Moab Ne Israel Ɔko
1Ahab babarima Yoram na ɔdii ɔhene wɔ Israel ɛberɛ a na Yudahene Yehosafat adi adeɛ mfeɛ dunwɔtwe wɔ Yuda no. Ɔdii adeɛ wɔ Samaria mfeɛ dumienu. 2Ɔyɛɛ Awurade ani so bɔne. Nanso, na nʼamumuyɛ no nte sɛ nʼagya ne ne maame deɛ no. Ɔsɛee Baal adum kronkron a nʼagya siiɛ no. 3Nanso ɔtoaa ahonisom so, sɛdeɛ Nebat babarima Yeroboam dii Israelfoɔ anim, ma wɔyɛɛ no.
4Na Moabhene Mesa ne ne nkurɔfoɔ yɛn nnwan. Na wɔtua apeatoɔ a ɛyɛ nnwan mma ɔpeha ne nnwennini ɔpeha ho nwi ma Israelhene afe biara. 5Nanso, Ahab wuo akyi no, Moabhene sɔre tiaa Israelhene. 6Enti, ɔhene Yoram firii Samaria boaboaa Israel akodɔm ano. 7Ɛkwan so no, ɔtoo nkra yi kɔmaa Yudahene Yehosafat sɛ, “Moabhene asɔre atia me. Wobɛboa me na me ne no ako anaa?”
Na Yehosafat buaa sɛ, “Adɛn enti na meremmoa wo. Wo ne me yɛ anuanom, na mʼakodɔm yɛ wo dea na wotumi di wɔn anim. Mpo mʼapɔnkɔ da wo da.”
8Na Yehosafat bisaa sɛ, “Ɛkwan bɛn na yɛbɛfa so akɔ?”
Yoram buaa sɛ, “Yɛbɛtoa wɔn afiri Edom3.8 Yei kyerɛ sɛ na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔfiri atɔeɛ fam tware fa Nkyene Po na wɔtumi kɔtua Moab firi anafoɔ fam. Ɛno enti na ɛsɛ sɛ wɔfa Edom mantam a na Yuda di so no mu. ɛserɛ so.”
9Edomhene3.9 Nokorɛm, na Edomhene yɛ amrado a Yehosafat na ɔyii no (8.20; 1 Ah 22.48). ne nʼakodɔm kɔkaa wɔn ho, na asraadɔm mmiɛnsa no de nnanson twaa ntwahokwan a ɛfa ɛserɛ so no. Nanso, na nsuo nni hɔ ma mmarima no anaa wɔn mmoa.
10Israelhene teaam bisaa sɛ, “Yɛnyɛ yɛn ho ɛdeɛn? Awurade de yɛn baasa aba ha sɛ Moabhene nni yɛn so.”
11Nanso, Yudahene Yehosafat bisaa sɛ, “Enti Awurade odiyifoɔ biara nka yɛn ho ha? Sɛ wɔn mu bi wɔ ha a, yɛbɛtumi abisa Awurade deɛ yɛnyɛ.”
Ɔhene Yoram mpanimfoɔ no mu baako kaa sɛ, “Safat babarima Elisa wɔ ha. Na ɔyɛ Elia ɔboafoɔ.”
12Enti, Yehosafat kaa sɛ, “Ɛnneɛ, Awurade bɛtumi akasa afa ne so.” Na Israelhene, Yudahene ne Edomhene kɔɔ Elisa nkyɛn abisa.
13Elisa ka kyerɛɛ Israelhene sɛ, “Wo ho nhia me. Kɔ wʼagya ne wo maame adiyifoɔ abosonsomfoɔ no nkyɛn.” Nanso, ɔhene Yoram kaa sɛ, “Dabi! Na ɛyɛ Awurade na ɔfrɛɛ yɛn ahemfo baasa yi baa ha, sɛ Moabhene nsɛe yɛn!”
14Na Elisa buaa sɛ, “Mmerɛ dodoɔ a Awurade Otumfoɔ a mesom no te ase yi, sɛ ɛnyɛ Yudahene Yehosafat a mebu no a, anka merenha me ho wɔ wo ho. 15Afei, ma obi a ɔbɛtumi abɔ sankuo mmra.”
Ɛberɛ a wɔrebɔ sankuo no, Awurade tumi baa Elisa so, 16ma ɔkaa sɛ, “Sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie: Saa bɔnhwa a emu nsuo awe yi, wɔde nsuo bɛhyɛ no ma. 17Worenhunu mframa anaa osuo sɛdeɛ Awurade ka no, nanso saa bɔnhwa yi, wɔbɛhyɛ no nsuo ma. Mobɛnya bi ama mo ho, mo anantwie ne mo mmoa a aka no. 18Na yei yɛ ade kumaa bi ma Awurade. Ɔbɛma moadi Moab akodɔm so nkonim. 19Mobɛdi wɔn nkuropɔn papa so nkonim, mpo, nkuropɔn a wɔabɔ ho ban no. Mobɛtwitwa wɔn nnua nyinaa agu. Mobɛsisi wɔn nsuo aniwa, na mode aboɔ asɛe wɔn nsase pa.”
20Na adeɛ kyeeɛ; ɛduruu ɛberɛ a wɔbɔ anɔpa afɔdeɛ no, nsuo puee prɛko pɛ. Na ɛtene firii Edom, na ankyɛre biara na nsuo abu baabiara.
21Ɛberɛ a Moabfoɔ tee sɛ akodɔm mmiɛnsa reba wɔn so no, wɔn nso boaboaa mmarima a wɔbɛtumi ako, mmɔfra ne mpanin ano, de wɔn sisii wɔn ahyeɛ so. 22Na adeɛ kyeeɛ a wɔsɔreeɛ no, na owia no abɔ wɔ nsuo no so, ama ani abere sɛ mogya. 23Moabfoɔ no teaam sɛ, “Ɛyɛ mogya. Akodɔm mmiɛnsa no atwa wɔn ho ako, akunkum wɔn ho wɔn ho! Momma yɛnkɔfo asadeɛ no!”
24Ɛberɛ a wɔduruu Israelfoɔ nsraban mu no, Israel akodɔm gyee bum, kɔtoaa Moabfoɔ, ma wɔdwaneeɛ. Israel akodɔm no taa wɔn kɔduruu Moab asase so. Wɔgu Moabfoɔ no so nyinaa no, na wɔresɛe wɔn nneɛma. 25Wɔsɛee wɔn nkuro akɛseɛ, de aboɔ kataa wɔn nsase pa so, sisii asutire nyinaa, twitwaa nnua pa nyinaa. Kir-Haraset nko ara na ɛkaeɛ, na ɛno mpo, wɔto hyɛɛ so.
26Ɛberɛ a Moabhene hunuu sɛ ɔredi nkoguo no, ɔdii nʼakofoɔ ahanson anim, miaa wɔn ho, pɛɛ sɛ wɔpem fa atamfoɔ no nsraban a ɛbɛn Edomhene no mu, nanso wɔantumi. 27Enti, ɔfaa ne babarima panin a anka ɛsɛ sɛ ɔdi nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene no, de no bɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ wɔ afasuo no ho. Yei enti, abufuo kɛseɛ baa Israel so, na wɔsane wɔn akyi kɔɔ wɔn ankasa asase so.
Moab’s King Refuses to Obey Israel’s King
1Joram became king of Israel in Samaria. It was in the 18th year that Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Joram ruled for 12 years. He was the son of Ahab. 2Joram did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. But he wasn’t as bad as his father and mother had been. Joram’s father had made a sacred stone used to worship the god named Baal. Joram got rid of it. 3But he kept on committing the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Jeroboam had also caused Israel to commit those same sins. Joram didn’t turn away from them.
4Mesha raised sheep. He was king of Moab. He had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs a year. He also had to pay him with the wool of 100,000 rams a year. 5After Ahab died, Moab’s king refused to obey the next king of Israel. 6So at that time King Joram started out from Samaria. He gathered together all of Israel’s troops. 7He also sent a message to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. Joram said, “The king of Moab is refusing to obey me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
“Yes. I’ll go with you,” Jehoshaphat replied. “My men will go with you. My horses will also go with you.”
8“What road should we take to attack Moab?” Joram asked.
“The one that goes through the Desert of Edom,” Jehoshaphat answered.
9So the king of Israel marched out. The king of Judah and the king of Edom went with him. Their armies marched around the southern end of the Dead Sea. After seven days they ran out of water. There wasn’t any water for the men or their animals.
10“What should we do now?” exclaimed the king of Israel. “The Lord has called us three kings together. Did he do it only to hand us over to Moab?”
11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Can’t we ask the Lord for advice through him?”
An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha is here. He’s the son of Shaphat. Elisha used to serve Elijah.”
12Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” So the king of Israel went down to see Elisha. Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom also went there.
13Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to come to me? Go to your father’s prophets. Go to your mother’s prophets.”
“No,” the king of Israel answered. “The Lord called us three kings together. He did it to hand us over to Moab.”
14Elisha said, “I serve the Lord who rules over all. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that I have respect for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t pay any attention to you. 15But now bring me someone who plays the harp.”
While that person was playing the harp, the Lord’s power came on Elisha. 16Elisha announced, “The Lord says, ‘I will fill this valley with pools of water.’ 17This will happen because the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain. But this valley will be filled with water. Then you, your cattle and your other animals will have water to drink.’ 18This is an easy thing for the Lord to do. He will also hand Moab over to you. 19You will destroy every city that has high walls around it. You will destroy every major town. You will cut down every good tree. You will stop up all the springs of water. And you will cover every good field with stones.”
20The next day, the time came to offer the morning sacrifice. And then it happened! Water was flowing from the direction of Edom! In fact, the land was filled with water!
21Now all the people of Moab had heard that the kings had come to fight against them. So the king of Moab sent for all Moab’s fighting men. It didn’t matter whether they were young or old. He sent for everyone who could carry a weapon. All of them were stationed at the border. 22They got up early in the morning. The sun was already shining on the water. Across the way, the water looked red to the men of Moab. It looked like blood. 23“That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and killed each other. Let’s go, Moab! Let’s take everything that has any value.”
24So the men of Moab went to the camp of Israel. Just as they arrived there, the men of Israel got ready to fight. They fought against the men of Moab until those men ran away. The men of Israel marched into the land and attacked it. They killed the people of Moab. 25They destroyed the towns. Each man threw a large stone on every good field. They did that until the fields were covered. They stopped up all the springs of water. And they cut down every good tree. The only town left with any stones in place was Kir Hareseth. But some of the Israelites armed with slings surrounded it. Then they attacked it.
26The king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him. So he took with him 700 men who had swords. They tried to break through the battle lines to the king of Edom. But they couldn’t do it. 27Then the king of Moab took his oldest son. He was the son who would become the next king of Moab. But the king offered his son as a sacrifice on the city wall. That shocked and terrified the men of Israel. So they pulled back and returned to their own land.
