< Kings IV 9 >

1 And Elisaie the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up your loins, and take this cruse of oil in your hand, and go to Remmoth Galaad.
And Elisha the prophet sent for one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Make yourself ready for a journey, and take this bottle of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 And you shall enter there, and shall see there Ju the son of Josaphat son of Namessi, and shall go in and make him rise up from amongst his brethren, and shall bring him into a secret chamber.
And when you get there, go in search of Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi; and go in and make him get up from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room.
3 And you shall take the cruse of oil, and pour [it] on his head, and say you, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel: and you shall open the door, and flee, and not wait.
Then take the bottle and put the oil on his head, and say, The Lord says, I have put the holy oil on you to make you king over Israel. Then, opening the door, go in flight, without waiting.
4 And the young man the prophet went to Remmoth Galaad.
So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead.
5 And he went in, and, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have a message to you, O captain. And Ju said, To which of all us? And he said, To you, O captain.
And when he came, he saw the captains of the army seated together; and he said, I have something to say to you, O captain. And Jehu said, To which of us? And he said, To you, O captain.
6 And he arose, and went into the house: and he poured the oil upon his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you to be king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.
And he got up and went into the house; then he put the holy oil on his head and said to him, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, I have made you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
7 And you shall utterly destroy the house of Achaab your master from before me, and shall avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezabel,
You are to see that the family of Ahab your master is cut off, so that I may take from Jezebel payment for the blood of my servants the prophets, and for the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
8 and at the hand of the whole house of Achaab: and you shall utterly cut off from the house of Achaab every male, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.
For the family of Ahab will come to an end; every male of Ahab's family will be cut off, he who is shut up and he who goes free in Israel.
9 And I will make the house of Achaab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa the son of Achia.
I will make the family of Ahab like that of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and Baasha, the son of Ahijah.
10 And the dogs shall eat Jezabel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
And Jezebel will become food for the dogs in the heritage of Jezreel, and there will be no one to put her body into the earth. Then, opening the door, he went in flight.
11 And Ju went forth to the servants of his lord, and they said to him, [Is] all well? Why came this mad fellow in to you? And he said to them, You know the man, and his communication.
Then Jehu came out again to the servants of his lord, and one said to him, Is all well? why did this man, who is off his head, come to you? And he said to them, You have knowledge of the man and of his talk.
12 And they said, [It is] wrong: tell us now. And Ju said to them, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, —and he said, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you to be king over Israel.
And they said, That is not true; now give us his story. Then he said, This is what he said to me: The Lord says, I have made you king over Israel.
13 And when they heard it, they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with the trumpet, and said, Ju is king.
Then straight away everyone took his robe and put it under him on the top of the steps, and, sounding the horn, they said, Jehu is king.
14 So Ju the son of Josaphat the son of Namessi conspired against Joram, and Joram was defending Remmoth Galaad, he and all Israel, because of Azael king of Syria.
So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, made designs against Joram. (Now Joram and all the army of Israel were keeping watch on Ramoth-gilead because of Hazael, king of Aram:
15 And king Joram had returned to be healed in Jezrael of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, in his war with Azael king of Syria. And Ju said, If your heart is with me, let there not go forth out of the city one fugitive to go and report to Jezrael.
But King Joram had gone back to Jezreel to get well from the wounds which the Aramaeans had given him when he was fighting against Hazael, king of Aram.) And Jehu said, If this is your purpose, then let no one get away and go out of the town to give news of it in Jezreel.
16 And Ju rode and advanced, and came down to Jezrael; for Joram king of Israel was getting healed in Jezrael of the arrow-wounds wherewith the Syrians [had] wounded him in Rammath in the war with Azael king of Syria; for he [was] strong and a mighty man: and Ochozias king of Juda was come down to see Joram.
So Jehu got into his carriage and went to Jezreel, for Joram was ill in bed there; and Ahaziah, king of Judah, had come down to see Joram.
17 And there went up a watchman upon the tower of Jezrael, and saw the dust [made by] Ju as he approached; and he said, I see dust. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Peace.
And the watchman on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu and his band coming, and said, I see a band of people. And Joram said, Send out a horseman to them, and let him say, Is it peace?
18 And there went a horseman to meet them, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Ju said, What have you to do with peace? turn behind me. And the watchman reported, saying, The messenger came up to them, and has not returned.
So a horseman went out to them and said, The king says, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? come after me. And the watchman gave them word, saying, The horseman went up to them, but has not come back.
19 And he sent another horseman, and he came to him, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Ju said, What have you to do with peace? turn behind me.
Then he sent out a second horseman, who came up to them and said, The king says, Is it peace? And Jehu said in answer, What have you to do with peace? come after me.
