2 Kings 10

1 And Ahab hath seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu writeth letters, and sendeth to Samaria, unto the heads of Jezreel, the elders, and unto the supporters of Ahab, saying,

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,

2 'And now, at the coming in of this letter unto you, and with you [are] sons of your lord, and with you [are] the chariots and the horses, and a fenced city, and the armour,

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:

3 and ye have seen the best and the uprightest of the sons of your lord, and have set [him] on the throne of his father, and fight ye for the house of your lord.'

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.

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

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?

5 And he who [is] over the house, and he who [is] over the city, and the elders, and the supporters, send unto Jehu, saying, 'Thy servants we [are], and all that thou sayest unto us we do; we do not make any one king — that which [is] good in thine eyes do.'

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.

6 And he writeth unto them a letter a second time, saying, 'If ye [are] for me, and to my voice are hearkening, take the heads of the men — the sons of your lord, and come unto me about this time to-morrow, 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 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.

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

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.

8 and the messenger cometh in, and declareth to him, saying, 'They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king,' and he saith, 'Make them two heaps at the opening of the gate till the morning.'

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.

9 And it cometh to pass in the morning, that he goeth out, and standeth, and saith unto all the people, 'Righteous are ye; lo, I have conspired against my lord, and slay him — and who smote all these?

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?

10 Know ye now, that nothing doth fall of the word of Jehovah to the earth that Jehovah spake against the house of Ahab, and Jehovah hath done that which He spake by the hand of His servant Elijah.'

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.

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

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.

12 And he riseth, and cometh in and goeth to Samaria; he [is] at the shepherds' shearing-house in the way,

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

13 and Jehu hath found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and saith, 'Who [are] ye?' and they say, 'Brethren of Ahaziah we [are], and we go down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the mistress.'

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.

14 And he saith, 'Catch them alive;' and they catch them alive, and slaughter them at the pit of the shearing-house, forty and two men, and he hath not left a man of them.

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.

15 And he goeth thence, and findeth Jehonadab son of Rechab — to meet him, and blesseth him, and saith unto him, 'Is thy heart right, as my heart [is] with thy heart?' and Jehonadab saith, 'It is;' — 'Then it is; give thy hand;' and he giveth his hand, and he causeth him to come up into him into the chariot,

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.

16 and saith, 'Come with me, and look on my zeal for Jehovah;' and they cause him to ride in his chariot.

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

17 And he cometh in to Samaria, and smiteth all those left to Ahab in Samaria, till his destroying him, according to the word of Jehovah that He spake unto Elisha.

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.

18 And Jehu gathereth the whole of the people, and saith unto them, 'Ahab served Baal a little — Jehu doth serve him much:

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

19 and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests, call ye unto me; let not a man be lacking, for a great sacrifice I have for Baal; every one who is lacking — he doth not live;' and Jehu hath done [it] in subtilty, in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

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.

20 And Jehu saith, 'Sanctify a restraint for Baal;' and they proclaim [it].

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

21 And Jehu sendeth into all Israel, and all the servants of Baal come in, and there hath not been left a man who hath not come in; and they come in to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal is full — mouth to mouth.

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.

22 And he saith to him who [is] over the wardrobe, 'Bring out clothing to all servants of Baal;' and he bringeth out to them the clothing.

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.

23 And Jehu goeth in, and Jehonadab son of Rechab, to the house of Baal, and saith to the servants of Baal, 'Search and see, lest there be here with you of the servants of Jehovah — but, the servants of Baal by themselves.'

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.

24 And they come in to make sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and Jehu hath set for himself in an out-place eighty men, and saith, 'The man who letteth escape [any] of the men whom I am bringing in unto your hand — his soul for his soul.'

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.

25 And it cometh to pass at his finishing to make the burnt-offering, that Jehu saith to the runners, and to the captains, 'Go in, smite them, let none come out;' and they smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the runners and the captains cast [them] out; and they go unto the city, to the house of Baal,

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.

26 and bring out the standing-pillars of the house of Baal, and burn them,

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

27 and break down the standing-pillar of Baal, and break down the house of Baal, and appoint it for a draught-house unto this day.

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.

28 And Jehu destroyeth Baal out of Israel,

Thus Jehu exterminated Ba'al out of Israel.

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

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.

30 And Jehovah saith unto Jehu, 'Because that thou hast done well, to do that which [is] right in Mine eyes — according to all that [is] in My heart thou hast done to the house of Ahab — the sons of the fourth [generation] do sit for thee on the throne of Israel.'

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.

31 And Jehu hath not taken heed to walk in the law of Jehovah, God of Israel, with all his heart, he hath 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: he departed not from the sins of Jerobo'am, who induced Israel to sin.

32 In those days hath Jehovah begun to cut off [some] in Israel, and Hazael smiteth them in all the border of Israel,

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

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

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.

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

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.

35 And Jehu lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in Samaria, and reign doth Jehoahaz his son in his stead.

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

36 And the days that Jehu hath reigned over Israel [are] twenty and eight years, in Samaria.

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