2 Reis 3

ARC · Chapter 3/25

1E Jorão, filho de Achab, começou a reinar sobre Israel em Samaria no decimo oitavo anno de Josaphat, rei de Judah: e reinou doze annos.

2E fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor; porém não como seu pae, nem como sua mãe; porque tirou a estatua de Baal, que seu pae fizera.

3Comtudo adheriu aos peccados de Jeroboão, filho de Nebat, que fizera peccar a Israel; não se apartou d'elles.

4Então Mesa, rei dos moabitas, era contratante de gado, e pagava ao rei de Israel cem mil cordeiros, e cem mil carneiros com a sua lã.

5Succedeu porém que, morrendo Achab, se rebellou o rei dos moabitas contra o rei de Israel.

6Por isso Jorão ao mesmo tempo saiu de Samaria, e fez revista de todo o Israel.

7E foi, e enviou a Josaphat, rei de Judah, dizendo: O rei dos moabitas se rebellou contra mim; irás tu comigo á guerra contra os moabitas? E disse elle: Subirei; e eu serei como tu, o meu povo como o teu povo, e os meus cavallos como os teus cavallos.

8E elle disse: Por que caminho subiremos? Então disse elle: Pelo caminho do deserto d'Edom.

9E partiu o rei de Israel, e o rei de Judah, e o rei de Edom; e andaram rodeando com uma marcha de sete dias, e o exercito, e o gado que os seguia não tinham agua.

10Então disse o rei de Israel: Ah! que o Senhor chamou a estes tres reis, para os entregar nas mãos dos moabitas.

11E disse Josaphat: Não ha aqui algum propheta do Senhor, para que consultemos ao Senhor por elle? Então respondeu um dos servos do rei de Israel, e disse: Aqui está Eliseo, filho de Saphat, que deitava agua sobre as mãos de Elias.

12E disse Josaphat: Está com elle a palavra do Senhor. Então o rei de Israel, e Josaphat e o rei de Edom desceram a elle.

13Mas Eliseo disse ao rei de Israel: Que tenho eu comtigo? Vae aos prophetas de teu pae e aos prophetas de tua mãe. Porém o rei d'Israel lhe disse: Não, porque o Senhor chamou a estes tres reis para os entregar nas mãos dos moabitas.

14E disse Eliseo: Vive o Senhor dos Exercitos, em cuja presença estou, que se eu não respeitasse a presença de Josaphat, rei de Judah, não olharia para ti nem te veria.

15Ora, pois, trazei-me um tangedor. E succedeu que, tangendo o tangedor, veiu sobre elle a mão do Senhor.

16E disse: Assim diz o Senhor: Fazei n'este valle muitas covas;

17Porque assim diz o Senhor: Não vereis vento, e não vereis chuva; todavia este valle se encherá de tanta agua, que bebereis vós, e o vosso gado e os vossos animaes.

18E ainda isto é pouco aos olhos do Senhor: tambem entregará elle os moabitas nas vossas mãos.

19E ferireis a todas as cidades fortes, e a todas as cidades escolhidas, e todas as boas arvores cortareis, e entupireis todas as fontes d'agua, e damnificareis com pedras todos os bons campos.

20E succedeu que pela manhã, offerecendo-se a offerta de manjares, eis que vinham as aguas pelo caminho d'Edom: e a terra se encheu d'agua.

21Ouvindo pois todos os moabitas que os reis tinham subido para pelejarem contra elles, convocaram a todos os que cingiam cinto e d'ahi para cima, e pozeram-se ás fronteiras.

22E, levantando-se de madrugada, e saindo o sol sobre as aguas, viram os moabitas defronte d'elles as aguas vermelhas como o sangue.

23E disseram: Isto é sangue; certamente que os reis se destruiram á espada e se mataram um ao outro! agora pois á preza, moabitas!

24Porém, chegando elles ao arraial de Israel, os israelitas se levantaram, e feriram os moabitas, os quaes fugiram diante d'elles: e ainda os feriram nas suas terras, ferindo ali tambem os moabitas.

25E arrazaram as cidades, e cada um lançou a sua pedra em todos os bons campos, e os entulharam, e entupiram todas as fontes d'aguas, e cortaram todas as boas arvores, até que só em Kir-hareseth deixaram ficar as pedras, mas os fundeiros a cercaram e a feriram.

26Mas, vendo o rei dos moabitas que a peleja prevalecia contra elle, tomou comsigo setecentos homens que arrancavam espada, para romperem contra o rei de Edom, porém não poderam.

27Então tomou a seu filho primogenito, que havia de reinar em seu logar, e o offereceu em holocausto sobre o muro; pelo que houve grande indignação em Israel: por isso retiraram-se d'elle, e voltaram para a sua terra.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jehoram of Israel allies with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom to put down Moab's rebellion. With no water in the desert, they consult Elisha, who prophesies miraculous water and victory. The battle is won, but the king of Moab sacrifices his own firstborn son, causing great outrage among the Israelites.

Explanation

This chapter shows Elisha acting as a strategic advisor in times of war, always making clear that his willingness to help is tied to his respect for Jehoshaphat, a faithful king, not for Jehoram. The disturbing ending, with the Moabite king's human sacrifice, reflects real religious practices of the time (also documented in the inscription on the Mesha Stele) and shows the shocking contrast between Israel's faith, even when imperfect, and the practices of neighboring nations that sacrificed their own children to their gods.

