< מלכים ב 9 >
| ואלישע הנביא קרא לאחד מבני הנביאים ויאמר לו חגר מתניך וקח פך השמן הזה בידך ולך רמת גלעד | 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.
| ובאת שמה וראה שם יהוא בן יהושפט בן נמשי ובאת והקמתו מתוך אחיו והביאת אתו חדר בחדר | 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,
| ולקחת פך השמן ויצקת על ראשו ואמרת כה אמר יהוה משחתיך למלך אל ישראל ופתחת הדלת ונסתה ולא תחכה | 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.”
| וילך הנער הנער הנביא רמת גלעד | 4 |
So the young prophet went to Ramoth.
| ויבא והנה שרי החיל ישבים ויאמר דבר לי אליך השר ויאמר יהוא אל מי מכלנו ויאמר אליך השר | 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.”
| ויקם ויבא הביתה ויצק השמן אל ראשו ויאמר לו כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל משחתיך למלך אל עם יהוה אל ישראל | 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.
| והכיתה--את בית אחאב אדניך ונקמתי דמי עבדי הנביאים ודמי כל עבדי יהוה--מיד איזבל | 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.
| ואבד כל בית אחאב והכרתי לאחאב משתין בקיר ועצור ועזוב בישראל | 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.
| ונתתי את בית אחאב כבית ירבעם בן נבט וכבית בעשא בן אחיה | 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.
| ואת איזבל יאכלו הכלבים בחלק יזרעאל--ואין קבר ויפתח הדלת וינס | 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.
| ויהוא יצא אל עבדי אדניו ויאמר לו השלום מדוע בא המשגע הזה אליך ויאמר אליהם אתם ידעתם את האיש ואת שיחו | 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.”
| ויאמרו שקר הגד נא לנו ויאמר כזאת וכזאת אמר אלי לאמר כה אמר יהוה משחתיך למלך אל ישראל | 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.’”
| וימהרו ויקחו איש בגדו וישימו תחתיו אל גרם המעלות ויתקעו בשופר ויאמרו מלך יהוא | 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!”
| ויתקשר יהוא בן יהושפט בן נמשי--אל יורם ויורם היה שמר ברמת גלעד הוא וכל ישראל מפני חזאל מלך ארם | 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].”
| וישב יהורם המלך להתרפא ביזרעאל מן המכים אשר יכהו ארמים בהלחמו את חזאל מלך ארם ויאמר יהוא אם יש נפשכם--אל יצא פליט מן העיר ללכת לגיד (להגיד) ביזרעאל | 15 |
| וירכב יהוא וילך יזרעאלה כי יורם שכב שמה ואחזיה מלך יהודה ירד לראות את יורם | 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.
| והצפה עמד על המגדל ביזרעאל וירא את שפעת יהוא בבאו ויאמר שפעת אני ראה ויאמר יהורם קח רכב ושלח לקראתם--ויאמר השלום | 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.”
| וילך רכב הסוס לקראתו ויאמר כה אמר המלך השלום ויאמר יהוא מה לך ולשלום סב אל אחרי ויגד הצפה לאמר בא המלאך עד הם ולא שב | 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].
| וישלח רכב סוס שני ויבא אלהם ויאמר כה אמר המלך שלום ויאמר יהוא מה לך ולשלום סב אל אחרי | 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!”
| ויגד הצפה לאמר בא עד אליהם ולא שב והמנהג כמנהג יהוא בן נמשי--כי בשגעון ינהג | 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]!”
| ויאמר יהורם אסר ויאסר רכבו ויצא יהורם מלך ישראל ואחזיהו מלך יהודה איש ברכבו ויצאו לקראת יהוא וימצאהו בחלקת נבות היזרעאלי | 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!
| ויהי כראות יהורם את יהוא ויאמר השלום יהוא ויאמר מה השלום--עד זנוני איזבל אמך וכשפיה הרבים | 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]
| ויהפך יהורם ידיו וינס ויאמר אל אחזיהו מרמה אחזיה | 23 |
Joram cried out, “Ahaziah, they have deceived us! [They want to kill us]!” So Joram turned his chariot around and tried to flee.
| ויהוא מלא ידו בקשת ויך את יהורם בין זרעיו ויצא החצי מלבו ויכרע ברכבו | 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.
| ויאמר אל בדקר שלשה שא השלכהו בחלקת שדה נבות היזרעאלי כי זכר אני ואתה את רכבים צמדים אחרי אחאב אביו ויהוה נשא עליו את המשא הזה | 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:
| אם לא את דמי נבות ואת דמי בניו ראיתי אמש נאם יהוה ושלמתי לך בחלקה הזאת נאם יהוה ועתה שא השלכהו בחלקה--כדבר יהוה | 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.”
| ואחזיה מלך יהודה ראה וינס דרך בית הגן וירדף אחריו יהוא ויאמר גם אתו הכהו אל המרכבה במעלה גור אשר את יבלעם וינס מגדו וימת שם | 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.
| וירכבו אתו עבדיו ירושלמה ויקברו אתו בקברתו עם אבתיו בעיר דוד | 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.
| ובשנת אחת עשרה שנה ליורם בן אחאב מלך אחזיה על יהודה | 29 |
Ahaziah had become the king of Judah when Joram had been ruling Israel for almost eleven years.
| ויבוא יהוא יזרעאלה ואיזבל שמעה ותשם בפוך עיניה ותיטב את ראשה ותשקף בעד החלון | 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].
| ויהוא בא בשער ותאמר השלום זמרי הרג אדניו | 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!”
| וישא פניו אל החלון ויאמר מי אתי מי וישקיפו אליו שנים שלשה סריסים | 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].
| ויאמר שמטהו (שמטוה) וישמטוה ויז מדמה אל הקיר ואל הסוסים וירמסנה | 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].
| ויבא ויאכל וישת ויאמר פקדו נא את הארורה הזאת וקברוה--כי בת מלך היא | 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].”
| וילכו לקברה ולא מצאו בה כי אם הגלגלת והרגלים--וכפות הידים | 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.
| וישבו ויגידו לו ויאמר דבר יהוה הוא אשר דבר ביד עבדו אליהו התשבי לאמר בחלק יזרעאל יאכלו הכלבים את בשר איזבל | 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.
| והית (והיתה) נבלת איזבל כדמן על פני השדה--בחלק יזרעאל אשר לא יאמרו זאת איזבל | 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.”’”
