2 Kings 10

1 Ahab had nowe seuentie sonnes in Samaria. And Iehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria vnto the rulers of Izreel, and to the Elders, and to the bringers vp of Ahabs children, to this effect,

Now there were in Samaria seventy of Ahab's sons. And Jehu sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of the town, and to the responsible men, and to those who had the care of the sons of Ahab, saying,

2 Nowe when this letter commeth to you, (for ye haue with you your masters sonnes, yee haue with you both charets and horses, and a defenced citie, and armour)

Straight away, when you get this letter, seeing that your master's sons are with you, and that you have carriages and horses and a walled town and arms;

3 Consider therefore which of your masters sonnes is best and most meete, and set him on his fathers throne, and fight for your masters house.

Take the best and most upright of your master's sons, and make him king in his father's place, and put up a fight for your master's family.

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and saide, Behold two Kings coulde not stande before him, how shall we then stand?

But they were full of fear, and said, The two kings have gone down before him: how may we keep our place?

5 And he that was gouernour of Ahabs house, and he that ruled the citie, and the Elders, and the bringers vp of the children sent to Iehu, saying, We are thy seruants, and will doe all that thou shalt bid vs: we will make no King: do what seemeth good to thee.

So the controller of the king's house, with the ruler of the town, and the responsible men, and those who had the care of Ahab's sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all your orders; we will not make any man king; do whatever seems best to you.

6 Then he wrote another letter to them, saying, If ye be mine, and wil obey my voyce, take the heads of ye men that are your masters sonnes, and come to me to Izreel by to morowe this time. (Nowe the Kings sonnes, euen seuentie persons were with the great men of the citie, which brought them vp)

Then he sent them a second letter, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will do my orders, come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow, with the heads of your master's sons. Now the king's seventy sons were with the great men of the town, who had the care of them.

7 And when the letter came to them, they tooke the Kings sonnes, and slewe the seuentie persons, and layde their heads in baskets, and sent them vnto him to Izreel.

And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and put them to death, all the seventy, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

8 Then there came a messenger and tolde him, saying, They haue brought the heads of the Kings sonnes. And he sayd, Let them lay them on two heapes at the entring in of the gate vntil the morning.

And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.

9 And when it was day, he went out, and stood and sayd to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?

And in the morning he went out and, stopping, said to all the people there, You are upright men: it is true that I made designs against my master, and put him to death; but who is responsible for the death of all these?

10 Knowe nowe that there shall fall vnto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath brought to passe the things that hee spake by his seruant Eliiah.

You may be certain that nothing which the Lord has said about the family of Ahab will be without effect; for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.

11 So Iehu slew al that remained of the house of Ahab in Izreel, and all that were great with him, and his familiars and his priestes, so that he let none of his remaine.

So Jehu put to death all the rest of the seed of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his relations and his near friends and his priests, till there were no more of them.

12 And he arose, and departed and came to Samaria. And as Iehu was in the way by an house where the shepheards did shere,

Then he got up and came to Samaria. And he was at the meeting-place of the keepers of sheep, by the way,

13 He met with the brethre of Ahaziah king of Iudah, and sayd, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and goe downe to salute the children of the King and the children of the Queene.

When he came across the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah; we are going down to see the children of the king and of the queen.

14 And he sayde, Take them aliue. And they tooke them aliue, and slew them at the well beside the house where the sheepe are shorne, euen two and fourtie men, and he left not one of them.

And he said, Take them living. So they took them living, and put them to death in the water-hole of Beth-eked; of the forty-two men he put every one to death;

15 And when he was departed thence, hee met with Iehonadab the sonne of Rechab comming to meete him, and he blessed him, and sayde to him, Is thine heart vpright, as mine heart is towarde thine? And Iehonadab answered, Yea, doubtlesse. Then giue me thine hande. And when he had giuen him his hande, he tooke him vp to him into the charet.

And when he had gone away from there, he came across Jehonadab, the son of Rechab: and he said good-day to him, and said to him, Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours? And Jehonadab in answer said, It is; and Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and he made him come up into his carriage.

16 And he sayde, Come with me, and see the zeale that I haue for the Lord: so they made him ride in his charet.

And he said, Come with me and see how I am on fire for the Lord's cause. So he made him go with him in his carriage.

17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained vnto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the worde of the Lord, which he spake to Eliiah.

And when he came to Samaria, he put to death all those of Ahab's family who were still in Samaria, till there were no more of them, as the Lord had said to Elijah.

