2 Kings 9
1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak under your belt, take this flask of oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
Now, Elisha the prophet, called one of the sons of the prophets, —and said to him—Gird up thy loins, and take this flask of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead;
2 When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his companions, and take him to an inner room.
and, when thou art come in thither, then look thee out, there, Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; and thou shalt enter and get him to rise up out of the midst of his brethren, and take him into an inner chamber;
3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”
then shalt thou take the flask of oil, and pour out upon his head, and say—Thus, saith Yahweh, I have anointed thee to be king unto Israel! Then shalt thou open the door and flee, and not tarry.
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead,
So the young man went his way—the young man the prophet—unto Ramoth-gilead.
5 and when he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said. “For which of us?” asked Jehu. “For you, commander,” he replied.
And, when he came up, lo! the captains of the force, sitting, and he said—A word, have I, for thee, O captain! And Jehu said—For which, of us all? And he said, —For thee, O captain!
6 So Jehu got up and went into the house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel.
Then rose he up and went inside, and poured out the oil upon his head, and said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, I have anointed thee to be king unto the people of Yahweh, unto Israel;
7 And you are to strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD shed by the hand of Jezebel.
and thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy lord, —so will I avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Yahweh, at the hand of Jezebel;
8 The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, both slave and free, in Israel.
so shall perish all the house of Ahab, —and I will cut off to Ahab the meanest, both him that is shut up and him that is left at large, in Israel.
9 I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah.
Yea I will deliver up the house of Ahab, like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, —and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah:
10 And on the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour Jezebel, and there will be no one to bury her.’” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.
And, as for Jezebel, the dogs shall eat [her], in the town-land of Jezreel, there being none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
11 When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?” “You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.
Then, Jehu, came forth unto the servants of his lord, and one said to him—Is all well? why came this madman unto thee? And he said unto them, Ye, know, the man and his message.
12 “That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!” So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that, and he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”
And they said—False! pray tell, us. And he said, —Thus and thus, spake he unto me, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, I have anointed thee to be king unto Israel.
13 Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
Then hasted they, and took, every man his garment, and put it under him, upon the very steps, —and blew with a horn, and said, Jehu, is king!
14 Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,
Thus did Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspire against Joram, —when, Joram, was watching Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.
15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.) So Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”
But Jehoram the king had returned to get himself healed in Jezreel, of the wounds wherewith the Syrians had wounded him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. Then said Jehu—If such is your mind, let no fugitive get forth out of the city, to go and tell it in Jezreel.
16 Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went towards Jezreel, for, Joram, was lying there, —and, Ahaziah king of Judah, had come down to see Joram.
17 Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!” “Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”
Now, the watchman, was standing upon the tower, in Jezreel, so he saw the great company of Jehu, when he came, and said—A great company, can I see! Then said Jehoram—Take a horseman and send to meet them, that he may say—Is it peace?
18 So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’” “What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.” And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”
So the horseman went to meet him, and said—Thus, saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said—What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came up to them, but hath not turned back.
19 So the king sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’” “What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
Then sent he a second horseman, and he came up to them and said, Thus, saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said—What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.
20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi —he is driving like a madman!”
And the watchman told, saying, He came up to them, but hath not turned back, —and, the driving, is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for, with mad haste, doth he drive.
21 “Harness!” Joram shouted, and they harnessed his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Then said Jehoram, Harness! So one harnessed his chariot, —and Jehoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went forth, each man in his chariot, yea they went forth to meet Jehu, and came upon him in the heritage of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
And it came to pass, when Jehoram saw Jehu, that he said—Is it peace, Jehu? And he said—What can be the peace, while thy mother Jezebel’s harlotries and her incantations do so abound?
23 Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
Then Jehoram turned his hands, and fled, —and said unto Ahaziah—Treachery! O Ahaziah!
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.
And, Jehu, bent his bow, and smote Jehoram, between his arms, —and the arrow came out at his heart, —and he sank down in his chariot.
25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against him:
Then said he unto Bidkar his officer, Take [him] up, [and] cast him forth, into the field-portion of Naboth the Jezreelite, —for remember, when I and thou were riding as a couple together after Ahab his father, that, Yahweh, laid upon him this doom:
26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”
Surely, the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, have I lately seen, declareth Yahweh, therefore will I requite thee in this portion, declareth Yahweh. Now, therefore, take [him] up, [and] cast him forth into the portion, according to the word of Yahweh.
27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there.
And, Ahaziah king of Judah, saw it, and fled by the way of the garden house, —and Jehu pursued him, and said—Him also! smite him in the chariot! It was in the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Mepidgo, and died there.
28 Then his servants carried him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David.
And his servants conveyed him in a chariot and brought him into Jerusalem, —and buried him in his sepulchre, with his fathers, in the city of David.
29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)
Now it was, in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, that Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
30 Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window.
Now, when Jehu entered Jezreel and, Jezebel, heard of it, she set her eyes in stibium, and ornamented her head, and looked forth through the lattice.
31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”
So, when, Jehu, had entered in at the gate, she said, Was it peace, when Zimri slew his lord?
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.
And he lifted up his face unto the lattice, and said—Who, is with me? Who? And there looked out unto him, two or three eunuchs.
33 “Throw her down!” yelled Jehu. So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
And he said—Hurl her down. And they hurled her down, —and there was sprinkled of her blood—upon the wall, and upon the horses, and they trode upon her.
34 Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”
And, when he had entered and eaten and drunk, he said—Look, I pray you, after this accursed woman, and bury her, for the daughter of a king, she is.
35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands.
So they went to bury her, —but found not of her—save the skull, and the feet, and the palms of the hands.
36 So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel.
Then came they back, and told him, and he said—The word of Yahweh, it is, which he spake by the hand of his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying—In the town-land of Jezreel, shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel!
37 And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”
So shall the carcass of Jezebel become like heaps of dung on the face of the field, in the town-land of Jezreel: So that they cannot say, This, is Jezebel!
