2 Kings 9
1 Then Elisha the Prophet called one of ye children of the Prophets, and sayde vnto him, Gird thy loynes and take this boxe of oyle in thine hand and get thee to Ramoth Gilead.
Meanwhile, the prophet Elisha summoned one of the other prophets. He said to him, “Get ready [IDM] and go to Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region]. Take this jar of [olive] oil with you.
2 And when thou commest thither, looke where is Iehu ye sonne of Iehoshaphat, the sonne of Nimshi, and go, and make him arise vp from among his brethren, and leade him to a secret chamber.
When you arrive there, search for a man named Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Go with him into a room away from his companions,
3 Then take the boxe of oyle and powre it on his head, and say, Thus sayth the Lord, I haue anointed thee for King ouer Israel. then open the doore, and flee without any tarying.
and pour [some of] this oil on his head. Then say to him, ‘Yahweh declares that he is appointing you to be the king of Israel.’ Then open the door and run away as quickly as you can.”
4 So the seruat of ye Prophet gate him to Ramoth Gilead.
So the young prophet went to Ramoth.
5 And when he came in, behold, the captaines of the armie were sitting. And he sayde, I haue a message to thee, O captaine. And Iehu sayd, Vnto which of all vs? And he answered, To thee, O captaine.
When he arrived, he saw that the commanders of the army were having a conference. He [looked at Jehu and] said, “Sir, I have a message for [one of] you.” Jehu replied, “Which one of us is the message for?” The young prophet replied, “It is for you, commander/sir.”
6 And he arose, and went into the house, and he powred the oyle on his head and sayde vnto him, Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, I haue anointed thee for King ouer the people of the Lord, euen ouer Israel.
So Jehu got up and went with the young prophet into a house. There the young prophet poured some [olive] oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], declares this: ‘I am appointing you to be the king of my Israeli people.
7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may auenge the blood of my seruants the Prophets, and the blood of al the seruants of the Lord of the hand of Iezebel.
You must kill your master [King Joram], the son of Ahab, because I want to punish [Ahab’s wife] Jezebel for murdering [MTY] many of my prophets and other people who served me.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shalbe destroied: and I will cut off from Ahab, him that maketh water against the wall, as well him that is shut vp, as him that is left in Israel.
You must kill [not only Joram but] all of Ahab’s family. I want to get rid of every male in the family, including young ones and old ones.
9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the sonne of Ahiiah.
I will get rid of Ahab’s family, like I got rid of the families of two other kings of Israel, Jeroboam and Baasha.
10 And the dogges shall eate Iezebel in the fielde of Izreel, and there shalbe none to burie her. And he opened the doore, and fled.
And [when] Jezebel [dies], her corpse will not be buried. Dogs will eat her corpse there in Jezreel [city].’” After the young prophet said this, he left the room and ran.
11 Then Iehu came out to the seruants of his lord. And one sayd vnto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellowe to thee? And hee sayde vnto them, Ye knowe the man, and what his talke was.
When Jehu came out of the room to where his other commanders were, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that mad fellow come to you?” He replied, “You know what kinds of things young prophets like him say.”
12 And they sayde, It is false, tell vs it nowe. Then he sayd, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saieth the Lord, I haue anointed thee for King ouer Israel.
They said, “You are lying! Tell us what he said!” He replied, “He told me that Yahweh said, ‘I am appointing [MTY] you to be the king of Israel.’”
13 Then they made haste, and tooke euerie man his garment, and put it vnder him on the top of the staires, and blewe the trumpet, saying, Iehu is King.
Then they all spread their cloaks on the steps of the building [for Jehu to walk out on], and they blew trumpets and shouted, “Jehu is now the king!”
14 So Iehu ye sonne of Iehoshaphat the sonne of Nimshi conspired against Ioram: (Now Ioram kept Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael King of Aram.
King Joram and his army had been defending Ramoth against the attacks by the army of the king of Syria. King Joram had returned to Jezreel [city], to recover from being wounded in the battle against the army of Hazael, the king of Syria. And Jehu made plans to kill Joram. He said to his other commanders, “If helping me is truly what you want, make sure that no one leaves this city to go to warn the people of Jezreel [about what I am planning to do].”
