Joram is a better ruler than Ahab, Jezebal, and Ahaziah in that he took down a great statue of Baal, but that's it. He still was a wicked ruler.
He mobilized an army to retake Moab. He garnered up an alliance between Jehosophat and the king of Edomites to go with him. This coalition of 3 armies runs out of water in the desert and they begin to panic.
Joram even blames the impending disaster on God, saying that God let them to attack Moab. This is strange because the text is silent about him asking God if he should, which probably means it did not happen.
Jehosophat asks if there is a prophet from God that they could ask. They find Elisha, who wants nothing to do with them, but helps out of respect for Jehosophat. He prays and prophesies that water will enter the area. Sure enough, the next day, water mysteriously appeared in the camp. The Moabite army woke up and perceived it to be blood and that the 3 armies fought and killed each other. This is a somewhat understandable interpretation because the Moabites were part of the alliance that broke and self-destructed when it went to attack Jehosophat.
The Moabites run into the Israelite camp, but the Israelites are not dead. They wake up, prepare for battle and destroy the Moabites.
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