1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twelve years.
2 He sinned against the Lord, but he was not as bad as his father or his mother Jezebel; he pulled down the image his father had made for the worship of Baal.
3 Yet, like King Jeroboam son of Nebat before him, he led Israel into sin, and would not stop.
4 King Mesha of Moab bred sheep, and every year he gave as tribute to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs, and the wool from 100,000 sheep.
5 But when King Ahab of Israel died, Mesha rebelled against Israel.
6 At once King Joram left Samaria and gathered all his troops.