2 Kings 9
1 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.
And Elisaie the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up your loins, and take this cruse of oil in your hand, and go to Remmoth Galaad.
2 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,
And you shall enter there, and shall see there Ju the son of Josaphat son of Namessi, and shall go in and make him rise up from among his brethren, and shall bring him into a secret chamber.
3 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.”
And you shall take the cruse of oil, and pour [it] on his head, and say you, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel: and you shall open the door, and flee, and not wait.
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth.
And the young man the prophet went to Remmoth Galaad.
5 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.”
And he went in, and, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have a message to you, O captain. And Ju said, To which of all us? And he said, To you, O captain.
6 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.
And he arose, and went into the house: and he poured the oil upon his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you to be king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.
7 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.
And you shall utterly destroy the house of Achaab your master from before me, and shall avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezabel,
8 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.
and at the hand of the whole house of Achaab: and you shall utterly cut off from the house of Achaab every male, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.
9 I will get rid of Ahab’s family, like I got rid of the families of two other kings of Israel, Jeroboam and Baasha.
And I will make the house of Achaab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa the son of Achia.
10 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.
And the dogs shall eat Jezabel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
11 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.”
And Ju went forth to the servants of his lord, and they said to him, [Is] all well? Why came this mad fellow in to you? And he said to them, You know the man, and his communication.
12 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.’”
And they said, [It is] wrong: tell us now. And Ju said to them, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, —and he said, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you to be king over Israel.
13 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!”
And when they heard it, they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with the trumpet, and said, Ju is king.
14 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].”
So Ju the son of Josaphat the son of Namessi conspired against Joram, and Joram was defending Remmoth Galaad, he and all Israel, because of Azael king of Syria.
And king Joram had returned to be healed in Jezrael of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, in his war with Azael king of Syria. And Ju said, If your heart is with me, let there not go forth out of the city one fugitive to go and report to Jezrael.
16 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.
And Ju rode and advanced, and came down to Jezrael; for Joram king of Israel was getting healed in Jezrael of the arrow-wounds wherewith the Syrians [had] wounded him in Rammath in the war with Azael king of Syria; for he [was] strong and a mighty man: and Ochozias king of Juda was come down to see Joram.
17 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.”
And there went up a watchman upon the tower of Jezrael, and saw the dust [made by] Ju as he approached; and he said, I see dust. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Peace.
18 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].
And there went a horseman to meet them, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Ju said, What have you to do with peace? turn behind me. And the watchman reported, saying, The messenger came up to them, and has not returned.
19 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!”
And he sent another horseman, and he came to him, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Ju said, What have you to do with peace? turn behind me.
20 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]!”
And the watchman reported, saying, He came up to them, and has not returned: and the driver drives Ju the son of Namessi, for it is with furious [haste].
21 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!
And Joram said, Make ready. And one made ready the chariot: and Joram the king of Israel went forth, and Ochozias king of Juda, each in his chariot, and they went to meet Ju, and found him in the portion of Nabuthai the Jezraelite.
22 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]
And it came to pass when Joram saw Ju, that he said, [Is it] peace, Ju? And Ju said, How [can it be] peace? as yet [there are] the whoredoms of your mother Jezabel, and her abundant witchcrafts.
23 Joram cried out, “Ahaziah, they have deceived us! [They want to kill us]!” So Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee.
And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ochozias, Treachery, Ochozias.
24 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.
And Ju bent his bow with his full strength, and struck Joram between his arms, and his arrow went out at his heart, and he bowed upon his knees.
25 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:
And [Ju] said to Badecar his chief officer, Cast him into the portion of ground of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, for I and you remember, riding [as we were] on chariots after Achaab his father, that the Lord took up this burden against him, [saying],
26 ‘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.”
Surely, I have seen yesterday the blood of Nabuthai, and the blood of his sons, says the Lord; and I will recompense him in this portion, says the Lord. Now then, I pray you, take him up and cast him into the portion, according to the word of the Lord.
27 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.
And Ochozias king of Juda saw [it], and fled by the way of Baethgan. And Ju pursued after him, and said, [Slay] him also. And one struck him in the chariot at the going up of Gai, which is Jeblaam: and he fled to Mageddo, and died there.
28 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.
And his servants put him on a chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his sepulchre in the city of David.
29 Ahaziah had become the king of Judah when Joram had been ruling Israel for almost eleven years.
And in the eleventh year of Joram king of Israel, Ochozias began to reign over Juda.
30 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].
And Ju came to Jezrael; and Jezabel heard [of it], and coloured her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked through the window.
31 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!”
And Ju entered into the city; and she said, Had Zambri, the murderer of his master, peace?
32 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].
And he lifted up his face toward the window, and saw her, and said, Who are you? Come down with me. And two eunuchs looked down towards him.
33 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].
And he said, Throw her [down]. And they threw her [down]; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and they trampled on her.
34 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].”
And [Ju] went in and ate and drank, and said, Look now, after this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.
35 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.
And they went to bury her; but they found nothing of her but the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.
36 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.
And they returned and told him. And he said, [It is] the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Eliu the Thesbite, saying, In the portion of Jezrael shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezabel.
37 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.”’”
And the carcass of Jezabel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezrael, so that they shall not say, [This is] Jezabel.
