2 Rois 10

The end of Ahab’s family

¹There were seventy sons of Ahab in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them there, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and those who were guardians of Ahab’s sons. The letters said:^{a 2}“Now, the moment this letter reaches you, since you have your master’s sons with you, along with chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons, ³pick the best and most fitting of your master’s sons, put him on his father’s throne, and fight for the house of your master.” ⁴But they were terrified and said, “Look, the two kings could not stand against him. How can we?” ⁵So the palace steward, the governor of the city, the elders and the guardians sent word to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do everything you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think best.” ⁶Then he wrote them a second letter: “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and be with me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were bringing them up.^{b 7}When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons, seventy men, and slaughtered them. Then they put the heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. ⁸The messenger came and reported to Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” ⁹In the morning he went out, stood there and said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who plotted against my master and killed him. But who struck down all these? ¹⁰Know, then, that not one word that the LORD spoke against the house of Ahab will fail. The LORD has done what he said through his servant Elijah.” ¹¹So Jehu struck down everyone who was left of Ahab’s house in Jezreel, along with all his leading men, his close friends and his priests, until he left him no survivor. ¹²Then Jehu set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, ¹³Jehu met relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. “Who are you?” he asked. They answered, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons.” ¹⁴Jehu said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men. He did not spare a single one of them.

¹⁵Leaving there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right with mine, as my heart is with yours?” Jehonadab replied, “It is.” “If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” He gave him his hand, and Jehu took him up into the chariot beside him.^{c 16}He said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the LORD.” So they had him ride in Jehu’s chariot. ¹⁷When he came to Samaria, he struck down everyone who was left of Ahab’s family in Samaria, until he had wiped them out, as the LORD had said through Elijah.

Jehu destroys Baal worship

¹⁸Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little. Jehu will serve him much more. ¹⁹Now summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I am holding a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting with cunning, so that he could destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰Jehu said, “Set apart a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it. ²¹Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came. Not one was left who did not come. They went into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²²Jehu told the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring out robes for every worshiper of Baal.” And he brought robes out for them. ²³Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Rechab. He said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and make sure that none of the servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴The worshipers went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jehu had already posted eighty men outside and had warned them, “If any of the men I am bringing into your hands escapes, the one who let him go will pay with his life.” ²⁵The moment he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu ordered the guards and the officers, “Go in and kill them. Do not let anyone get out.” So they killed them with the sword. The guards and the officers threw the bodies out and then went into the inner shrine of the temple of Baal.^{d 26}They brought out the standing stones of the temple of Baal and burned them.^{e 27}They demolished the standing stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and they made it a latrine, as it is to this day. ²⁸So Jehu wiped out Baal worship from Israel. ²⁹But Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he led Israel to sin: the golden calves at Bethel and at Dan.

The rest of Jehu’s reign

³⁰Then the LORD told Jehu, “You have done well in doing what is right in my sight. Because you have dealt with the house of Ahab in keeping with all that was in my heart, your sons to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹Yet Jehu took no care to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with his whole heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he led Israel to sin. ³²In those days the LORD began to cut away parts of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory, ³³from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead, the land of the Gadites, the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, both Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴The rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did and all his might, are written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ³⁵Jehu rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.