18 Then Iehu assembled all the people, and sayd vnto them, Ahab serued Baal a litle, but Iehu shall serue him much more.

Then Jehu got all the people together and said to them, Ahab was Baal's servant in a small way, but Jehu will be his servant on a great scale.

19 Now therefore call vnto me all ye prophets of Baal, all his seruants, and all his priests, and let not a man be lacking: for I haue a great sacrifice for Baal: whosoeuer is lacking, he shall not liue. But Iehu did it by a subtiltie to destroy ye seruats of Baal.

Now send for all the prophets of Baal and all his servants and all his priests, to come to me; let no one keep away: for I have a great offering to make to Baal; anyone who is not present, will be put to death. This Jehu did with deceit, his purpose being the destruction of the servants of Baal.

20 And Iehu sayd, Proclaime a solemne assemblie for Baal. And they proclaimed it.

And Jehu said, Let there be a special holy meeting for the worship of Baal. So a public statement was made.

21 So Iehu sent vnto all Israel, and all the seruants of Baal came, and 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 ende to ende.

And Jehu sent out through all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came, not one kept away. And they came into the house of Baal, so that it was full from end to end.

22 Then he said vnto him that had the charge of the vestrie, Bring forth vestments for al the seruants of Baal. And he brought the out vestments.

And Jehu said to him who kept the robes, Get out robes for all the servants of Baal. So he got out robes for them.

23 And when Iehu went, and Iehonadab the sonne of Rechab into the house of Baal, he sayde vnto the seruants of Baal, Searche diligently, and looke, lest there be here with you any of the seruants of the Lord, but the seruants of Baal only.

And Jehu, with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal; and he said to the servants of Baal, Make a search with care, to see that no servant of the Lord is with you, but only servants of Baal.

24 And when they went in to make sacrifice and burnt offering, Iehu appoynted foure score men without, and sayd, If any of the men whome I haue brought into your hands, escape, his soule shalbe for his soule.

Then they went in to make offerings and burned offerings. Now Jehu had put eighty men outside, and said to them, If any man whom I give into your hands gets away, the life of him who lets him go will be the price of his life.

25 And when hee had made an ende of the burnt offring, Iehu sayde to the garde, and to the captaines, Goe in, slay them, let not a man come out. And they smote them with the edge of the sworde. And the garde, and the captaines cast them out, and went vnto the citie, where was the temple of Baal.

Then when the burned offering was ended, straight away Jehu said to the armed men and the captains, Go in and put them to death; let not one come out. So they put them to the sword; and, pulling the images to the earth, they went into the holy place of the house of Baal.

26 And they brought out the images of the temple of Baal, and burnt them.

And they took out the image of Asherah from the house of Baal, and had it burned.

27 And they destroyed the image of Baal, and threwe downe the house of Baal, and made a iakes of it vnto this day.

The altar of Baal was pulled down and the house of Baal was broken up and made an unclean place, as it is to this day.

28 So Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

So Jehu put an end to the worship of Baal in Israel.

29 But from the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne, Iehu departed not from them, neither from the golden calues that were in Beth-el and that were in Dan.

But Jehu did not keep himself from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and the evil he made Israel do; the gold oxen were still in Beth-el and in Dan.

30 And the Lord sayde vnto Iehu, Because thou hast diligently executed that which was right in mine eyes, and hast done vnto the house of Ahab according to all things that were in mine heart, therefore shall thy sonnes vnto the fourth generation sit on the throne of Israel.

And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes and effecting all my purpose for the family of Ahab, your sons will be kings of Israel to the fourth generation.

31 But Iehu regarded not to walke in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for hee departed not from the sinnes of Ieroboam, which made Israel to sinne.

But Jehu did not take care to keep the law of the Lord with all his heart: he did not keep himself from the sin which Jeroboam did and made Israel do.

32 In those dayes the Lord began to lothe Israel, and Hazael smote them in all the coastes of Israel,

In those days the Lord was angry first with Israel; and Hazael made attacks on all the land of Israel,

33 From Iorden Eastward, euen all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and them that were of Manasseh, from Aroer (which is by the riuer Arnon) and Gilead and Bashan.

East of Jordan, in all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the valley of the Arnon, all Gilead and Bashan.

34 Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehu, and all that he did, and all his valiant deedes, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all he did, and his great power, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?

35 And Iehu slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in Samaria, and Iehoahaz his sonne reigned in his stead.

And Jehu went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.

36 And the time that Iehu reigned ouer Israel in Samaria is eight and twentie yeeres.

And the time of Jehu's rule over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.