1Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.3.2 image: Heb. statue 3Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
4¶ And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. 5But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6¶ And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. 7And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses. 8And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom. 9So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.3.9 that…: Heb. at their feet 10And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! 11But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. 12And Jehoshaphat 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. 13And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 14And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 15But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. 17For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 18And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 19And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.3.19 mar: Heb. grieve
20And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
21¶ And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.3.21 gathered: Heb. were cried together3.21 put on…: Heb. gird himself with a girdle 22And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: 23And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.3.23 slain: Heb. destroyed 24And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.3.24 they went…: or, they smote in it even smiting 25And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.3.25 only in…: Heb. until he left its stones in Kir-haraseth
26¶ And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto 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 against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
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.
