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2 Kings 3

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1 καὶ Ιωραμ υἱὸς Αχααβ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ισραηλ ἐν ἔτει ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ Ιωσαφατ βασιλεῖ Ιουδα καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν δώδεκα ἔτη 2 καὶ ἐποίησεν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς κυρίου πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ μετέστησεν τὰς στήλας τοῦ Βααλ ἃς ἐποίησεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ 3 πλὴν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ Ιεροβοαμ υἱοῦ Ναβατ ὃς ἐξήμαρτεν τὸν Ισραηλ ἐκολλήθη οὐκ ἀπέστη ἀ{P'} αὐτῆς

1 It was in the eighteenth year of king Josaphat that Joram, son of Achab, began his reign over Israel at Samaria; it lasted twelve years. 2 He too defied the Lord’s will, but not so openly as his father and mother before him; the images his father had raised to Baal he abolished, 3 but he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, that taught Israel to sin, and could not bring himself to leave them.

1 Joram vero filius Achab regnavit super Israël in Samaria anno decimooctavo Josaphat regis Judæ: regnavitque duodecim annis. 2 Et fecit malum coram Domino, sed non sicut pater suus et mater: tulit enim statuas Baal quas fecerat pater ejus. 3 Verumtamen in peccatis Jeroboam filii Nabat, qui peccare fecit Israël, adhæsit, nec recessit ab eis.

4 καὶ Μωσα βασιλεὺς Μωαβ ἦν νωκηδ καὶ ἐπέστρεφεν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐπαναστάσει ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας ἀρνῶν καὶ ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας κριῶν ἐπὶ πόκων 5 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν Αχααβ καὶ ἠθέτησεν βασιλεὺς Μωαβ ἐν βασιλεῖ Ισραηλ 6 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ιωραμ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐκ Σαμαρείας καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο τὸν Ισραηλ 7 καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν πρὸς Ιωσαφατ βασιλέα Ιουδα λέγων βασιλεὺς Μωαβ ἠθέτησεν ἐν ἐμοί εἰ πορεύσῃ με{T'} ἐμοῦ εἰς Μωαβ εἰς πόλεμον καὶ εἶπεν ἀναβήσομαι ὅμοιός μοι ὅμοιός σοι ὡς ὁ λαός μου ὁ λαός σου ὡς οἱ ἵπποι μου οἱ ἵπποι σου 8 καὶ εἶπεν ποίᾳ ὁδῷ ἀναβῶ καὶ εἶπεν ὁδὸν ἔρημον Εδωμ 9 καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ιουδα καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Εδωμ καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ὁδὸν ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ τῇ παρεμβολῇ καὶ τοῖς κτήνεσιν τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν 10 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ ὦ ὅτι κέκληκεν κύριος τοὺς τρεῖς βασιλεῖς παρερχομένους δοῦναι αὐτοὺς ἐν χειρὶ Μωαβ

4 The king of Moab, Mesa, had great flocks in his possession, and used to pay a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs, and as many rams unshorn; 5 but when Achab died, he renounced his agreement with the kings of Israel. 6 Whereupon king Joram lost no time in marching out from Samaria, mustering his whole forces, 7 and sending a message to Josaphat, king of Juda, bidding him come out and bear arms against the rebel king of Moab. I will march with thee, he answered; mine is thine, men and horses of mine are at thy disposal; 8 what shall be our line of march? Through the desert of Edom, answered he; 9 and march they did, the three kings of Israel, Juda and Edom, by so indirect a journey as took them seven days to accomplish, till the supply of water failed for man and beast. 10 Alas, alas, the king of Israel cried, that the Lord should have gathered us here, kings three, to fall into the hands of Moab!

4 Porro Mesa rex Moab nutriebat pecora multa, et solvebat regi Israël centum millia agnorum, et centum millia arietum cum velleribus suis. 5 Cumque mortuus fuisset Achab, prævaricatus est fœdus quod habebat cum rege Israël. 6 Egressus est igitur rex Joram in die illa de Samaria, et recensuit universum Israël. 7 Misitque ad Josaphat regem Juda, dicens: Rex Moab recessit a me: veni mecum contra eum ad prælium. Qui respondit: Ascendam: qui meus est, tuus est: populus meus, populus tuus, et equi mei, equi tui. 8 Dixitque: Per quam viam ascendemus? At ille respondit: Per desertum Idumææ. 9 Perrexerunt igitur rex Israël, et rex Juda, et rex Edom, et circuierunt per viam septem dierum, nec erat aqua exercitui et jumentis quæ sequebantur eos. 10 Dixitque rex Israël: Heu! heu! heu! congregavit nos Dominus tres reges ut traderet in manus Moab.

