The kings of Israel, Juda, and Edom, fight against the king of Moab. They want water, which Eliseus procureth without rain: and prophesieth victory. The king of Moab is overthrown, his city is besieged: he sacrificeth his firstborn son: so the Israelites raise the siege.

 1 And Joram the son of Achab reigned over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Josaphat king of Juda. And he reigned twelve years.
Joram vero filius Achab regnavit super Israel in Samaria anno decimo octavo Josaphat regis Judae. Regnavitque duodecim annis.

 2 And he did evil before the Lord, but not like his father and his mother: for he took away the statues of Baal, which his father had made.
Et fecit malum coram Domino, sed non sicut pater suus et mater : tulit enim statuas Baal, quas fecerat pater ejus.

 3 Nevertheless he stuck to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, nor did he depart from them.
Verumtamen in peccatis Jeroboam filii Nabat, qui peccare fecit Israel, adhaesit, nec recessit ab eis.

 4 Now Mesa, king of Moab, nourished many sheep, and he paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams with their fleeces.
Porro Mesa rex Moab nutriebat pecora multa, et solvebat regi Israel centum millia agnorum, et centum millia arietum cum velleribus suis.

 5 And when Achab was dead, he broke the league which he had made with the king of Israel.
Cumque mortuus fuisset Achab, praevaricatus est foedus, quod habebat cum rege Israel.

 6 And king Joram went out that day from Samaria, and mustered all Israel.
Egressus est igitur rex Joram in die illa de Samaria, et recensuit universum Israel.

 7 And he sent to Josaphat king of Juda, saying: The king of Moab is revolted from me, come with me against him to battle. And he answered: I will come up: he that is mine, is thine: my people, thy people: and my horses, thy horses.
Misitque ad Josaphat regem Juda, dicens : Rex Moab recessit a me, veni mecum contra eum ad praelium. Qui respondit : Ascendam : qui meus est, tuus est : populus meus, populus tuus : et equi mei, equi tui.

 8 And he said: Which way shall we go up? But he answered: By the desert of Edom.
Dixitque : Per quam viam ascendemus? At ille respondit : Per desertum Idumaeae.

 9 So the king of Israel, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom went, and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey, and there was no water for the army, and for the beasts, that followed them.
Perrexerunt igitur rex Israel, et rex Juda, et rex Edom, et circuierunt per viam septem dierum, nec erat aqua exercitui, et jumentis quae sequebantur eos.

 10 And the king of Israel said: Alas, alas, alas, the Lord hath gathered us three kings together, to deliver us into the hands of Moab!
Dixitque rex Israel : Heu heu heu, congregavit nos Dominus tres reges, ut traderet in manus Moab.

 11 And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered: Here is Eliseus the son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Elias.
Et ait Josaphat : Estne hic propheta Domini, ut deprecemur Dominum per eum? Et respondit unus de servis regis Israel : Est hic Eliseus filius Saphat, qui fundebat aquam super manus Eliae.

 12 And Josaphat said: The word of the Lord is with him. And the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, and the king of Edom went down to him.
Et ait Josaphat : Est apud eum sermo Domini. Descenditque ad eum rex Israel, et Josaphat rex Juda, et rex Edom.

 13 And Eliseus said to the king of Israel: What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father, and thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him: Why hath the Lord gathered together these three kings, to deliver them into the hands of Moab?
Dixit autem Eliseus ad regem Israel : Quid mihi et tibi est? Vade ad prophetas patris tui, et matris tuae. Et ait illi rex Israel : Quare congregavit Dominus tres reges hos, ut traderet eos in manus Moab?

 14 And Eliseus said to him: As the Lord of hosts liveth, in whose sight I stand, if I did not reverence the face of Josaphat king of Juda, I would not have hearkened to thee, nor looked on thee.
Dixitque ad eum Eliseus : Vivit Dominus exercituum, in cujus conspectu sto, quod si non vultum Josaphat regis Judae erubescerem, non attendissem quidem te, nec respexissem.

 15 But now bring me hither a minstrel. And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he said:
Nunc autem adducite mihi psaltem. Cumque caneret psaltes, facta est super eum manus Domini, et ait :

 16 Thus saith the Lord: Make the channel of this torrent full of ditches.
Haec dicit Dominus : Facite alveum torrentis hujus fossas et fossas.

 17 For thus saith the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor rain: and yet this channel shall be filled with waters, and you shall drink, you and your families, and your beasts.
Haec enim dicit Dominus : Non videbitis ventum, neque pluviam : et alveus iste replebitur aquis, et bibetis vos, et familiae vestrae, et jumenta vestra.

 18 And this is a small thing in the sight of the Lord: moreover he will deliver also Moab into your hands.
Parumque est hoc in conspectu Domini : insuper tradet etiam Moab in manus vestras.

 19 And you shall destroy every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall cut down every fruitful tree, and shall stop up all the springs of waters, and every goodly field you shall cover with stones.
Et percutietis omnem civitatem munitam, et omnem urbem electam, et universum lignum fructiferum succidetis, cunctosque fontes aquarum obturabitis, et omnem agrum egregium operietis lapidibus.

 20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the sacrifices used to be offered, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
Factum est igitur mane, quando sacrificium offerri solet, et ecce, aquae veniebant per viam Edom, et repleta est terra aquis.

 21 And all the Moabites hearing that the kings were come up to fight against them, gathered together all that were girded with a belt upon them, and stood in the borders.
Universi autem Moabitae audientes quod ascendissent reges ut pugnarent adversum eos, convocaverunt omnes qui accincti erant balteo desuper, et steterunt in terminis.

 22 And they rose early in the morning, and the sun being now up, and shining upon the waters, the Moabites saw the waters over against them red, like blood,
Primoque mane surgentes, et orto jam sole ex adverso aquarum, viderunt Moabitae econtra aquas rubras quasi sanguinem,

 23 And they said: It is the blood of the sword: the kings have fought among themselves, and they have killed one another: go now, Moab, to the spoils.
dixeruntque : Sanguis gladii est : pugnaverunt reges contra se, et caesi sunt mutuo : nunc perge ad praedam Moab.

 24 And they went into the camp of Israel: but Israel rising up defeated Moab, who fled before them. And they being conquerors, went and smote Moab.
Perrexeruntque in castra Israel : porro consurgens Israel, percussit Moab : at illi fugerunt coram eis. Venerunt igitur qui vicerant, et percusserunt Moab,

 25 And they destroyed the cities: and they filled every goodly field, every man casting his stone: and they stopt up all the springs of waters: and cut down all the trees that bore fruit, so that brick walls only remained: and the city was beset by the slingers, and a great part thereof destroyed.
et civitates destruxerunt : et omnem agrum optimum, mittentes singuli lapides, repleverunt : et universos fontes aquarum obturaverunt : et omnia ligna fructifera succiderunt, ita ut muri tantum fictiles remanerent : et circumdata est civitas a fundibulariis, et magna ex parte percussa.

 26 And when the king of Moab saw this, to wit, that the enemies had prevailed, he took with him seven hundred men that drew the sword, to break in upon the king of Edom: but they could not.
Quod cum vidisset rex Moab, praevaluisse scilicet hostes, tulit secum septingentos viros educentes gladium, ut irrumperent ad regem Edom : et non potuerunt.

 27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall: and there was great indignation in Israel, and presently they departed from him, and returned into their own country.
Arripiensque filium suum primogenitum, qui regnaturus erat pro eo, obtulit holocaustum super murum : et facta est indignatio magna in Israel, statimque recesserunt ab eo, et reversi sunt in terram suam.