2 Kings 10

1 And Ahab has seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu writes letters, and sends [them] to Samaria, to the heads of Jezreel, the elderly, and to those supporting Ahab, saying,

And Achab had seventy sons in Samaria: so Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the chief men of the city, and to the ancients, and to them that brought up Achab’s children, saying:

2 “And now, at the coming in of this letter to you, and sons of your lord [are] with you, and the chariots and the horses, and a fortified city, and the armor, [are] with you,

As soon as you receive these letters, ye that have your master’s sons, and chariots, and horses, and fenced cities, and armour,

3 that you have seen the best and the most upright of the sons of your lord, and have set [him] on the throne of his father, and fight for the house of your lord.”

Choose the best, and him that shall please you most of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for the house of your master.

4 And they fear very greatly, and say, “Behold, the two kings have not stood before him, and how do we stand—we?”

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

5 And he who [is] over the house, and he who [is] over the city, and the elderly, and those supporting, send to Jehu, saying, “We [are] your servants, and all that you say to us we do; we do not make anyone king—do that which [is] good in your eyes.”

Therefore the overseers of the house, and the rulers of the city, and the ancients, and the tutors sent to Jehu, saying: We are thy servants, whatsoever thou shalt command us we will do, neither will we make us a king: do thou all that pleaseth thee.

6 And he writes a letter to them a second time, saying, “If you [are] for me, and are listening to my voice, take the heads of the men—the sons of your lord, and come to me about this time tomorrow, to Jezreel”; and the sons of the king [are] seventy men, with the great ones of the city—those bringing them up.

And he wrote letters the second time to them, saying: If you be mine, and will obey me, take the heads of the sons of your master, and come to me to Jezrahel by tomorrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy men, were brought up with the chief men of the city.

7 And it comes to pass, at the coming in of the letter to them, that they take the sons of the king, and slaughter seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and send [them] to him at Jezreel,

And when the letters came to them, they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezrahel.

8 and the messenger comes in, and declares [it] to him, saying, “They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king,” and he says, “Make them two heaps at the opening of the gate until the morning.”

And a messenger came, and told him, saying: They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said: Lay ye them in two heaps by the entering in of the gate until the morning.

9 And it comes to pass in the morning, that he goes out, and stands, and says to all the people, “You are righteous; behold, I have conspired against my lord, and slay him—and who struck all these?

And when it was light, he went out, and standing said to all the people: You are just: if I conspired against my master, and slew him, who hath slain all these?

10 Now you know that nothing falls of the word of YHWH to the earth that YHWH spoke against the house of Ahab, and YHWH has done that which He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.”

See therefore now that there hath not fallen to the ground any of the words of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Achab, and the Lord hath done that which he spoke in the hand of his servant Elias.

11 And Jehu strikes all those left to the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, until he has not left a remnant to him.

So Jehu slew all that were left of the house of Achab in Jezrahel, and all his chief men, and his friends, and his priests, till there were no remains left of him.

12 And he rises, and comes in and goes to Samaria; he [is] at the shepherds’ shearing-house in the way,

And he arose, and went to Samaria: and when he was come to the shepherds’ cabin in the way,

13 and Jehu has found the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and says, “Who [are] you?” And they say, “We [are] brothers of Ahaziah, and we go down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the mistress.”

He met with the brethren of Ochozias king of Juda, and he said to them: Who are you? And they answered: We are the brethren of Ochozias, and are come down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.

14 And he says, “Catch them alive”; and they catch them alive, and slaughter them at the pit of the shearing-house, forty-two men, and he has not left [even one] man of them.

And he said: Take them alive. And they took them alive, and killed them at the pit by the cabin, two and forty men, and he left not any of them.

15 And he goes there, and finds Jehonadab son of Rechab to meet him, and blesses him, and says to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart [is] with your heart?” And Jehonadab says, “It is.” “Then it is; give your hand”; and he gives his hand, and he causes him to come up into the chariot to him,

And when he was departed thence, he found Jonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he blessed him. And he said to him: Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jonadab said: It is. If it be, said he, give me thy hand. He gave him his hand. And he lifted him up to him into the chariot,

16 and says, “Come with me, and look on my zeal for YHWH”; and they cause him to ride in his chariot.

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

17 And he comes to Samaria, and strikes all those left to Ahab in Samaria, until his destroying him, according to the word of YHWH that He spoke to Elisha.

And brought him into Samaria. And he slew all that were left of Achab in Samaria, to a man, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elias.

18 And Jehu gathers the whole of the people and says to them, “Ahab served Ba‘al a little—Jehu serves him much:

And Jehu gathered together all the people, and said to them: Achab worshipped Baal a little, but I will worship him more.

