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1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.

7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

14 And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.

16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.

22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

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 against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

<html><b>Yehorom, son of Achov.</b> This section too [in order] to tell the miracle of Meisha the king of Moav, which was performed through Elisha, was written here, for [Scripture] enumerated for Eliyahu eight miracles and for Elisha sixteen, to fulfill “a double amount of your spirit upon me,”¹<i class=“footnote”>Above, 2:9.</i> and he wrote them all, one juxtaposed to the other. I saw this in the “Thirty-two Methods of Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yose Haglili.” And the dividing of the Yardein by Elisha, is [counted] like two of Eliyahu’s miracles.²<i class=“footnote”>See above 2:14 and Rashi there.</i></html>

<html><b>But not [as bad] as his father and mother.</b> Who added the [worship of the ] Baal in order to provoke [God].³<i class=“footnote”>Yehorom abolished worship of the Baal but not the Asheiroh because is mother, Izevel, was still alive at the time and she supported Asheiroh worship.—Ralbag</i></html>

<html><b>However, to the sins of Yorovom, etc.</b> d he cling. And so did all kings of Yisroel, out of fear, so that the kingdom does not return to the House of Dovid if they were to perform the pilgrimage on the [Three] Festival[s]. They, therefore, worshiped the calves.</html>

<html><b>Owned many flocks.</b> [Targum Yonoson renders,] “owner of livestock.”⁴<i class=“footnote”>Sheep are usually spotted [= נְקוּדִים], therefore a sheep owner is called נַקָּד.—Radak</i> <b>Wooly rams.</b> [Targum Yonoson renders,] “pasture-fed rams,” with their wool.</html>

<html><b>Through the road of the wilderness of Edom.</b> For the king of Edom,⁵<i class=“footnote”>He was not a king, but actually a governor that was appointed by the king of Yehudah.—Metzudas Dovid</i> too, will go with us.</html>

<html><b>To hand them over, etc.</b> For they will die of thirst.⁶<i class=“footnote”>The three kings will be handed over to Moav because either they will die of thirst, or if they scatter across the countryside in search for water, they will be in an unprotected and vulnerable position.—Radak</i></html>

<html><b>Who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu.</b> On Mount Carmel,⁷<i class=“footnote”>See I Melochim 18:34 and Rashi there.</i> and with his pouring, his fingers became like springs of water, until the ditch filled up, and it is [therefore] fitting for a miracle to be performed for us through him concerning water.⁸<i class=“footnote”>See Yalkot Shimoni 247:214.</i>⁹<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, this is an expression to indicate Elisha’s total devotion to Eliyahu to the extent that he even poured water on Eliyahu’s hands. From here we derive that those who serve Torah scholars are greater than those who only study the Torah. See Maseches Berachos 7b.</i></html>

<html><b>Do not [say that], for Adonoy has called, etc.</b> [Targum Yonoson renders,] “Please [אל]¹⁰<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, Gא means “do not,” i.e., “do not tell us these things now, etc.”—Radak</i> do not mention the sins of that wicked woman. Beg mercy for us, for Adonoy has summoned, etc.”</html>

<html><b>Bring me a musician.</b> Because of his anger, the Divine Presence departed from him.¹¹<i class=“footnote”>See Maseches Pesachim 66b. Alternatively, Elisha was unable to prophesy because he was mourning Eliyahu’s departure. The Divine Presence does not reside with people who are sad. It rests on prophets only when they experience joy in their fulfillment of a <i>mitzvah</i>. See Maseches Pesachim 117a.</i></html>

<html><b>Many pools.</b> Ditches full of water.</html>

<html><b>This is easy.</b> And furthermore, this miracle is slight and insignificant in the eyes of God, and He will proceed to act wondrously with you and [perform] another miracle, and He will deliver Moav into your hand.</html>

<html><b>And every valuable tree you will chop down.</b> Even though it is stated, “Do not harm any of its trees,”¹²<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 20:19.</i> here He permitted it for you, for this is a contemptible and insignificant nation before Him. And so Scripture states, “You shall not pursue their peace and their benefit,”¹³<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 23:7.</i> [i.e.,] these are the good trees that are among them. <b>Fertile field.</b> Sown field, <i>koumici</i>, in O.F.</html>

<html><b>At the time of the morning</b> when the meal-offering was brought up. The water began falling from heaven in the morning¹⁴<i class=“footnote”>Rashi is explaining the apparent contradiction between the expressions “morning” and “when the meal-offering was offered up” which refers to the afternoon services. Rashi explains that two expressions refer to the beginning and end of the miracle.</i> in the land of Edom,¹⁵<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, God caused one of the rivers in Edom to overflow its banks causing the valley near the camp to fill with water.—Radak</i> and at the [time of] offering up the meal-offering, it came surging into that valley, because Elisha had said, “You will not see wind and you will not see rain.”¹⁶<i class=“footnote”>Above v. 17.</i> [This is stated] in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma.</html>

<html><b>At the border.</b> At the border, that is called <i>marche</i>, in O.F.</html>

<html><b>Red as blood.</b> Such is the nature of water; when the sun shines on it in the morning, causes it to appear red. <b>From a distance.</b> At a distance, but because they had never seen water in that valley, they, therefore, thought that it was blood.</html>

<html><b>They demolished the cities.</b> They would destroy the cities. <b>Each man threw his stone.</b> For they would take stones from the walls until they left all the stones of the walls in the wall, with only their clay,¹⁷<i class=“footnote”>This is Rashi’s explanation of בַּקִּיר חֲרָשֶׂת [=the clay in the wall]. Alternatively, קִיר חֲרָשֶׂת was the name of a mighty fortified city in Moav. Generally, enemy cities would be destroyed after their capture. But, because קִיר חֲרָשֶׂת was a mighty fortified city, they needed catapulters to destroy its wall in order to capture it.—Radak</i> [i.e.,] their mortar; i.e., there were no more stones in the wall. Afterwards, “and the catapulters surrounded it,” and destroyed that which remained in the fields where the wall was not broken, and tore it down.</html>

<html><b>And then took his firstborn son.</b> In the Pesikta of the section of Shekalim it is expounded: He asked his servants, “What is the character of this nation, that miracles such as these were performed for them?” They replied, “Their forefather, Avrohom, had an only son. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, said to him, ‘Offer him before me,’ and he wanted to sacrifice him to the Holy One, Blessed Is He.” He said to them, “I too have a firstborn son. I will go and sacrifice him to the gods.”¹⁸<i class=“footnote”>There are different opinions whose firstborn son was offered as a burnt offering. Some say that the king of Edom’s firstborn son was in the custody of Moav’s king, and he was burnt by the king of Moav. Others maintain that Meisha, the king of Moav, sacrificed his own son. In Maseches Sanhedrin 39b there are also different opinions whether the firstborn was offered to God or to a heathen deity.—Radak</i> <b>On the wall.</b> The ‘<i>vav</i>’ [in חֹמָה] is missing,¹⁹<i class=“footnote”>I.e., it should have been spelled חוֹמָה.</i> for he worshiped the sun [=חַמָּה]. <b>This caused a terrible anger.</b> For their iniquities were remembered, that they too worship pagan deities and are not worthy of a miracle.²⁰<i class=“footnote”>See Maseches Sanhedrin 39b.</i></html>