15 And King Ioram returned to bee healed in Izreel of the woundes, which the Aramites had giuen him, when hee fought with Hazael King of Aram) and Iehu sayde, If it be your mindes, let no man depart and escape out of the citie, to goe and tell in Izreel.
16 So Iehu gate vp into a charet, and went to Izreel: for Ioram lay there, and Ahaziah King of Iudah was come downe to see Ioram.
Then Jehu and his officers got into their chariots and rode to Jezreel, where Joram was still recovering. And King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting Joram.
17 And the watchman that stoode in the towre in Izreel spyed the companie of Iehu as hee came, and sayd, I see a companie. And Iehoram said, Take a horseman and send to meete them, that hee may say, Is it peace?
A guard was standing in the watchtower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu and his men approaching. He called out, “I see a lot of men [who are approaching]!” King Joram [heard what the watchman said, so he] said to his soldiers, “Send someone on a horse to go and find out if they are coming to be friendly to us or to attack us.”
18 So there went one on horseback to meete him, and sayde, Thus sayth the King, Is it peace? And Iehu sayd, What hast thou to do with peace? Turne behinde me. And the watchman tolde, saying, The messenger came to them, but he commeth not againe.
So a man rode out to meet Jehu and said to him, “The king wants to know [if you are coming to be] friendly to us.” Jehu replied, “This is not the time for you [RHQ] to be concerned about acting friendly! Turn around and come behind me!” So the guard in the watchtower reported that the messenger had reached the group [that was approaching], but that he was not returning [alone].
19 Then hee sent out another on horsebacke, which came to them, and sayde, Thus sayth the King, Is it peace? And Iehu answered, What hast thou to doe with peace? turne behinde me.
So King Joram sent another messenger, who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu replied, “This is not the time [RHQ] for you to be concerned about acting friendly! Turn around and follow me!”
20 And the watchman tolde, saying, He came to them also, but commeth not againe, and the marching is like the marching of Iehu the sonne of Nimshi: for he marcheth furiously.
Then the watchman reported again, “That messenger also reached them, but he is not coming back [alone]. And [the leader of the group must be] Jehu, the son of Nimshi, because he is driving [his chariot] furiously, [like Jehu does]!”
21 Then Iehoram sayd, Make ready: and his charet was made ready. And Iehoram King of Israel and Ahaziah King of Iudah went out eyther of them in his charet against Iehu, and met him in the fielde of Naboth the Izreelite.
Joram said [to his soldiers], “Get [my chariot] ready!” So they did that. Then King Joram and King Ahaziah both rode toward Jehu, each one in his own chariot. And [it happened that] they met Jehu at the field that had previously belonged to Naboth!
22 And when Iehoram sawe Iehu, he sayde, Is it peace, Iehu? And he answered, What peace? whiles the whoredomes of thy mother Iezebel, and her witchcraftes are yet in great nomber?
When Joram met Jehu, he said to him, “Are you coming on a peaceful visit?” Jehu replied, “(How can there be peace while you and your people are prostrating themselves to worship idols and practicing very much (witchcraft/sorcery) like your mother Jezebel did?/There certainly cannot be peace while you and your people are prostrating themselves to worship idols and practicing (witchcraft/sorcery) like your mother Jezebel has been doing!)” [RHQ]
23 Then Iehoram turned his hand, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, O Ahaziah, there is treason.
Joram cried out, “Ahaziah, they have deceived us! [They want to kill us]!” So Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee.
24 But Iehu tooke a bowe in his hande, and smote Iehoram betweene the shoulders, that the arowe went through his heart: and he fell downe in his charet.
But Jehu drew his bow mightily and shot [an arrow that pierced] Joram between his shoulder blades. The arrow [went through his body and] pierced his heart, and he slumped down dead in his chariot.
