2 Kings 10

1 There were seventy sons of the house of Ahab living in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to the officials of Samaria, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying:

And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's [children], saying,

2 “Since your master's sons are with you, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons, when you receive this letter,

Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons [are] with you, and [there are] with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor;

3 choose the best and most appropriate son of your master, place him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.”

Look out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set [him] on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

4 But they were extremely frightened, and said to themselves, “If two kings couldn't defeat him, how could we?”

But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?

5 So the palace and the city leaders, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We're not going to make anyone king. Do what you think is best.”

And he that [was] over the house, and he that [was] over the city, the elders also, and those who brought up [the children], sent to Jehu, saying, We [are] thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou [that which is] good in thy eyes.

6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are going to obey what I say, bring the heads of your master's sons to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” The seventy king's sons were being raised by the leading men of the city.

Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, if ye [are] mine, 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 to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons [being] seventy persons, [were] with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

7 When the letter arrived, they seized the king's sons and killed all seventy of them, placed their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

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

8 A messenger came in and told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the king's sons.” Jehu gave the order, “Put them in two piles at the entrance to the city gate until the morning.”

And there came a messenger, 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 In the morning Jehu went out to speak to the people who had gathered. “You haven't done anything wrong,” he told them. “I was the one who plotted against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?

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 slew him: but who slew all these?

10 Rest assured that nothing of what the Lord has prophesied against the house of Ahab will fail, for the Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”

Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD hath done [that] which he spoke by his servant Elijah.

11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who was left of the house of Ahab, as well as all his high officials, close friends, and priests. This left Ahab without a single survivor.

So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsmen, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

12 Then Jehu left and went Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. [And] as he [was] at the shearing-house in the way,

13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah, king of Judah. “Who are you?” he asked them. “We're relatives of Ahaziah,” they replied. “We've come to visit the sons of the king and of the queen mother.”

Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who [are] ye? And they answered, We [are] the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

14 “Take them alive!” Jehu ordered. So they took them alive, then killed them at the well of Beth-eked. There were forty-two men. He didn't allow any of them to live.

And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, [even] two and forty men; neither left he any of them.

15 He left there and came across Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked him, “Are you as committed to me, as I am to you?” “Yes I am,” Jehonadab replied. “In that case, give me your hand,” said Jehu. So he stretched out his hand, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.

And when he had departed thence, he lighted 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 is, give [me] thy hand. And he gave [him] his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 “Come with me and see how dedicated I am to the Lord!” Jehu said, and had him ride in his chariot.

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

17 When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he went around killing everyone who was left of Ahab's family until he had killed all of them, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.

And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spoke to Elijah.

18 Jehu had all the people gather together and told them, “Ahab worshiped Baal a little, but Jehu will worship him a lot.

And Jehu convened all the people, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; [but] Jehu shall serve him much.

19 So summon all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests. Make sure no one is missing, because I'm organizing a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who doesn't attend will be executed.” But Jehu's plan was a trick to destroy the followers of Baal.

Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal: whoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did [it] in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.

20 Jehu gave the order, “Call a religious assembly to honor Baal!” So they did so.

And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed [it].

21 Jehu sent the announcement through the whole of Israel. All the followers of Baal came—not a single man was missing. They went into the temple of Baal, filling it from end to end.

And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.

22 Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Distribute clothes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out clothes for them.

And he said to him that [was] over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab, son of Rekab, went into the temple of Baal. Jehu told the followers of Baal, “Look around and make sure that no one who follows the Lord is here with you, only the worshipers of Baal.”

And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, Search, and look that there are here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshipers of Baal only.

24 They were inside presenting sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had positioned eighty men outside and cautioned them, “I'm handing these men over to you. If you let any of them escape, you will pay for his life with yours.”

And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings, Jehu appointed eighty men without, and said, [If] any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, [he that letteth him go], his life [shall be] for the life of him.

25 As soon as Jehu had finished presenting the burnt offering, he ordered his guards and officers, “Go in and kill them all! Don't let even one escape!” So they killed them with their swords. The guards and officers threw their bodies outside, and then they went into the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal.

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] slay 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 They dragged out the idol pillars and burned them.

And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.

27 They smashed the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and turned it into a toilet, which it still is to this day.

And they broke down the image of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a draught-house to this day.

28 This was how Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel,

Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

29 but he did not end the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had made Israel commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

Yet [from] the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, [to wit], the golden calves that [were] in Beth-el, and that [were] in Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Since you have done well, and have carried out what is right in my sight, and have accomplished all that I planned for the house of Ahab, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

And the LORD said to Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing [that which is] right in my eyes, [and] hast done to the house of Ahab according to all that [was] in my heart, thy children of the fourth [generation] shall sit on the throne of Israel.

31 But Jehu was not completely committed to following the law of the Lord, the God of Israel. He did not end the sins that Jeroboam had made Israel commit.

But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.

32 At that time the Lord began to reduce the extent of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory

In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel;

33 east of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead (the region occupied by Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer through the Arnon Valley up to Gilead and Bashan.

From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which [is] by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

34 The rest of what happened in Jehu's reign, all that he did and what he accomplished, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

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 Jehu died and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king.

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

36 Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.

And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria [was] twenty and eight years.