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,

Now, Ahab, had seventy sons in Samaria, —so Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel—the elders, and unto them who had been foster-parents for Ahab, 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,

Now, therefore, when this letter cometh in unto you, there being, with you, the sons of your lord, —and, with you, the chariots and the homes, and a fortified city, and the 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.”

ye shall look out the goodliest and fittest of the sons of your lord, and set on the throne of his father, and ye shall do battle for the house of your lord.

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

Then feared they very greatly, and said, Lo! two kings, stood not before him; how then, should, we, stand?

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.”

So he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, and the elders, and the foster-parents sent unto Jehu, saying—Thy servants, we are! and, all that thou shalt say unto us, will we do, —we will make no man king, whatsoever is good in thine own eyes, do!

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.

Then wrote he unto them a second letter, saying—If, mine, ye are, and, unto my voice, ye intend to hearken, take ye the heads of the men who are sons of your lord, and come in unto me about this time to-morrow, in Jezreel. Now, the sons of the king, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who had been bringing them up.

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 it came to pass, when the letter reached them, that they took the sons of the king, and slew them, seventy persons, —and put their heads in baskets, and sent unto him to Jezreel.

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 there came in a messenger and told him, saying, They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king. And he said—Lay ye them in two heaps, at the entrance 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 it came to pass, in the morning, that he went out and took his stand, and said unto all the people, Righteous, are, ye! Lo! I, conspired against my lord, and slew him, but, who, smote, 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.”

Know ye, then, that there shall fall nought of the word of Yahweh, to the ground, which Yahweh spake concerning the house of Ahab, —but, Yahweh, hath done that which he spake through his servant Elijah.

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.

Then Jehu smote all that were left remaining unto the house of Ahab, in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances and his priests, —until there was not left remaining to him, a survivor.

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

Then arose he, and came in, and departed for Samaria, —the sheep-shearing house itself being on the road;

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.”

so, Jehu, lighted upon the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are, ye? And they said—Brethren of Ahaziah, are, we; so we came 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.

Then said he, —Take them alive. So they took them alive, and slew them [casting them] into the pit of the shearing house, —forty-two men, neither left he remaining a man 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,

Then departed he from thence, and lighted on Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he blessed him, and said unto him—Is thy heart, right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab said—It is. Then, if it is, give me thy hand. So he gave him his hand. And he took 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 said—Do come with me, and see my jealousy for Yahweh. 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, when he came into Samaria, he smote all that were left remaining unto Ahab, in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, —according to the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken unto Elijah.

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

Then Jehu gathered together all the people, and said unto them, —Ahab, served Baal, a little, —Jehu, will serve him, much.

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, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests, call ye for me; do not let, a man, be missing; for, a great sacrifice, have I, to Baal, no one that is missing, shall live. But, Jehu, acted, craftily, to the end he might destroy the servants of Baal.

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

And Jehu said—Hallow ye a solemn festival unto Baal. And they made proclamation.

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 Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came in, so that there was not left remaining a man, who had not come in, —and they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled, from door to door.

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.

Then said he to him who was over the wardrobe chamber, Bring forth vestments for all the servants of Baal. And he brought forth for them the vestments.

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.”

Then entered Jehu, with Jehonadab son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, —and he said unto the servants of Baal—Search ye and see, that there be not here, with you, any of the servants of Yahweh, none but the servants of Baal, alone.

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, when they entered to offer sacrifices and ascending-offerings, Jehu, set him, outside, eighty men, and said—The man who shall escape, of the men whom I am bringing into your power, his own life, shall be for, his 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, as soon as he had made an end of offering the ascending-sacrifice, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers—Enter, smite them, let not, a man, get out. So they smote them, with the edge of the sword, —and the runners and the officers cast them out, and then went as far as the city of the house of Baal,

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

and brought forth the idolatrous pillars that were in the house of Baal, and then burned 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 they brake down the pillars of Baal, —and brake down the house of Baal, and appointed it for a sewer-house—until this day.

28 And Jehu destroys Ba‘al out of Israel,

Thus 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.

Nevertheless, as for the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused, Israel, to commit, Jehu turned not away from following them, —the calves of gold, one being in Bethel, and the other in 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 Yahweh said unto Jehu: Because thou hast done well, by doing that which was right in mine eyes—according to all that was in my heart, hast done to the house of Ahab, sons, of thine, unto the fourth generation, shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

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 not heed to walk in the law of Yahweh God of Israel, with all his heart, —he turned not away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused, Israel, to commit.

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, began Yahweh to make inroads in Israel, —and Hazael smote them in all the boundaries 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, towards sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, —from Aroer, which is by the torrent of Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.

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?

Now, the rest of the story 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 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, Jehoahaz his son, reigned, in his stead.

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

Now, the days that Jehu reigned over Israel, were twenty-eight years, in Samaria.