25 Then said Iehu to Bidkar a captaine, Take, and cast him in some place of the fielde of Naboth the Izreelite: for I remember that when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord layed this burden vpon him.
Then Jehu said to his assistant Bidkar, “Take his corpse and throw it here into the field that belonged to Naboth. [I am sure that] you remember that when you and I were riding together [in chariots] behind King Joram’s father Ahab, that Yahweh said this about Ahab:
26 Surely I haue seene yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sonnes, saide the Lord, and I will render it thee in this fielde, saith the Lord: nowe therefore take and cast him in the fielde, according to the word of the Lord.
‘Yesterday I saw Ahab murder [MTY] Naboth and his sons here. And I solemnly promise that I will punish him right here in this same field!’ So take Joram’s corpse and throw it into that field! That will fulfill what Yahweh said would happen.”
27 But when Ahaziah the King of Iudah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house: And Iehu pursued after him, and sayd, Smite him also in the charet: and they smote him in the going vp to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And hee fled to Megiddo, and there dyed.
When King Ahaziah saw what happened, he fled [in his chariot] toward Beth-Haggan [town]. But Jehu pursued him and said [to his other commanders], “Shoot him, also!” So they shot him [with arrows] while he was riding in his chariot on the road up to Gur, near Ibleam [town]. He continued going in his chariot until he reached Megiddo [city], where he died.
28 And his seruants caried him in a charet to Ierusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the citie of Dauid.
His officials took his corpse back to Jerusalem and buried it in the tombs in the [part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, where his ancestors had been buried.
29 And in the eleuenth yere of Ioram the sonne of Ahab, began Ahaziah to reigne ouer Iudah.
Ahaziah had become the king of Judah when Joram had been ruling Israel for almost eleven years.
30 And when Iehu was come to Izreel, Iezebel heard of it, and painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a windowe.
Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When [Ahab’s widow] Jezebel heard what had happened, she put paint/makeup on her eyelids, and combed her hair to make it beautiful, and looked out the window [of the palace toward the street below].
31 And as Iehu entred at the gate, shee sayde, Had Zimri peace, which slewe his master?
While Jehu was entering the city gate, she called out to him, “You [are like] Zimri! You are a murderer! [I think] you are certainly not [RHQ] coming on a peaceful visit!”
32 And he lift vp his eyes to the windowe, and sayd, Who is on my side, who? Then two or three of her Eunuches looked vnto him.
Jehu looked up toward the window, and then he said, “Who is (on my side/wants to help me)? Anyone?” Two or three palace officials looked down at him [from a window and pointed to themselves].
33 And he sayde, Cast her downe: and they cast her downe, and hee sprinkled of her blood vpon the wall, and vpon the horses, and he trode her vnder foote.
Jehu said to them, “Throw her down here!” So they threw her down, and [when she hit the ground and died], some of her blood splattered on the city wall and on the horses [that were pulling the chariots].
34 And when he was come in, he did eate and drinke, and sayde, Visite now yonder cursed woman, and burie her: for she is a Kings daughter.
Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Then he said [to some of his men], “Take the corpse of that women whom Yahweh has cursed and bury it, because she is a king’s daughter [and therefore should be buried properly].”
35 And they went to burie her, but they foud no more of her, then the skull and the feete, and the palmes of her handes.
But when they went to get her corpse to bury it, all that was left was only her skull and [the bones of] her feet and her hands. Everything else was gone.
36 Wherefore they came agayne and tolde him. And he said, This is the worde of the Lord, which he spake by his seruant Eliiah the Tishbite, saying, In the fielde of Izreel shall ye dogs eate the flesh of Iezebel.
When they reported this to Jehu, he said, “That is what Yahweh said would happen! He told his servant/prophet Elijah, ‘In [the city of] Jezreel, dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel’s corpse.
37 And the carkeis of Iezebel shalbe as doung vpon the ground in the field of Izreel, so that none shall say, This is Iezebel.
Her bones will be scattered there in Jezreel like dung, with the result that no one will be able to [recognize them and] say, “These are Jezebel’s bones.”’”
