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2 Kings 3:4-27
(4) Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder,
and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs
and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. (5) But it happened,
when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of
Israel.
(6) So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and
mustered all Israel. (7) Then he went and sent to
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled
against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"
And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people,
my horses as your horses." (8) Then he said, "Which way
shall we go up?"
And he answered, "By way of the Wilderness of Edom."
(9) So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the
king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days;
and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed
them. (10) And the king of Israel said, "Alas! For the LORD
has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of
Moab."
(11) But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD
here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?"
So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said,
"Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of
Elijah."
(12) And Jehoshaphat 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) Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do
with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your
mother."
But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD
has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of
Moab."
(14) And Elisha said, "As the LORD of
hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the
presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor
see you. (15) But now bring me a musician."
Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD
came upon him. (16) And he said, "Thus says the LORD:
'Make this valley full of ditches.' (17) For thus says the
LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see
rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your
cattle, and your animals may drink.' (18) And this is a
simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will
also deliver the Moabites into your hand. (19) Also you shall
attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down
every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every
good piece of land with stones."
(20) Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was
offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was
filled with water.
(21) And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up
to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were
gathered; and they stood at the border. (22) Then they
rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on 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 have surely struck
swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the
spoil!"
(24) So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and
attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered
their land, killing the Moabites. (25) Then they destroyed
the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and
filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down
all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact.
However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
(26) And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too
fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to
break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. (27)
Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and
offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great
indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to
their own land.
(NKJV) |
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According to Mesha
I am Mesha, son of Kemoshmelek, the king of Moab, the Dibonite. My
father was king over Moab for thirty years, and I became king after my
father.
And I made this high place for Kemosh in Qarhar ... because of the
deliverance of Mesha, and because he has saved me from all the kings
and because he caused me to see [my desire] upon all who hated me.
Omri, king of Israel -- he oppressed Moab many days, because Chemosh
was angry with his land.
And his son succeeded him, and he also said I will oppress Moab. In
my day he spoke according to this word, but I saw my desire upon him
and upon his house, and Israel utterly perished forever.
Now Omri had possessed all the land of Medeba and dwelt in it his
days and half the days of his son, forty years, but Chemosh restored
it in my day. And I built Baal-meon and I made in it the reservoir and
I built Kiryathaim. And the men of Gad had dwelt in the land of
Ataroth from ofold and the king of Israel had built for himself
Ataroth. And I foutht against the city and took it, and I slew all the
people of the city, a sight pleasing to Chemosh and to Moab.
And I brought back from there the altar-hearth of Duda and I
dragged it before Chemosh in Kiryoth. And I caused to dwell in it the
men of Sharon and the men of Meharoth (?).
And Chemosh said to me: "Go take Nebo against Israel"; and I went
by night and fought against it from break of dawn till noon, and I
took it and slew all, seven thousand men, boys (?), and women, and
girls, for I had devoted it to Ashtar-Chemosh.
And I took from there the altar-hearths of Yahweh, and I dragged
them before Chemosh. And the king of Israel built Jabaz and dwelt in
it while he fought with me and Chemosh drove him out from before me.
And I took from Moab two hundred men, all its chiefs, and I led them
against Jahaz and took it to add unto Dibon.
And I built Qarhar (?), the wall of the forests and the wall of the
hill; and I built its gates and I built its towers, and I built the
kings house, and I made the sluices (?) for the reservoir of water in
the midst of the city.
And there was no cistern in the midst of the city, in Qarhar (?);
and I said to all the people: "Make you each a cistern in his house;"
and I cut the cuttings for Qarhar (?) with the help of the prisoners
of Israel. I built Aroer and I made the highway by the Arnon. And I
built Beth-bamoth, for it had been destroyed. And I built Bezer, for
it was in ruins....(Chi) of Dibon wer fifty, for all Dibon was
obedient. And I ruled. And I ruled a hundred....in the cities which I
had added to the land. And I built [Mede]ba dnd Beth-diblathan. And
[as for] Beth-baal-meon, there I placed sheep-raisers....sheep of the
land... And [as for] Horonaim there dwelt in it....and.....Chemosh
said unto me: "Go down, fight against Horonaim," and I went down
and....Chemosh in my day, and from there ... and I ...
Text of the translation of the
Moabite Stone
is from Bible and
History. |