War between Israel and Moab
1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twelve years. 2 He sinned against the Lord, but he was not as bad as his father or his mother Jezebel; he pulled down the image his father had made for the worship of Baal. 3 Yet, like King Jeroboam son of Nebat before him, he led Israel into sin and would not stop.
4 King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, and every year he gave as tribute to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 sheep. 5 But when King Ahab of Israel died, Mesha rebelled against Israel. 6 At once King Joram left Samaria and gathered all his troops. 7 He sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you join me in war against him?”
“I will,” King Jehoshaphat replied. “I am at your disposal, and so are my men and my horses. 8 What route shall we take for the attack?”
“We will go the long way through the wilderness of Edom,” Joram answered.
9 So King Joram and the kings of Judah and Edom set out. After marching seven days, they ran out of water, and there was none left for the men or the pack animals. 10 “We're done for!” King Joram exclaimed. “The Lord has put the three of us at the mercy of the king of Moab!”
11 King Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there a prophet here through whom we can consult the Lord?”
An officer of King Joram's forces answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's assistant.”
12 “He is a true prophet,” King Jehoshaphat said. So the three kings went to Elisha.
13 “Why should I help you?” Elisha said to the king of Israel. “Go and consult those prophets that your father and mother consulted.”
“No!” Joram replied. “It is the Lord who has put us three kings at the mercy of the king of Moab.”
14 Elisha answered, “By the living Lord, whom I serve, I swear that I would have nothing to do with you if I didn't respect your ally, King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now get me a musician.”
As the musician played his harp, the power of the Lord came on Elisha, 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditches all over this dry stream bed. 17 Even though you will not see any rain or wind, this stream bed will be filled with water, and you, your livestock, and your pack animals will have plenty to drink.’” 18 And Elisha continued, “But this is an easy thing for the Lord to do; he will also give you victory over the Moabites. 19 You will conquer all their beautiful fortified cities; you will cut down all their fruit trees, stop all their springs, and ruin all their fertile fields by covering them with stones.”
20 The next morning, at the time of the regular morning sacrifice, water came flowing from the direction of Edom and covered the ground.
21 When the Moabites heard that the three kings had come to attack them, all the men who could bear arms, from the oldest to the youngest, were called out and stationed at the border. 22 When they got up the following morning, the sun was shining on the water, making it look as red as blood. 23 “It's blood!” they exclaimed. “The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!”
24 But when they reached the camp, the Israelites attacked them and drove them back. The Israelites kept up the pursuit, slaughtering the Moabites 25 and destroying their cities. As they passed by a fertile field, every Israelite would throw a stone on it until finally all the fields were covered; they also stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees. At last only the capital city of Kir Heres was left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.
26 When the king of Moab realized that he was losing the battle, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him and tried to force his way through the enemy lines and escape to the king of Syria, but he failed. 27 So he took his oldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they drew back from the city and returned to their own country.
Ovita pokati kOvaisrael nOvamoab
1 Mombura oitjamurongo na hambondatu youhona wa Josafat, ombara ya Juda, Joram, omuzandu wa Ahab, otja rira ombara mOisrael; neye wa honapara mOsamaria oure wozombura omurongo na mbari. 2 Eye wa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona; nungwari eye ka ri omuvi otja ihe poo ina Isebel; eye wa teya ongunḓe onḓere ndja ungurirwe i ihe yokukumbira po komukuru wotjisenginina Baal. 3 Otja Jerobeam, omuzandu wa Nebat, ngwa ri po komurungu we, eye wa katukisa Ovaisrael, nu ka isire okutjita ouvi.
4 Mesa, ombara ya Moab, wa ri omutumbe wozonḓu. Eye aa ṋiṋikiziwa okuyandja ozondjona omayovi esere rimwe, nomainya wozondwezu zozonḓu omayovi esere rimwe kombara ya Israel ombura aihe. 5 Nungwari Ahab, ombara ya Israel, tja koka, Mesa wa sekamena Ovaisrael. 6 Moruveze ndo Joram, ombara ya Samaria, otja woronganisa otjimbumba tje atjihe tjovita. 7 Eye wa hinda ombuze ku Josafat, ombara ya Juda, na tja: “Ombara ya Moab ye ndji sekamene; mo rikutu kuna ami okukemurwisa?”
Nombara Josafat wa zira a tja: “Ii, ami me vanga; ngatu kumuke! Ove tji we rirongere, ami wina me rirongere puna otjimbumba tjandje tjovita noukambe wandje. 8 Matu twara ondjira iṋe okuyenda kovita?”
