2 Kings 10

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and to those who brought up the sons of Ahab, saying,

2 And now as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, also a fortified city, and armor,

3 look ye out for the best and fittest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings did not stand before him. How then shall we stand?

5 And he who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who brought up the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shall bid us. We will not make any man king. Do thou that which is good in thine eyes.

6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken to my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city who reared them.

7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and killed them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezreel.

8 And a messenger came, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. 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 stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master, and killed him. But who smote all these?

10 Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of Jehovah, which Jehovah spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for Jehovah has done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah.

11 So Jehu smote all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left to him none remaining.

12 And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we go down to salute the sons of the king and the sons of the queen.

14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing-house, even forty-two men; neither did he leave any of them.

15 And when he was departed from there, he came upon on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he saluted him, and said to him, Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot.

17 And when he came to Samaria, he smote all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spoke to Elijah.

18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much.

19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests. Let none be lacking, for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal. Whoever shall be lacking, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.

20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.

21 And Jehu sent through all Israel. And all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.

22 And he said to him who was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought forth for them vestments.

23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal. And he said to the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of Jehovah, but the worshippers of Baal only.

24 And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for him eighty men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he who lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him.

25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and kill them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword. And the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.

26 And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.

27 And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it an out-house to this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

29 However from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin, Jehu did not depart from after them, namely, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.

30 And Jehovah said to Jehu, Because thou have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

31 But Jehu did not take heed to walk in the law of Jehovah, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin.

32 In those days Jehovah began to cut off from Israel. And Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel,

33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the acts 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 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.