Moab Rebels Against Israel
In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria. He reigned twelve years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though unlike his parents, he tore down the pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless, he clung to sin which made Israel sin.
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams to the king of Israel. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. He sent word to the king of Judah explaining that the king of Moab had rebelled against him; asking him to ally with him for battle.
He said that he would go with him, for everything he had he would give to him. They decided to head out and march by way of the wilderness of Edom; the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom.
After they had marched for seven days there was no water for the army or the animals. Then the king of Israel said that the Lord had done that to them and had given them into the hand of Moab. Jehoshaphat said that there must be a prophet around to give them guidance from the Lord.
Elisha was indeed there who “had poured water on the hands of Elijah,” and they knew that the word of the Lord was on him. They went down to him, but Elisha responded by telling them to go talk to the prophets of their own people. They said, that they needed the guidance of the Lord, since He was the one who brought the three kings together.
Elisha told them to bring him a musician, and when the musician played the hand of the Lord came upon him. Elisha said that he would make the dry stream bed full of pools so they could drink. Without seeing wind or rain it would be filled, for that was a light thing in the sight of the Lord.
The Lord would also give the Moabites into their hands, and they would “attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
The next morning, about the time of the offering of sacrifice, water came from the direction of Edom until the country was filled with water.
When the Moabites heard that the kings had come to fight against them, all who were able put on armor and were drawn up at the border. And when the sun shone on the water opposite them, they saw that it shown red as blood.
They thought that the kings must have fought each other and it was actually blood. So, they set out to collect the spoils from their battle. But when they got to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites until they fled before them. They went after them, striking them as they could. They did all that Elisha said they would through the prophesy of the Lord.
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsman to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.
Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. They withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
Elisha and the Widow’s Oil
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha how her husband was dead and the creditor was coming to take her two children away to be slaves. Elisha asked her what she had in the house. She had nothing but a jar of oil.
He told her to go to all of her neighbors and borrow as many empty vessels as she could. Then she was to go inside and shut the door behind her and her sons, and pour into all of the vessels. And when one was full to set it aside.
As she poured they brought the vessels to her. When one vessel was full, they brought another to her until there were no more. Then the oil quit flowing. She told the man of God she was finished, and he said to sell the oil and pay off her debts. Her and her sons could live on the rest.
Elisha and the Shunammite Woman
One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived who urged him to eat some food. Whenever he passed that way, he would stop there and eat. The woman talked to her husband and said that the man of God passed through there often, and they should build a small room on the roof with walls and a bed there for him.
One day he stopped there and went to the chamber to rest. He asked the woman what she wanted in return for her kindness to him. Since her husband was quite old, she never had children. He told her that she would conceive and have a son. She asked him not to lie to her for she could not believe it. Indeed, by the next year at that season, she bore a son as Elisha had told her.
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
When the child was grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. He said his head hurt and was taken to his mother. He sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind her. She went quickly to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When she got there she caught hold of the man’s feet for she was in bitter distress, but the Lord was hiding it from him and hadn’t told him. He gave her his staff to take home and lay on the face of the child. However, she refused to leave him, so he arose and followed her.
When Elisha went into the house he saw that the child was lying dead on the bed. He shut the door behind them and prayed to the Lord. “Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. As he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm.”
Then he got up and walked back and forth in the house once, and went up and stretched himself upon him again. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. He called for the woman and she came and picked up her son and went out.
Elisha Purifies the Deadly Stew
Elisha went again to Gilgal when there was a famine in the land. He told the sons of the prophets to take a large pot, and boil stew for themselves. One went out to the fields to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it wild gourds. He cut them up and put them in the pot, not knowing what they were.
They poured out some of the stew for the men to eat. But while they were eating they cried out that there was death in the pot, and they could not eat it. He told them to bring flour and he threw it into the pot. They poured out more to eat, and saw that now there was no harm in the pot.
A man came bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves. Elisha gave the bread to the men so they could eat. His servant said that there was not enough, but was told to give to the men anyway. “They shall eat and have some left.” So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.