Joram wa zira a tja: “Matu twara ondjira ndji onde yomokuti onguza kwa Edom.”
9 Nombara Joram nozombara za Juda noya Edom otji va kumuka. Nu tji va kayenda oure womayuva hambombari, omeva wawo otji ya manuka, nu kapa ri omeva kotjimbumba tjovita na kovikutirwa. 10 Nombara Joram wa ravaera na tja: “Owee! Muhona we tu twa atuyetatu momake wombara ya Moab!”
11 Ombara Josafat wa pura a tja: “Kamu nomuprofete muno ngu me tu purire Muhona are?”
Nomuhongore umwe wotjimbumba tja Joram tjovita wa zira na tja: “Elisa, omuzandu wa Safat, u ri muno; eye wa ri omuvatere wa Elia.”
12 Ombara Josafat wa tja nai: “Eye omuprofete wakatjotjiri.” Ozombara ndatu nḓa opu za ira ku Elisa.
13 Elisa wa tja nai kombara ya Israel: “Ami mbi na tjike na ove? Twende kovaprofete ooiho na nyoko kaave kapura!”
Nu Joram wa zira na tja: “Kako! Muhona ongwe tutwa momake wOvamoab eṱe ozombara atuyetatu.”
14 Elisa wa zira a tja: “Tjimbe tja Muhona Omunamasaaehe, ngu mbi karera, ami hitje kara notjiṋa okutjita na ove, andakuzu himba ri nondengero na Josafat, ombara ya Juda. 15 Nambano ndji etera omunyande wotjihumba.”
Ingwi omunyande ngunda ama nyanda otjihumba tje, omasa wa Muhona otji ye ya ku Elisa, 16 neye wa tja: “Muhona ma tja nai: ‘Hupureye oturora okukondorokisa otjana tji tja pwira hi. 17 Nandarire kutja kamu nokumuna otjivepo nombura, otjana hi matji urisiwa nomeva, neṋe novinamuinyo vyeṋu mamu kara nomeva omengi okunwa.’ ” 18 Elisa wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Nungwari ihi otjiṋa otjipupu ku Muhona okutjitjita; eye wina me mu pe outoṋi kOvamoab. 19 Eṋe mamu huura ovihuro vyawo oviwa novinamasa avihe; mamu ke omiti vyawo avihe vyovihape, namu pata otuharwi twawo atuhe, namu nyono omahi wawo aehe omahapise amamu ye vandeke nomawe.”
20 Omuhuka wependukirwa raindo, moruveze ombunguhiro yomuhuka ndu i punguhwa, omeva ya pupa okuza komukuma wa Edom naye nyandavara kombanda yehi.
21 NOvamoab tji va zuva kutja ozombara nḓa ndatu ze ya okuverwisa, ovarumendu avehe mba yenena okutjinda ovirwise, okuza komunene nga komutanda, va isanewa nave kakuramisiwa pomuruko. 22 Nu mependukirwa owo tji va penduka, eyuva otjiyari yere kombanda yomeva, nomeva aaye munika omaserandu tjimuna ombinḓu! 23 Nowo va ravaera nave tja: “Indji ombinḓu! Imbi ovimbumba vitatu vyovanavita ngahino vya ru, notji vya zepasana! Ngatu yende tu kahuure ozondanda zavyo!”
24 Nungwari owo tji va vaza ozondanda nḓa, Ovaisrael otji ve ve rwisa nave ve ramba. Ovaisrael va kara pokuveramba amave zepa Ovamoab, 25 nave nyono ovihuro vyawo. Nowo ngunda amave kapita ehi ehapise, Omuisrael auhe otjaa yumbu ewe mu ro nga omahi aehe womakunino tji ya vandekwa; wina va pata otuharwi nave ke omiti vyovihape. Korusenina otjihuro ohongora Kir-Heres porwatjo otji tja sewa po; novayumbe womawe ve tji kovera nave tji rwisa.
26 Ombara ya Moab tji ya muna kutja i ri pokuhaverwa, arire tji ya toora ovarumendu omasere hambombari ovanamangaruvyo nai kondjo okutuurunga otuteto twovanavita nokutaurira kombara ya Sirie, nungwari kai sorere. 27 Oyo otji ya toora omuzandu wayo everi ngwetje i pingena okurira ombara, nai mu punguhire korumbo rwotjihuro a rire ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa komukuru wotjisenginina wOvamoab. Ovaisrael va urumisiwa tjinene, notji va za ko kotjihuro nave yaruka kehi rawo oveni.