20 And the watchman reported, saying, He came up to them, and has not returned: and the driver drives Ju the son of Namessi, for it is with furious [haste].
And the watchman gave them word, saying, He went up to them and has not come back again; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu, son of Nimshi, for he is driving violently.
21 And Joram said, Make ready. And one made ready the chariot: and Joram the king of Israel went forth, and Ochozias king of Juda, each in his chariot, and they went to meet Ju, and found him in the portion of Nabuthai the Jezraelite.
Then Joram said, Make ready. So they made his carriage ready; and Joram, king of Israel, with Ahaziah, king of Judah, went out in their carriages for the purpose of meeting Jehu; and they came face to face with him at the field of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 And it came to pass when Joram saw Ju, that he said, [Is it] peace, Ju? And Ju said, How [can it be] peace? as yet [there are] the whoredoms of your mother Jezabel, and her abundant witchcrafts.
Now when Joram saw Jehu he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he said in answer, What peace is possible while all the land is full of the disgusting sins of your mother Jezebel, and her secret arts?
23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ochozias, Treachery, Ochozias.
Then Joram, turning his horses in flight, said to Ahaziah, Broken faith, O Ahaziah!
24 And Ju bent his bow with his full strength, and struck Joram between his arms, and his arrow went out at his heart, and he bowed upon his knees.
Then Jehu took his bow in his hand, and with all his strength sent an arrow, wounding Joram between the arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he went down on his face in his carriage.
25 And [Ju] said to Badecar his chief officer, Cast him into the portion of ground of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, for I and you remember, riding [as we were] on chariots after Achaab his father, that the Lord took up this burden against him, [saying],
Then Jehu said to Bidkar, his captain, Take him up, and put him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for is not that day in your memory when you and I together on our horses were going after Ahab, his father, and the Lord put this fate on him, saying:
26 Surely, I have seen yesterday the blood of Nabuthai, and the blood of his sons, says the Lord; and I will recompense him in this portion, says the Lord. Now then, I pray you, take him up and cast him into the portion, according to the word of the Lord.
I saw the blood of Naboth and of his sons yesterday; and I will give you full payment in this field, says the Lord? So now, take him and put him in this field, as the Lord said.
27 And Ochozias king of Juda saw [it], and fled by the way of Baethgan. And Ju pursued after him, and said, [Slay] him also. And one struck him in the chariot at the going up of Gai, which is Jeblaam: and he fled to Mageddo, and died there.
Now when Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw this, he went in flight by the way of the garden house. And Jehu came after him and said, Put him to death in the same way; and they gave him a death-wound in his carriage, on the slope up to Gur, by Ibleam; and he went in flight to Megiddo, where death came to him.
28 And his servants put him on a chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his sepulchre in the city of David.
And his servants took him in a carriage to Jerusalem, and put him into the earth with his fathers in the town of David.
29 And in the eleventh year of Joram king of Israel, Ochozias began to reign over Juda.
(In the eleventh year of the rule of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.)
30 And Ju came to Jezrael; and Jezabel heard [of it], and coloured her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked through the window.
And when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel had news of it; and, painting her eyes and dressing her hair with ornaments, she put her head out of the window.
31 And Ju entered into the city; and she said, Had Zambri, the murderer of his master, peace?
And when Jehu was coming into the town, she said, Is all well, O Zimri, taker of your master's life?
32 And he lifted up his face towards the window, and saw her, and said, Who are you? Come down with me. And two eunuchs looked down towards him.
Then, looking up to the window, he said, Who is on my side, who? and two or three unsexed servants put out their heads.
33 And he said, Throw her [down]. And they threw her [down]; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and they trampled on her.
And he said, Take her and put her out of the window. So they sent her down with force, and her blood went in a shower on the wall and on the horses; and she was crushed under their feet.
34 And [Ju] went in and ate and drank, and said, Look now, after this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.
And he came in, and took food and drink; then he said, Now see to this cursed woman, and put her body into the earth, for she is a king's daughter.
35 And they went to bury her; but they found nothing of her but the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.
And they went out to put her body into the earth, but nothing of her was to be seen, only the bones of her head, and her feet, and parts of her hands.
36 And they returned and told him. And he said, [It is] the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Eliu the Thesbite, saying, In the portion of Jezrael shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezabel.
So they came back and gave him word of it. And he said, This is what the Lord said by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the heritage of Jezreel the flesh of Jezebel will become food for dogs;
37 And the carcass of Jezabel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezrael, so that they shall not say, [This is] Jezabel.
And the dead body of Jezebel will be like waste dropped on the face of the earth in the heritage of Jezreel; so that they will not be able to say, This is Jezebel.

< Kings IV 9 >