2 Kings 10

1 And Achab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, unto the rulers of Yizre'el, the elders, and to those that brought up Achab's children, saying,

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:

2 And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing that there are with you your master's sons, and there are with you the chariots and the horses, and the fortified city, and the armor:

“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,

3 Select then the best and the most fitting of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

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

4 But they were exceedingly much afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings could not stand before him: how then shall we be able to stand?

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

5 And the superintendent over the house, and the commander over the city, and the elders, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and all that thou mayest say unto us will we do; we will not set up any one as king: do what is good in thy eyes.

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.”

6 Then wrote he to them a letter the second time, saying, If ye be for me, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, then take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me to Yizre'el by this time tomorrow. Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

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.

7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Yizre'el.

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.

8 And the messenger came, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Place ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.

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.”

9 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 hath killed all these?

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?

10 Know now that there shall not fall of the word of the Lord unto the earth, the least that the Lord hath spoken concerning the house of Achab; and the Lord hath done that which he spoke by means of his servant Elijah.

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.”

11 And Jehu smote all that yet remained of the house of Achab in Yizre'el, and all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, until he had left him none that escaped.

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.

12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria; he was just at the binding-house of the shepherds, on the way:

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

13 When Jehu met with the brothers of Achazyahu the king of Judah, and he said, Who are ye? And they said, The brothers of Achazyahu are we; and we are come down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

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.”

14 And he said, Seize them alive. And they seized them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of the binding-house, two and forty men; and he left not one of them remaining.

“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.

15 And he went away thence, and met Yehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is all right in thy heart, as my heart is with thy heart? And Yehonadab answered, It is; it is: give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

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.

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

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

17 And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that yet remained unto Achab in Samaria, till he had exterminated him, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Elijah.

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.

18 And Jehu assembled all the people, and said unto them, Achab hath served Ba'al a little: Jehu will serve him much.

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

19 And now call unto me all the prophets of Ba'al, all his worshippers, and all his priests: let no one be missing; for I have a great sacrifice to make for Ba'al; whosoever will be missing, shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, in order to destroy the worshippers of Ba'al.

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.

20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Ba'al. And they proclaimed it.

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

21 And Jehu sent throughout all Israel: and there came all the worshippers of Ba'al, so that there was not a man remaining that came not; and they came into the house of Ba'al; and the house of Ba'al was full from one end to another.

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.

22 And he said unto him that was over the wardrobe, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Ba'al. And he brought forth for them the vestments.

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

23 And Jehu went, with Yehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Ba'al, and he said unto the worshippers of Ba'al, Search, and look that there be not here with you any of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Ba'al entirely alone.

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.”

24 And they went in to prepare sacrifices and burnt-offerings; but Jehu had set for himself without eighty men, and said, [If there be] a man that escapeth from the men whom I deliver into your hands, [there shall be given] life for his life.

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.”

25 And it came to pass, as soon as they had made an end of preparing the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers, Go in, smite them: let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the runners and the captains cast them out, and went as far as the city of the house of Ba'al.

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.

26 And they brought forth the statues out of the house of Ba'al, and burnt every one of them.

They dragged out the idol pillars and burned them.

27 And they broke down the statue of Ba'al, and broke down the house of Ba'al, and made it a common sewer unto this day.

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.

28 Thus Jehu exterminated Ba'al out of Israel.

This was how Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel,

29 Nevertheless the sins of Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, who induced Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from in following them, [namely, ] the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.

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.

30 And the Lord said unto Jehu, Forasmuch as thou hast acted well in doing what is right in my eyes, and hast done in accordance with all that was in my heart unto the house of Achab: children of the fourth generation after thee shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

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.”

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord the God of Israel with all his heart: he departed not from the sins of Jerobo'am, who induced Israel to sin.

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.

32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Chazael smote them in all the boundary of Israel;

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

33 From the Jordan to the rising of the sun, all the land of Gil'ad, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Menassites, from 'Aro'er which is by the river Arnon, both Gil'ad and Bashan.

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.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his mighty deeds, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

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.

35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoachaz his son became king in his stead.

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

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

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