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.
Kuwukira kwa Mowabu
1Yoramu mwana wa Ahabu anakhala mfumu ya Israeli ku Samariya mʼchaka cha 18 cha Yehosafati mfumu ya ku Yuda ndipo analamulira zaka khumi ndi ziwiri. 2Iye anachita zoyipa pamaso pa Yehova koma sizinafanane ndi zimene anachita abambo ndi amayi ake. Iye anachotsa fano la mwala la Baala limene abambo ake anapanga. 3Komabe anawumirira kuchita machimo a Yeroboamu mwana wa Nebati, amene anachimwitsa nawo Israeli ndipo sanafune kuwaleka.
4Tsono Mesa, mfumu ya ku Mowabu ankaweta nkhosa, ndipo iye ankayenera kumapereka kwa mfumu ya ku Israeli chaka ndi chaka ana ankhosa onenepa okwanira 100,000 pamodzi ndi ubweya wankhosa 100,000 zazimuna. 5Koma atamwalira Ahabu, mfumu ya ku Mowabu inawukira mfumu ya ku Israeli. 6Choncho nthawi imeneyi mfumu Yoramu inatuluka mu Samariya ndi kukasonkhanitsa Aisraeli onse. 7Yoramu anatumizanso uthenga uwu kwa Yehosafati mfumu ya ku Yuda: “Mfumu ya ku Mowabu yandiwukira. Kodi ungapite nane kukamenyana ndi Mowabu?”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Ine ndidzapita nawe. Iwe ndi ine ndife anthu amodzi, anthu anga ali ngati anthu ako, akavalo anga ali ngati akavalo ako.”
8Yehosafati anafunsa kuti, “Kodi tidzera njira iti popita ku nkhondoko?”
Yoramu anayankha kuti, “Tidzera ku Chipululu cha Edomu.”
9Choncho mfumu ya ku Israeli inanyamuka pamodzi ndi mfumu ya ku Yuda ndi ya ku Edomu. Ndipo atayenda mozungulira mʼchipululu kwa masiku asanu ndi awiri, asilikali analibe madzi woti amwe kapena kumwetsa nyama zawo zosenza katundu.
10Mfumu inafuwula kuti, “Nʼchiyani chomwe chikutichitikira! Kodi Yehova wasonkhanitsa mafumu atatu pamodzi kuti atipereke mʼmanja mwa Amowabu?”
11Koma mfumu Yehosafati inafunsa kuti, “Kodi kuno kulibe mneneri wa Yehova woti tingakafunse kwa Yehova kudzera mwa iyeyo?”
Mtsogoleri wa ankhondo wa mfumu ya ku Israeli anayankha kuti, “Alipo, Elisa mwana wa Safati. Iye anali mtumiki wa Eliya.”
12Yehosafati anati, “Yehova amayankhula kudzera mwa iye.” Choncho mfumu ya ku Israeli pamodzi ndi Yehosafati ndiponso mfumu ya ku Edomu anapita kwa Elisa.
13Elisa ananena kwa mfumu ya ku Israeli kuti, “Pali ubale wanji pakati pa inu ndi ine? Pitani kwa aneneri a abambo ndi amayi anu.”
Mfumu ya ku Israeli inayankha kuti, “Ayi, pakuti ndi Yehova amene anatisonkhanitsa ife mafumu atatu pamodzi kuti atipereke mʼmanja mwa Amowabu.”
14Elisa anati, “Pali Yehova Wamphamvuzonse amene ndimamutumikira, pakanapanda kuti ndimamuchitira ulemu Yehosafati mfumu ya ku Yuda, sindikanakulabadirani kapena kukuyangʼanani nʼkomwe. 15Koma tsopano ndiyitanireni munthu wodziwa kuyimba bwino zeze.”
Munthuyo akuyimba zeze, mphamvu ya Yehova inafika pa Elisa, 16ndipo anati, “Yehova akuti, ‘Kumbani ngalande mʼchigwa chonse.’ 17Pakuti Yehova akunena kuti, ‘Simudzaona mphepo kapena mvula, komabe chigwa ichi chopanda madzi chidzadzaza ndi madzi, ndipo inu mudzamwa pamodzi ndi ngʼombe zanu ndiponso nyama zanu zonse.’ 18Izi ndi zosavuta pamaso pa Yehova. Ndipo adzaperekanso Amowabu mʼmanja mwanu. 19Mudzagonjetsa mizinda yawo yonse yotetezedwa ndiponso mizinda yawo ikuluikulu. Mudzagwetsa mtengo wabwino uliwonse, mudzatseka akasupe onse amadzi, ndiponso mudzawononga minda yawo yonse yachonde poponyamo miyala.”
20Mmawa mwake, nthawi yopereka nsembe ili pafupi, anangoona madzi akutuluka kuchokera ku Edomu, ndipo malo onse anadzaza ndi madzi.
21Tsono nʼkuti Amowabu onse atamva kuti mafumu abwera kudzachita nawo nkhondo. Kotero, anayitana munthu aliyense, wamkulu ndi wamngʼono amene ankatha kugwira chida chankhondo ndipo anakayima ku malire a dziko lawo. 22Amowabu atadzuka mmamawa, dzuwa likuwala pa madziwo, anaona madziwo akuoneka wofiira ngati magazi patsogolo pawo. 23Ndipo iwo anati, “Taonani magazi! Mafumu aja amenyana okhaokha ndipo aphana. Amowabu, tsopano ndi nthawi yofunkha!”
24Koma Amowabu atafika ku misasa ya Israeli, Aisraeli ananyamuka ndi kumenyana nawo mpaka anathawa. Ndipo Aisraeli analowa mʼdzikolo ndi kupha Amowabu. 25Aisraeli anagumula mizinda yawo ndipo munthu aliyense anaponya mwala pa munda uliwonse wachonde mpaka utadzaza ndi miyala. Iwo anatseka akasupe onse amadzi ndiponso anadula mtengo wabwino uliwonse. Mzinda wa Kiri Hareseti wokha ndiye unatsala wotetezedwa koma anthu oponya miyala anawuzungulira nawuthiranso nkhondo.
26Mfumu ya ku Mowabu itaona kuti nkhondo ikumulaka, inatenga anthu 700 a malupanga kuti athawe modutsa mfumu ya ku Edomu, koma inalephera. 27Choncho inatenga mwana wake wamwamuna woyamba kubadwa, amene akanalowa ufumu mʼmalo mwake, ndi kumupereka nsembe pa khoma la mzinda. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti mkwiyo ndi ukali wa Amowabu ukule kwambiri pa Aisraeli ndipo Aisraeliwo anathawa nabwerera ku dziko la kwawo.
