Kong Joram af Israel
1Ahabs søn Joram kom til magten i Israel i kong Joshafat af Judas 18. regeringsår. Han regerede i 12 år med residens i Samaria. 2Joram gjorde, hvad der var ondt i Herrens øjne, selv om han handlede bedre end sin far, Ahab, og sin mor, Jezabel. Han nedrev den stenstøtte, som hans far i sin tid havde ladet bygge for Ba’al. 3Men ellers fortsatte han i samme spor som Jeroboam, der havde lokket Israels folk til synd ved at indføre afgudsdyrkelse.
Elisa forudsiger Israels sejr over Moab
4Moabs konge, Meshek, og hans undersåtter var fåreavlere. De plejede at betale en årlig skat til Israel på 100.000 lam samt uld fra 100.000 væddere. 5Men efter Ahabs død gjorde kongen af Moab oprør mod Israels herredømme og nægtede at betale skat. 6Kong Joram mønstrede straks den israelitiske hær og drog af sted sydpå fra Samaria. 7Samtidig sendte han bud til kong Joshafat af Juda: „Moabs konge har gjort oprør imod mig. Vil du hjælpe mig med at slå oprøret ned?”
„Selvfølgelig,” svarede Joshafat. „Mine folk og mine heste står til din rådighed. 8Fortæl mig, hvilke angrebsplaner du har.”
„Jeg har tænkt mig at angribe sydfra, fra Edoms ørken,” svarede Joram.
9Så sluttede Judas konge sig til ham, og senere kom Edoms konge også med. I syv dage fulgte hærene en omvej gennem ørkenen, men så slap deres vandbeholdning op, og der var ikke en dråbe tilbage, hverken til mændene eller dyrene, de havde med.
10„Hvad skal vi nu gøre?” udbrød Israels konge. „Har Herren virkelig ført os herud, for at Moabs hær kan besejre os?”
11Men Joshafat spurgte: „Er der ikke en af Herrens profeter i nærheden, som kan spørge Herren, hvad vi skal gøre?”
„Jo, der er,” udbrød en af de israelitiske officerer. „Elisa bor her tæt ved. Han var profeten Elias’ højre hånd.”
12„Ja, det er en mand, som virkelig taler Herrens ord,” bekræftede Joshafat. Så tog Israels, Judas og Edoms konger hen til Elisa for at spørge ham til råds.
13Da Elisa så kong Joram, sagde han: „Hvad har jeg med dig at gøre? Hvorfor spørger du ikke din mors og fars profeter til råds?”
Men kong Joram svarede: „Fordi det er Herren, som har ført os herud for at blive slagtet af Moabs konge.”
14„Jeg sværger ved den levende Gud, som jeg tjener, at jeg ikke ville værdige dig et blik, hvis det ikke var for kong Joshafat af Judas skyld,” svarede Elisa. 15„Men få nu fat i en musiker.” Det gjorde de så, og mens han spillede, kom Herrens kraft over Elisa.
16„Herren siger, at I skal grave en masse huller i det udtørrede flodleje i bunden af dalen,” sagde Elisa. 17„I vil ikke mærke nogen vind eller se nogen regn, men alligevel vil dalen blive fyldt med vand, så der bliver rigeligt til jer og jeres dyr. 18Men ikke nok med det. Herren vil også give jer sejr over Moabs hær. 19I skal erobre alle landets betydningsfulde byer, der er stærkt befæstet. I skal fælde deres frugttræer, tilstoppe deres kilder og ødelægge markerne med sten.”
20Næste morgen omkring morgenofferets tid kom der ganske rigtigt vand ned fra Edoms højland og fyldte flodlejet.
21I mellemtiden havde folket i Moab hørt, at tre hære var på vej imod dem, og alle kampdygtige mænd, både unge og gamle, blev indkaldt og placeret langs grænsen. 22Men i den tidlige morgen, da solens stråler faldt på vandet, så det for moabitterne ud, som om der lå blod overalt.
23„Se alt det blod,” råbte de. „De tre fjendehære må have slået hinanden ihjel. Kom, lad os løbe ned og udplyndre deres lejr.”
24Men da de nåede ned til lejren, blev de angrebet og slået på flugt af israelitterne, som forfulgte dem langt ind i Moabs land og ødelagde alt, hvad de kom i nærheden af. 25De ødelagde byerne, dængede hvert eneste stykke opdyrket jord til med sten, stoppede kilderne til og fældede frugttræerne. Til sidst var kun fæstningsbyen Kir-Hareset tilbage, men slyngekasterne belejrede og beskød den.
26Da Moabs konge indså, at han ikke kunne holde stand mod angrebet, tog han 700 bevæbnede soldater med sig og forsøgte at bryde igennem belejringen for at komme hen til Edoms konge. Men planen mislykkedes. 27Så tog han sin ældste søn, tronarvingen, og for øjnene af den bestyrtede israelitiske hær dræbte han ham og ofrede ham dér på muren som brændoffer til sin gud. Denne modbydelige handling blev israelitterne så oprørte over, at de vendte om og trak sig tilbage til deres eget land.
Moab revolts
1Joram3:1 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verse 6 son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. 2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
4Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilised all Israel. 7He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: ‘The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?’
‘I will go with you,’ he replied. ‘I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.’
8‘By what route shall we attack?’ he asked.
‘Through the Desert of Edom,’ he answered.
9So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
10‘What!’ exclaimed the king of Israel. ‘Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?’
11But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may enquire of the Lord?’
An officer of the king of Israel answered, ‘Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.3:11 That is, he was Elijah’s personal servant.’
12Jehoshaphat said, ‘The word of the Lord is with him.’ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.’
‘No,’ the king of Israel answered, ‘because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.’
14Elisha said, ‘As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. 15But now bring me a harpist.’
While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16and he said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 17For this is what the Lord says: you will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. 19You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, block up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.’
20The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was – water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
21Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red – like blood. 23‘That’s blood!’ they said. ‘Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!’
24But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. 25They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.
26When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. 27Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.
