Joram reigned twelve years, and in the eighteenth year of his father Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. He did what displeased the Lord, but not as his father and his mother had done, because he put away the stone monument of Baal that his father had made, but he held to the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin. However Mesha, king of Moab, had many sheep and had to supply the king of Israel with the wool a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams. When Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. Immediately Joram went out to ask the king of Judah if he would fight with him against the Moabites. They agreed and they went up through the wilderness of Edom. So the king of Israel, the king of Judah and the king of Edom went together. When they had journeyed seven days, the army and the people had no more water. The king of Israel said, “Alas, the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hands of Moab.” But Jehoshaphat
said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” “Yes,” someone said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here.” Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord’s word is with him.” And they went down to him. Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother. Joram said, “No, the Lord has called these three kings to deliver them into the hands of Moab.” And Elisha said, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, if I also honored Jehoshaphat, I would not look toward you, nor see you. So bring me a musician!” And when he played on the strings, the Lord’s hand came on Elisha, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches. You will not see wind nor rain, yet the valley will be filled with water, and you and your cattle will drink.’ The Lord will deliver the Moabites into your hands and you will turn their fortified cities and their choice cities into a desert and fell every good tree and stop the springs of water and spoil all the good land with stones. On the next morning at the time of the offering of the sacrifice, behold, water came forth from Edom and filled the land. Then Moabites lined up all their fighters on the border. And when they rose up early in the morning when the sun shone upon the water, the water looked red like blood. And they said, “The kings have destroyed one another by the sword, one has struck the other. Moab, get yourself to the plunder!” But when they came to the camp of Israel, the children of Israel struck the Moabites and they fled before them. Joram pursued after them and struck Moab. They destroyed the cities and did all that Elisha prophesied. They shot into the cities with slings. But when the king of Moab realized that the battle was too severe for him, he came with seven hundred men against the king of Edom. But they were not able to win. Then he took his firstborn son and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel, and they departed into their own land.