Holy Bible
(King James Version)
Second
Kings: Chapter 3
1. NOW Je-hor-am the son of
Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of
Je-hosh-a-phat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2. And 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 Ba-al that his
father had made.
3. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jer-o-bo-am the son of Nebat,
which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
4. And Me-sha 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.
5. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab
rebelled against the king of Israel.
6. And king Je-hor-am went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered
all Israel.
7. And he went and sent to Je-hos-a-phat 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.
8. And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way
through the wilderness of Edom.
9. So 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.
10. And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these
three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11. But Je-hosh-a-phat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD,
that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of
Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Sha-phat,
which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12. And Je-hosh-a-phat 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.
13. And 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.
14. And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand,
surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Je-hosh-a-phat the
king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel
played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
16. And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17. For 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.
18. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will
deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
19. And 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.
20. And 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.
22. And 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.
23. And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they
have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24. And 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.
25. And 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-har-a-seth left they
the stones thereof; howbeit the slinger went about it, and smote it.
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.
27. Then 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.
May 7 Daily reading
schedule.. No NT reading today.
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Art by: Penny Parker. Visit her site HERE
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