11 καὶ εἶπεν Ιωσαφατ οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε προφήτης τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἐπιζητήσωμεν τὸν κύριον πα{R'} αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπεκρίθη εἷς τῶν παίδων βασιλέως Ισραηλ καὶ εἶπεν ὧδε Ελισαιε υἱὸς Σαφατ ὃς ἐπέχεεν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ χεῖρας Ηλιου 12 καὶ εἶπεν Ιωσαφατ ἔστιν αὐτῷ ῥῆμα κυρίου καὶ κατέβη πρὸς αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ καὶ Ιωσαφατ βασιλεὺς Ιουδα καὶ βασιλεὺς Εδωμ 13 καὶ εἶπεν Ελισαιε πρὸς βασιλέα Ισραηλ τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί δεῦρο πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ μή ὅτι κέκληκεν κύριος τοὺς τρεῖς βασιλεῖς τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας Μωαβ 14 καὶ εἶπεν Ελισαιε ζῇ κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων ᾧ παρέστην ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ὅτι εἰ μὴ πρόσωπον Ιωσαφατ βασιλέως Ιουδα ἐγὼ λαμβάνω εἰ ἐπέβλεψα πρὸς σὲ καὶ εἶδόν σε 15 καὶ νυνὶ δὲ λαβέ μοι ψάλλοντα καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἔψαλλεν ὁ ψάλλων καὶ ἐγένετο ἐ{P'} αὐτὸν χεὶρ κυρίου 16 καὶ εἶπεν τάδε λέγει κύριος ποιήσατε τὸν χειμάρρουν τοῦτον βοθύνους βοθύνους 17 ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος οὐκ ὄψεσθε πνεῦμα καὶ οὐκ ὄψεσθε ὑετόν καὶ ὁ χειμάρρους οὗτος πλησθήσεται ὕδατος καὶ πίεσθε ὑμεῖς καὶ αἱ κτήσεις ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ κτήνη ὑμῶν 18 καὶ κούφη αὕτη ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς κυρίου καὶ παραδώσω τὴν Μωαβ ἐν χειρὶ ὑμῶν 19 καὶ πατάξετε πᾶσαν πόλιν ὀχυρὰν καὶ πᾶν ξύλον ἀγαθὸν καταβαλεῖτε καὶ πάσας πηγὰς ὕδατος ἐμφράξετε καὶ πᾶσαν μερίδα ἀγαθὴν ἀχρειώσετε ἐν λίθοις

11 But Josaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we might win the divine favour? At that, one of Joram’s men said, Eliseus the son of Saphat is close by, that was body-servant once to Elias. 12 He is a man that has the power of the Lord with him, said Josaphat. So to Eliseus the three kings of Israel, Juda and Edom betook themselves. 13 And thus he greeted the king of Israel, What makest thou with me? To those other prophets betake thyself, whom thy father and thy mother knew. Tell me this, said Joram; why has the Lord gathered us here, kings three, to fall into the hands of Moab? 14 And Eliseus told him, As the Lord of hosts, the God I serve, is a living God, neither heed nor hearing thou shouldst have had from me, but for that reverence I bear for Josaphat, king of Juda. 15 Bring a minstrel here. So a minstrel came, and while he played on his harp, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Eliseus, and he cried, 16 A message from the Lord; Dig channels here, channels there, in this dry river-bed. 17 Thus says the Lord, Never a sign shall there be of wind or rain, but this river-bed shall fill with water, for you and yours and for your beasts to drink. 18 And the Lord will not be content with that; he means to give you victory over Moab. 19 Every fortress and every cherished city of theirs you must overthrow, cut down every fruit-tree, stop up every well, strew all their best plough-land with boulders.

