Jehoram King of Judah^(A)

¹⁶ In the fifth year of Joram^(B) son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram^(C) son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. ¹⁷ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

² Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.^{[a] 3} Their father had given them many gifts^(A) of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities^(B) in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

Jehoram King of Judah^(C)

⁴ When Jehoram established^(D) himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers^(E) to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel.

⁶ So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. ⁷ He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight^(A) 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.

⁹ So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom.^(B) 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?”

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire^(C) of the Lord?”

An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha^(D) son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.^[a](E)”

¹² Jehoshaphat said, “The word^(F) of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha 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.”

¹⁴ Elisha 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. ¹⁵ But now bring me a harpist.”^(G)

While the harpist was playing, the hand^(H) of the Lord came on Elisha ¹⁶ and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. ¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water,^(I) and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. ¹⁸ This is an easy^(J) thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. ¹⁹ You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”

²⁰ The next morning, about the time^(K) for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.^(L)

²¹ Now 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. ²² When 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!”

²⁴ But 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. ²⁵ They 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^(M) was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.

²⁶ When 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. ²⁷ Then he took his firstborn^(N) 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.

³⁴ The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu^(A) son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

21 Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram^(A) his son succeeded him as king.

⁶ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel,^(A) as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab.^(B) He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ⁷ Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David,^(C) the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David.^(D) He had promised to maintain a lamp^(E) for him and his descendants forever.

⁸ In the time of Jehoram, Edom^(F) rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. ⁹ So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. ¹⁰ To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.

Libnah^(G) revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors. ¹¹ He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

¹² Jehoram received a letter from Elijah^(H) the prophet, which said:

¹⁶ The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs^(N) who lived near the Cushites. ¹⁷ They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah,^[a] the youngest.^(O)

¹⁸ After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. ¹⁹ In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor,^(P) as they had for his predecessors.

²⁰ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried^(Q) in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.