Israel’s Retreat and the Failure of Prophecy in 2 Kings 3 2 Kings 3 tells how King Jehoram of Israel formed an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and with the king of Edom, and then marched against Mesha, king of Moab (vv. 6-9a ; cf v. 4). When the coalition ran out of water, they sought out the prophet Elisha (vv. 9b-12). Out of res- spect for Jehoshaphat, Elisha agreed to give the idolater Jehoram an oracle (vv. 13-15). He assured the alliance that the Lord would provide them with water and give Moab into their hands (vv. 16-18). They would subdue every Moabite fortified city and decimate the land, chopping down all the trees, stopping up all the springs, and covering all the fields with stones (v. 19). In fulfillment of the divine oracle, the Lord provided the water (v. 20), and the Israelites struck down the Moabites, conquered their cities, and decimated the land (vv. 21-25a). Only one city, Kir Hareseth, remained unconquered (v. 25b). Its defeat and the surrender of Moab’s king would bring Elisha’s oracle to complete fulfillment. When the alli- ance besieged the city, the Moabite king tried unsuccessfully to break through the Edomite lines (v. 26). In desperation he then offered his first- born son as a burnt sacrifice, most likely to his god Chemosh, though there is no specific mention of this deity in the text (v. 27a). This prompted an outburst of anger against Israel, causing them to retreat without taking the city (v. 27b). Did Elisha’s prophecy fail, at least partially? In this article I interact with various scholarly responses to this question, especially several recent proposals that deserve consideration. I then offer an alternative solution to the problem that is consistent with the rhetorical design of the passage and with the nature of Old Testament prophecy. My thesis is that the prophecy “failed” due to Israel’s lack of faith in YAHWEH’s promise. However, this does not diminish the reliability of YAHWEH’S character or promise, because, like most prophecies, the fulfill- ment of Elisha’s oracle of victory was inherently contingent upon Israel’s willingness to bring it to completion. This is not a story about the failure of YAHWEH or his promise, but rather an account of Israel’s dismal failure in the face of opposition. Furthermore, Jehoram’s partial success in battle ironically mirrors his partial commitment to YAHWEH, as described in the chapter’s opening verses (vv. 1-3). As such, the report of Israel’s retreat at the end of the chapter combines with the introductory report to form a thematic inclusio for the chapter: Those whose commitment to YAHWEH is half-hearted invariably fail to experience the fullness of his blessing.