19 and now, all the prophets of Ba‘al, all his servants, and all his priests, call to me; do not let a man be lacking, for I have a great sacrifice for Ba‘al; everyone who is lacking—he does not live”; and Jehu has done [it] in subtlety, in order to destroy the servants of Ba‘al.

Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, and all his servants, and all his priests: let none be wanting, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal: whosoever shall be wanting shall not live. Now Jehu did this craftily, that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.

20 And Jehu says, “Sanctify a restraint for Ba‘al”; and they proclaim [it].

And he said: Proclaim a festival for Baal. And he called,

21 And Jehu sends into all Israel, and all the servants of Ba‘al come in, and there has not been left a man who has not come in; and they come into the house of Ba‘al, and the house of Ba‘al is full—mouth to mouth.

And he sent into all the borders of Israel, and all the servants of Baal came: there was not one left that did not come. And they went into the temple of Baal: and the house of Baal was filled, from one end to the other.

22 And he says to him who [is] over the wardrobe, “Bring out clothing for all those serving Ba‘al”; and he brings out the clothing to them.

And he said to them that were over the wardrobe: Bring forth garments for all the servants of Baal. And they brought them forth garments.

23 And Jehu goes in—and Jehonadab son of Rechab—to the house of Ba‘al, and says to the servants of Ba‘al, “Search and see, lest there be [any] from the servants of YHWH here with you—but [only] the servants of Ba‘al by themselves.”

And Jehu and Jonadab the son of Rechab went to the temple of Baal, and said to the worshippers of Baal: Search, and see that there be not any with you of the servants of the Lord, but that there be the servants of Baal only.

24 And they come in to make sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and Jehu has set eighty men for himself in an out-place, and says, “The man who lets [any] of the men whom I am bringing into your hand escape—his soul for his soul.”

And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings: but Jehu had prepared him fourscore men without, and said to them: If any of the men escape, whom I have brought into your hands, he that letteth him go shall answer life for life.

25 And it comes to pass, at his finishing to make the burnt-offering, that Jehu says to the runners and to the captains, “Go in, strike them, let none come out”; and they strike them by the mouth of the sword, and the runners and the captains cast [them] out; and they go to the city, to the house of Ba‘al,

And it came to pass, when the burnt offering was ended, that Jehu commanded his soldiers and captains, saying: Go in, and kill them, let none escape. And the soldiers and captains slew them with the edge of the sword, and cast them out: and they went into the city of the temple of Baal,

26 and bring out the standing-pillars of the house of Ba‘al, and burn them,

And brought the statue out of Baal’s temple, and burnt it,

27 and break down the standing-pillar of Ba‘al, and break down the house of Ba‘al, and appoint it for a latrine to this day.

And broke it in pieces. They destroyed also the temple of Baal, and made a jakes in its place unto this day.

28 And Jehu destroys Ba‘al out of Israel,

So Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel:

29 only [not]—the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, that he caused Israel to sin, Jehu has not turned aside from after them—the calves of gold that [are] at Beth-El and in Dan.

But yet he departed not from the sills of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, nor did he forsake the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan.

30 And YHWH says to Jehu, “Because that you have done well, to do that which [is] right in My eyes—according to all that [is] in My heart you have done to the house of Ahab—the sons of the fourth [generation] sit on the throne of Israel for you.”

And the Lord said to Jehu: Because thou hast diligently executed that which was right and pleasing in my eyes, and hast done to the house of Achab according to all that was in my heart: thy children shall sit upon the throne of Israel to the fourth Generation.

31 And Jehu has not taken heed to walk in the Law of YHWH, God of Israel, with all his heart; he has not turned aside from the sins of Jeroboam that he caused Israel to sin.

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

32 In those days YHWH has begun to cut off [some] in Israel, and Hazael strikes them in all the border of Israel,

In those days the Lord began to he weary of Israel: and Hazael ravaged them in all the coasts of Israel,

33 from the Jordan, at the sun-rising: the whole land of Gilead, of the Gadite, and the Reubenite, and the Manassite (from Aroer, that [is] by the Brook of Arnon), even Gilead and Bashan.

From the Jordan eastward, all the land of Galaad, and Gad, and Ruben, and Manasses, from Aroer, which is upon the torrent Amen, and Galaad, and Basan.

34 And the rest of the matters of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

But the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and his strength, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

35 And Jehu lies with his fathers, and they bury him in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigns in his stead.

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

36 And the days that Jehu has reigned over Israel in Samaria [are] twenty-eight years.

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