4And Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep breeder, and had paid an annual tribute to the king of Israel - a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool. 5But when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6And at the same time, king Jehoram went out of Samaria and numbered all Israel. 7And he sent to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And Jehoshaphat said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.” 8And Jehoram said, “How shall we go up?” And Jehoshaphat answered, “Through the wilderness of Edom.”

9So the kings of Israel, Judah, and of Edom; made a circuit of seven days' journey, but there was no water for the army, or for the cattle that followed them. 10And Ahab said, “Alas! Has the LORD called us three kings together, to hand us over to Moab?” 11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here, by whom we may inquire of the LORD?” And one of the Ahab's servants said, “Elisha, son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of (was personal assistant to) Elijah, is here”. 12And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him”. So Ahab, Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to consult with Elisha.

13And Elisha said to Ahab, “Why do you come to me? Go to the prophets of your father, and mother”. And Ahab said to him, “No; for the LORD has called us three kings together, to hand us over to Moab.” 14And Elisha replied, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before Whom I stand, surely, if it were not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor acknowledge you. 15But now bring me a minstrel (musician, probably a harpist)”. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha. 16And he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Dig ditches in this valley. I will fill this valley with water’. 17For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet this valley shall be filled with water for you to drink, both you, your cattle, and your beasts.’” 18And this is but a trivial thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also give you victory over the Moabites. 19And you shall strike every fortified, and principal city of Moab, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all their wells of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones’. 20And it happened in the morning, when the meal offering was offered, that, suddenly water came flowing from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered all who were able to put on armor, as well as older men, and stood together at the border. 22And when they awoke early in the morning, the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them as red as blood. 23And they said, “This is blood; the kings are surely dead; they have killed one another. Now to the spoil, Moab!” 24And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled; but the Israelites pursued the Moabites into their own country and slaughtered them. 25And they destroyed the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees. In Kir-hareseth (Moab’s capital city) they left only its stones; but men armed with slings surrounded it, and destroyed it. 26And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen, to try to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27Then he took his eldest son, who should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt sacrifice upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel. And they withdrew from him, and returned to their own land.