
22
And they rose early in the morning, and the sun rose upon the waters, and Moab saw the waters on the opposite side red as blood.
23
And they said, This [is] the blood of the sword; and the kings have fought, and each man has smitten his neighbour; now then to the spoils, Moab.
24
And they entered into the camp of Israel; and Israel arose and smote Moab, and they fled from before them; and they went on and smote Moab as they went.
25
And they razed the cities, and cast every man his stone on every good piece [of land] and filled it; and they stopped every well, and cut down every good tree, until they left [only] the stones of the wall cast down; and the slingers compassed [the land], and smote it.
26
And the king of Moab saw that the battle prevailed against him; and he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to cut through to the king of Edom: and they could not.
27
And he took his eldest son whom he had designed to reign in his stead, and offered him up for a whole-burnt-offering on the walls. And there was a great indignation against Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their land.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3
Nevertheless he held to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He didn’t depart from them.
4
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he supplied the king of Israel with one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5
But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6
King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel.
7
He went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?” He said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
8
Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” Jehoram answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”
9
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched for seven days along a circuitous route. There was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
10
The king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
11
But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?” One of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here.”
12
Jehoshaphat said, “The LORD’s word 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 to the prophets of your mother.” The king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14
Elisha said, “As the LORD of Armies lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you.
15
But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, the LORD’s hand came on him.
16
He said, “The LORD says, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’
17
For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, both you and your livestock and your other animals.
18
This is an easy thing in the LORD’s sight. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
19
You shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’”
20
In the morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all who were able to put on armor, young and old, and stood on the border.
22
They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
23
They said, “This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each other. Now therefore, Moab, to the plunder!”
24
When they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land attacking the Moabites.
25
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land each man cast his stone, and filled it. They also stopped all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth all they left was its stones; however the men armed with slings went around it and attacked it.
26
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew a sword, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.
27
Then he took his oldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. There was great wrath against Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).