11 Et ait Josaphat: Estne hic propheta Domini, ut deprecemur Dominum per eum? Et respondit unus de servis regis Israël: Est hic Eliseus filius Saphat, qui fundebat aquam super manus Eliæ. 12 Et ait Josaphat: Est apud eum sermo Domini. Descenditque ad eum rex Israël, et Josaphat rex Juda, et rex Edom. 13 Dixit autem Eliseus ad regem Israël: Quid mihi et tibi est? vade ad prophetas patris tui et matris tuæ. Et ait illi rex Israël: Quare congregavit Dominus tres reges hos ut traderet eos in manus Moab? 14 Dixitque ad eum Eliseus: Vivit Dominus exercituum, in cujus conspectu sto, quod si non vultum Josaphat regis Judæ erubescerem, non attendissem quidem te, nec respexissem. 15 Nunc autem adducite mihi psaltem. Cumque caneret psaltes, facta est super eum manus Domini, et ait: 16 Hæc dicit Dominus: Facite alveum torrentis hujus fossas et fossas. 17 Hæc enim dicit Dominus: Non videbitis ventum, neque pluviam: et alveus iste replebitur aquis, et bibetis vos, et familiæ vestræ, et jumenta vestra. 18 Parumque est hoc in conspectu Domini: insuper tradet etiam Moab in manus vestras. 19 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 καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ πρωὶ ἀναβαινούσης τῆς θυσίας καὶ ἰδοὺ ὕδατα ἤρχοντο ἐξ ὁδοῦ Εδωμ καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ὕδατος 21 καὶ πᾶσα Μωαβ ἤκουσαν ὅτι ἀνέβησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς πολεμεῖν αὐτούς καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ἐκ παντὸς περιεζωσμένου ζώνην καὶ ἐπάνω καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τοῦ ὁρίου 22 καὶ ὤρθρισαν τὸ πρωί καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα καὶ εἶδεν Μωαβ ἐξ ἐναντίας τὰ ὕδατα πυρρὰ ὡσεὶ αἷμα 23 καὶ εἶπαν αἷμα τοῦτο τῆς ῥομφαίας ἐμαχέσαντο οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ ἐπάταξαν ἀνὴρ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τὰ σκῦλα Μωαβ 24 καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Ισραηλ καὶ Ισραηλ ἀνέστησαν καὶ ἐπάταξαν τὴν Μωαβ καὶ ἔφυγον ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰσπορευόμενοι καὶ τύπτοντες τὴν Μωαβ 25 καὶ τὰς πόλεις καθεῖλον καὶ πᾶσαν μερίδα ἀγαθὴν ἔρριψαν ἀνὴρ τὸν λίθον καὶ ἐνέπλησαν αὐτὴν καὶ πᾶσαν πηγὴν ὕδατος ἐνέφραξαν καὶ πᾶν ξύλον ἀγαθὸν κατέβαλον ἕως τοῦ καταλιπεῖν τοὺς λίθους τοῦ τοίχου καθῃρημένους καὶ ἐκύκλευσαν οἱ σφενδονῆται καὶ ἐπάταξαν αὐτήν

20 And so, next morning, at the time when sacrifice is offered, in came the water, flowing from Edom; water filled all the plain. 21 And now the Moabites, who had heard that the kings were marching against them, called to arms every man that could wear a sword-belt, and stood ready to defend their frontier. 22 They awoke that morning to find sunrise reflected in the water, so that it seemed, from their side of the valley, red as blood. 23 Bloodshed! they cried; the kings have fallen out with one another and come to blows; men of Moab, there lies the spoil! 24 So they made straight for the Israelite camp; where the Israelites stood to their arms and overpowered them, so that they turned to flee. And now the victors, with Moab at their mercy, 25 overthrew the cities, smothered their best plough-land, every man throwing his stone, stopped up the wells, and cut down the fruit-trees. Only the City of Brick Walls was left, and even this, beleaguered by slingers, was in great part destroyed.

20 Factum est igitur mane, quando sacrificium offerri solet, et ecce aquæ veniebant per viam Edom, et repleta est terra aquis. 21 Universi autem Moabitæ audientes quod ascendissent reges ut pugnarent adversum eos, convocaverunt omnes qui accincti erant balteo desuper, et steterunt in terminis. 22 Primoque mane surgentes, et orto jam sole ex adverso aquarum, viderunt Moabitæ e contra aquas rubras quasi sanguinem, 23 dixeruntque: Sanguis gladii est: pugnaverunt reges contra se, et cæsi sunt mutuo: nunc perge ad prædam, Moab. 24 Perrexeruntque in castra Israël: porro consurgens Israël, percussit Moab: at illi fugerunt coram eis. Venerunt igitur qui vicerant, et percusserunt Moab, 25 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 καὶ εἶδεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μωαβ ὅτι ἐκραταίωσεν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ὁ πόλεμος καὶ ἔλαβεν με{Q'} ἑαυτοῦ ἑπτακοσίους ἄνδρας ἐσπασμένους ῥομφαίαν διακόψαι πρὸς βασιλέα Εδωμ καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν 27 καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν πρωτότοκον ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἀν{T'} αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὸν ὁλοκαύτωμα ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους καὶ ἐγένετο μετάμελος μέγας ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἀπῆραν ἀ{P'} αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν γῆν

26 The king of Moab, seeing that his cause was lost, tried to break through, at the head of seven hundred warriors, and attack the king of Edom. When this would not serve, 27 he took his own first-born son, the heir to the throne, and offered him up as a sacrifice on the walls. At this, great ruth came upon the men of Israel, so that they let him be, and went back to their own country.[1]

26 Quod cum vidisset rex Moab, prævaluisse scilicet hostes, tulit secum septingentos viros educentes gladium, ut irrumperent ad regem Edom: et non potuerunt. 27 Arripiensque filium suum primogenitum, qui regnaturus erat pro eo, obtulit holocaustum super murum: et facta est indignatio magna in Israël, statimque recesserunt ab eo, et reversi sunt in terram suam.

[1] ‘Great ruth came upon the men of Israel’; this is certainly the sense of the Septuagint Greek, and perhaps of the Latin. But the Hebrew text appears to say that anger was roused against Israel: and the term used generally refers to divine anger. It seems not impossible that some words of the original story have dropped out.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd