15. Now get me a musician.”As the musician played his harp, the power of the Lord came on Elisha,
16. and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditches all over this dry stream bed.
17. Even though you will not see any rain or wind, this stream bed will be filled with water, and you, your livestock, and your pack animals will have plenty to drink.’ ”
18. And Elisha continued, “But this is an easy thing for the Lord to do; he will also give you victory over the Moabites.
19. You will conquer all their beautiful fortified cities; you will cut down all their fruit trees, stop all their springs, and ruin all their fertile fields by covering them with stones.”
20. The next morning, at the time of the regular morning sacrifice, water came flowing from the direction of Edom, and covered the ground.
21. When the Moabites heard that the three kings had come to attack them, all the men who could bear arms, from the oldest to the youngest, were called out and stationed at the border.
22. When they got up the following morning, the sun was shining on the water, making it look as red as blood.
23. “It's blood!” they exclaimed. “The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!”
24. But when they reached the camp, the Israelites attacked them and drove them back. The Israelites kept up the pursuit, slaughtering the Moabites
25. and destroying their cities. As they passed a fertile field, every Israelite would throw a stone on it until finally all the fields were covered; they also stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees. At last only the capital city of Kir Heres was left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.
26. When the king of Moab realized that he was losing the battle, he took 700 swordsmen with him and tried to force his way through the enemy lines and escape to the king of Syria, but he failed.
27. So he took his eldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they drew back from the city and returned to their own country.