Fun facts

  • The 'Mesha Stele' (also called the Moabite Stone), discovered in 1868, is a royal inscription from King Mesha of Moab himself, mentioned in this chapter, independently and archaeologically confirming the existence of this king and his conflict with Israel.
  • The use of a musician to help Elisha enter a prophetic state (v.15) reflects a recognized Old Testament practice of using music to calm the mind and open space for divine revelation, also seen with David playing for Saul.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Reis 3:1Joram, son of Ahab, takes the throne of Israel (northern kingdom) in Samaria, synchronized with the 18th year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (southern kingdom). He reigns twelve years.
  2. 2 Reis 3:2Joram does what is evil, but less than his parents Ahab and Jezebel: he even removes the image of Baal that his own father had set up.
  3. 2 Reis 3:3Despite removing the image of Baal, Joram keeps up the worship of the golden calves created by Jeroboam — the sin the book holds against nearly every king of the north.
  4. 2 Reis 3:4Moab was a vassal of Israel and paid tribute in livestock. When King Ahab dies, Mesha takes advantage of the change in power to rebel and stop paying, the trigger for the whole war that follows.
  5. 2 Reis 3:5As soon as Ahab dies, the king of Moab takes advantage of the change in power in Israel (north) to stop paying tribute and rebel, dragging Joram into war.
  6. 2 Reis 3:6Joram leaves Samaria and musters the whole army of Israel (north) to respond to Moab's rebellion.
  7. 2 Reis 3:7Joram asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (south), for help, and he agrees to the alliance with the same words he had used before with Ahab: my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
  8. 2 Reis 3:8The kings decide to attack Moab by way of the wilderness of Edom, a vassal kingdom that joins as a third ally in the campaign.
  9. 2 Reis 3:9After seven days marching around through the wilderness, the water runs out for the army and the animals of the three allied kings — the crisis that opens the door for Elisha's miracle.
  10. 2 Reis 3:10Without water and surrounded, the king of Israel (north) already assumes the worst: he thinks the Lord has brought the three kings together only to hand them over defeated to Moab.
  11. 2 Reis 3:11Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (south), asks for a prophet of the Lord to consult; a servant remembers Elisha, identified by the detail that he had been Elijah's direct assistant.
  12. 2 Reis 3:12Jehoshaphat recognizes Elisha's prophetic authority, and the three kings go down together to where he is.
  13. 2 Reis 3:13Elisha tells the king of Israel to go to the prophets of his own father and mother; only the king's insistence, pointing to the water crisis, changes the prophet's answer.
  14. 2 Reis 3:14Elisha makes clear he's only granting the request out of respect for Jehoshaphat, the righteous king of Judah (south) — if it were up to the king of Israel (north) alone, he wouldn't even look at him.
  15. 2 Reis 3:15Elisha asks for a musician, and it's while he plays that the hand of the Lord comes upon the prophet — a rare case in the Bible of music used to prepare prophetic inspiration.
  16. 2 Reis 3:16The miracle solves two problems at once: it quenches the army's thirst and deceives the Moabites, who, seeing the water reddened by the rising sun, think the allies killed each other. That mistake costs Moab the whole battle.
  17. 2 Reis 3:17The promise is strange on purpose: with no visible wind or rain, the valley will fill with water anyway, for the army and the animals to drink.
  18. 2 Reis 3:18Elisha warns that filling the valley with water is a small thing for God — complete victory over Moab is also guaranteed.
  19. 2 Reis 3:19The order for war is to lay everything to waste: destroy cities, cut down good trees, stop up water springs, and ruin fields with stones, an unusual scorched-earth tactic coming from a prophecy.
  20. 2 Reis 3:20The next morning, at the time of the grain offering, water comes from the direction of Edom and fills the land — the prophecy is fulfilled without rain or wind.
  21. 2 Reis 3:21The Moabites, knowing the three kings are coming to attack, muster every man old enough to fight and take up positions on the borders to defend the territory.
  22. 2 Reis 3:22Early in the morning, with the sun shining on the water, the Moabites see everything red and wrongly conclude it is blood.
  23. 2 Reis 3:23Thinking the three allied kings fought each other and destroyed one another, the Moabites let their guard down and rush eagerly to plunder the camp.
  24. 2 Reis 3:24Arriving expecting easy plunder, the Moabites find the Israelites ready, who counterattack and drive them fleeing all the way back into their own territory.
  25. 2 Reis 3:25The allies carry out Elisha's prophecy to the letter: they lay cities to waste, stop up springs, cut down trees, and cover fields with stones, leaving only Kir-haraseth standing under a siege of slingers.
  26. 2 Reis 3:26Seeing the battle turn against him, the king of Moab tries to force his way out toward the king of Edom with 700 swordsmen, but fails.
  27. 2 Reis 3:27Sacrificing one's own heir was seen, even by Israel's neighbors, as a desperate measure in moments of imminent defeat. The text records that this caused such horror even among the Israelites themselves that they withdrew, without explaining the religious logic behind Mesha's act.

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