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.
Oita pokati kaIsrael naMoab
1 Joram yaAhab okwa ninga ohamba yaIsrael muSamaria momudo omutimulongo nomutihetatu waJosafat, ohamba yaJuda, nokwa pangela omido omulongo nambali. 2 Ye okwa ninga osho shii momesho Omwene, ndelenee hangaashi xe naina, osheshi okwa kufa po ongudi yaBaal, yo ya ningwa kuxe. 3 Ndelenee okwa kanyatela momatimba aJerobeam yaNebat, nao winya a hongaulifa Israel okunyona. Ye ine a efa.
4 Mesa, ohamba yaMoab, ya li i nomaufita eedi ndele ya yandja efendelo kohamba yaIsrael oudjona omayovi efele nomalududi oudjona omayovi efele. 5 Ndelenee Ahab eshi a fya, ohamba yaMoab ye liteeka ohamba yaIsrael. 6 Pefimbo tuu linya ohamba Joram ya dja muSamaria nokwa ongela Ovaisraeli aveshe. 7 Nokwa ya ndele ta tumu kuJosafat, ohamba yaJuda, ondaka tai ti: “Ohamba yaMoab ye liteeka nge. Ove to uya tuu tu ye pamwe tu ka homone Moab?” Ndele ye okwa nyamukula: “Handi uya. Ame ongaashi ove, oshiwana shange ongaashi oshiwana shoye, eenghambe dange ngaashi eenghambe doye.” 8 Ndele Josafat okwa pula: “Ohatu ka enda nondjila i lipipo?” Nokwa nyamukula: “Nondjila yokombuwa yaEdom.” 9 Opo nee hano ohamba yaIsrael nohamba yaJuda nohamba yaEdom, da fikama. Ndelenee do eshi da enda nokweelaela nondjila yomafiku aheyali, ndele inapa monika omeva komatanga ovakwaita nokeendongi de va shikula, 10 ohamba yaIsrael tai ti: “Woo, Omwene okwa ongela eehamba edi nhatu, e di yandje momake Ovamoab.” 11 Ndelenee Josafat okwa tya: “Apa kape nomuxunganeki wOmwene tu mu pule epukululo lokOmwene?” Opo nee umwe womovapiya vohamba yaIsrael okwa nyamukula, ta ti: “Elisa yaSafat, ou a tila omeva komake aElia, opo e li.” 12 Josafat ta ti: “Ye e nondjovo yOmwene.” Opo nee ohamba yaIsrael naJosafat nohamba yaEdom, da ya kuye. 13 Ndele Elisa okwa lombwela ohamba yaIsrael: “Ame ndi na shike naave? Inda kovaxunganeki vaxo novanyoko.” Ohamba yaIsrael ye mu lombwela: “Hangaha! Osheshi Omwene okwa ongela eehamba edi nhatu, Ye e di yandje momake Ovamoab.” 14 Elisa ta ti: “Oshili, ngaashi Omwene womatanga ovakwaita e nomwenyo koshipala shaau handi kala ofika: ngeno inandi hala oku wapalela Josafat, ohamba yaJuda, ngeno itandi ku tale nande noihandi ku mono. 15 Ndelenee eteleni nge nee paife omushiki wokaxumbafeta.” Nomushiki wokaxumbafeta eshi ta shiki, eke lOmwene le uya kombada yaye, 16 ndele ye ta ti: “Omwene osho ta ti: ‘Efilu eli li yadifeni omalambo.’ 17 Osheshi Omwene ta ti ngaha: ‘Nye itamu ka mona nande omhepo ile odula, ndelenee efilu eli tali ka yada omeva. Ndele nye otamu nu, nye vene noimuna yeni neendongi deni.’ ” 18 Ndelenee osho oshinima shinini momesho Omwene: “Ye ota yandje yo Moab momake eni. 19 Nosho tamu ka nangala oilando aishe i neehotekuma noilando aishe ya hoololwa, tamu ka ka omiti adishe doiimati, tamu fitike po eefifiya adishe domeva, ndele tamu nyono po nomamanya omapya aeshe mawa.” 20 Ndele tala, ongula ya shikula, pefimbo olo eendjayambo tadi yambwa, omeva e uya, a dja kombinga yokuEdom, nedu la yada omeva.
21 Ovamoab aveshe eshi va uda nokutya, eehamba da fikama oku va lwifa, aveshe ava va wana okudilila oiti novakulunhu vavo va shivwa, ndele va kala pongaba. 22 Ndelenee ongula inene, etango eshi la pita ndele tali eta eehandje komeva, Ovamoab va mona nhumbi omeva komesho avo a tilyana ngaashi ohonde. 23 Ndele va tya: “Oyo ohonde. Oshili, eehamba da hovela okulwifafana ndele va dipaafana. Ovamoab, tu yeni tu ka kufe oixuulwa!” 24 Ndelenee vo eshi ve uya monhanda yaIsrael, Ovaisraeli va fikama ndele va finda Ovamoab, vo ove va ya onhapo. Ndele va homona oshilongo ndele va finda vali Ovamoab. 25 Ndele va teya po oilando nomomapya aeshe mawa, keshe umwe a ekela emanya, ve a yadifa. Va fitika po eefifiya adishe, nomiti adishe doiimati ve di ka po, ashike muKir-Hareset mwa fyaala omamanya meenhele davo. Novalumenhu ve noiumbifo va fitikinina oshilando ndele ve shi umba.
26 Ohamba yaMoab eshi ya mona nokutya tai ka tewa molwoodi, oya kufa pamwe nayo ovalumenhu omafele aheyali ve nomaongamukonda, i panukile ye uya kohamba yaEdom. Ndelenee va nyengwa. 27 Opo nee ya kufa omona wayo omumati, oshiveli shayo, ou kwa li e nokuninga ohamba konima yayo, ndele ye mu yambela kohotekuma. Opo nee ehandu linene la hanga Israel, onghee va dja ko, ndele va shuna koshilongo shavo.
