2 Kings 3:1-17 ▼

1 Now Iehoram the sonne of Ahab began to raigne vpon Israel in Samaria the eyghtteenth yere of Iehosaphat king of Iuda, and raigned twelue yeres.

2 And he wrought euil in the sight of the Lorde, but not lyke his father and lyke his mother: for he put away the images of Baal that his father had made.

3 Neuerthelesse, he cleaued vnto the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat which made Israel to sinne, and departed not therefrom.

4 And Mesa king of Moab was a lorde of sheepe, and rendered vnto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambes, and an hundred thousand rammes with the wooll.

5 But when Ahab was dead, it fortuned that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 And king Iehoram went out of Samaria the same season, and numbred all Israel:

7 And went, & sent to Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, saying: The king of Moab hath rebelled against me, wilt thou come with me against Moab in battell? He aunswered, I will come vp: for as I am, so art thou: and as my people be, so are thy people: & thy horses, as myne.

8 And he saide: What way shall we go vp? And he aunswered: The way through the wildernesse of Edom.

9 And so the king of Israel toke his iourney, and the king of Iuda, and the king of Edom: And when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoast, and for the cattayle that folowed them.

10 And the king of Israel saide: Alas, the Lorde hath called these three kinges together, to deliuer them ouer into the hande of Moab.

11 But Iehosaphat said: Is there not here a prophete of the Lorde, that we maye enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israels seruauntes aunswered and saide: Here is Elisa the sonne of Saphat, which powred water on the handes of Elias.

12 And Iehosaphat saide: The word of the Lorde is with him. And so the king of Israel, & Iehosaphat, and the king of Edom went downe to him.

13 And Elias saide vnto the king of Israel: What haue I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophetes of thy father, & to the prophetes of thy mother. And the king of Israel saide vnto him, Oh naye: for the Lorde hath called these three kinges together, to deliuer them into the hand of Moab.

14 And Elias saide: As the Lorde of hoastes liueth, in whose sight I stande, and it were not that I regarde the presence of Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, I would not loke towarde thee, nor yet see thee.

15 But now bryng me a minstrell. And when the minstrell played, the hand of the Lorde came vpon him:

16 And he sayde, thus saith the Lorde: Make this valley full of ditches:

17 For thus saith the Lorde: Ye shall see neither wynde nor rayne, yet the valley shall be filled with water, that ye maye drinke, both ye, and your beastes, & your cattayle: