2 Kings

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria,—so Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel—the elders, and unto them who had been foster-parents for Ahab, saying:

2 Now, therefore, when this letter cometh in unto you, there being with you the sons of your lord,—and with you the chariots and the horses, and a fortified city, and the armour,

3 ye shall look out the goodliest and fittest of the sons of your lord, and set on the throne of his father, and ye shall do battle for the house of your lord.

4 Then feared they very greatly, and said, Lo! two kings stood not before him; how then should we stand?

5 So he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, and the elders, and the foster-parents sent unto Jehu, saying—Thy servants we are! And all that thou shalt say unto us will we do,—We will make no man king, Whatsoever is good in thine own eyes do!

6 Then wrote he unto them a second letter, saying—If mine ye are, and unto my voice ye intend to hearken, take ye the heads of the men who are sons of your lord, and come in unto me about this time to-morrow in Jezreel. Now the sons of the king, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who had been bringing them up.

7 And it came to pass, when the letter reached them, that they took the sons of the king, and slew them, seventy persons,—and put their heads in baskets, and sent unto him to Jezreel.

8 And there came in a messenger and told him, saying, They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king. And he said—Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.

9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out and took his stand, and said unto all the people, Righteous are ye! Lo! I conspired against my lord, and slew him, but who smote all these?

10 Know ye then that there shall fall nought of the word of Yahweh to the ground, which Yahweh spake concerning the house of Ahab,—but Yahweh hath done that which he spake through his servant Elijah.

11 Then Jehu smote all that were left remaining unto the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances and his priests,—until there was not left remaining to him a survivor.

12 Then arose he and came in, and departed for Samaria,—the sheep-shearing house itself being on the road;

13 so Jehu lighted upon the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said—Who are ye? And they said—Brethren of Ahaziah are we; so we came down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.

14 Then said he—Take them alive. So they took them alive, and slew them [casting them] into the pit of the shearing house,—forty-two men, neither left he remaining a man of them.

15 Then departed he from thence, and lighted on Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he blessed him, and said unto him—Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab said—It is. Then if it is, give me thy hand. So he gave him his hand. And he took him up to him into the chariot;

16 and said—Do come with me, and see my jealousy for Yahweh. So he made him ride in his chariot.

17 And when he came into Samaria, he smote all that were left remaining unto Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him,—according to the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken unto Elijah.

18 Then Jehu gathered together all the people, and said unto them,—Ahab served Baal a little,—Jehu will serve him much.

19 Now therefore all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests, call ye for me; do not let a man be missing; for a great sacrifice have I to Baal, no one that is missing shall live. But Jehu acted craftily to the end he might destroy the servants of Baal.

20 And Jehu said—Hallow ye a solemn festival unto Baal. And they made proclamation.

21 And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came in, so that there was not left remaining a man who had not come in,—and they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from door to door.

22 Then said he to him who was over the wardrobe chamber, Bring forth vestments for all the servants of Baal. And he brought forth for them the vestments.

23 Then entered Jehu, with Jehonadab son of Rechab, into the house of Baal,—and he said unto the servants of Baal—Search ye and see, that there be not here with you any of the servants of Yahweh, none but the servants of Baal alone.

24 And when they entered to offer sacrifices and ascending-offerings, Jehu set him outside eighty men, and said—The man who shall escape of the men whom I am bringing into your power, his own life shall be for his life.

25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the ascending-sacrifice, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers—Enter, smite them, let not a man get out. So they smote them with the edge of the sword,—and the runners and the officers cast them out, and then went as far as the city of the house of Baal,

26 and brought forth the idolatrous pillars that were in the house of Baal, and then burned it;

27 and they brake down the pillars of Baal,—and brake down the house of Baal, and appointed it for a sewer-house—until this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

29 Nevertheless, as for the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit, Jehu turned not away from following them,—the calves of gold, one being in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

30 And Yahweh said unto Jehu: Because thou hast done well by doing that which was right in mine eyes—according to all that was in my heart hast done to the house of Ahab, sons of thine unto the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

31 But Jehu took not heed to walk in the law of Yahweh God of Israel with all his heart,—he turned not away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit.

32 In those days began Yahweh to make inroads in Israel,—and Hazael smote them in all the boundaries of Israel;

33 from the Jordan towards sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites,—from Aroer, which is by the torrent of Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the story of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria,—and Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.

36 Now the days that Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.