2 Kings 10:1-36
10 And there were seventy sons of Ahab’s at Samaria; and Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the captains of the city and the elders and the foster-fathers of Ahab’s sons, reading
2 “And now, when this letter reaches you, you having with you your sovereign’s sons, and the chariots and ponies, and a fortified city, and the arsenal,
3 pick out the best and most suitable of your sovereign’s sons and set him on his father’s throne and fight for your sovereign’s house.”
4 But they were very badly afraid, and said “Here the two kings did not stand before him, and how should we?”
5 and the steward of the palace and the provost of the city and the elders and the foster-fathers sent to Jehu “We are your subjects and will do whatever you tell us; we will not make anybody king; do as you think best.”
6 ** And he wrote them a second letter, “If you are for me and will obey me, take the heads of your sovereign’s sons and come to me at Jezreʽel right away tomorrow.”
And the princes, seventy men, were with the wealthiest men of the city, who were bringing them up.
7 And when the letter reached them they took the princes and cut their throats, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets and sent to him at Jezreʽel;
8 and men came and told him “They have brought the princes’ heads,” and he said “Put them in two piles at the gate till morning.”
9 And in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people “You are honest men; here I plotted against my sovereign and killed him—and who killed all these?
10 Take it for a fact that no part of Jehovah’s prediction that he made against Ahab’s family shall fall to the ground, and Jehovah has done what he predicted by his servant Elijah.”
11 And Jehu killed all that were left in Jezreʽel of Ahab’s family, and all his kinsmen and intimates and priests, till he had left no survivor to him;
12 and off he went to Samaria.
13 * He was at Beth-ʽEked-ha-Roʽim on the road when he found the brothers of King Ahaziah of Judah; and he said “Who are your?” and they said “We are Ahaziah’s brothers, and have come down to pay a visit to the princes.”
14 And he said “Take them alive”; and they took them alive, and cut their throats and let the blood run into the Beth-ʽEked cistern, forty-two men; he did not leave a man of them.
15 * And he went on from there, and found Jonadab the son of Recab coming to meet him; and he greeted him with a blessing. And he said to him “Is your heart squarely with me as mine is with yours?” (And Jonadab said “It is.”) “That being so, give me your hand”; and he gave him his hand, and he took him up into the chariot where he was,
16 and said “Come with me and see my jealousy for Jehovah.” And he carried him with him in the chariot,
17 and came to Samaria and killed all of Ahab’s blood that were left in Samaria till he rooted out the line in accordance with Jehovah’s prediction which he had made to Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people and said to them “Ahab worshiped the Baal on a small scale; Jehu will do it on a great scale;
19 now summon to me all the Baal’s prophets and priests, let not a man be missing, because I have a big sacrifice to kill for the Baal; anyone who is not in his place shall not live”; but Jehu was playing a trick in order to destroy the Baal-worshipers.
20 And Jehu said “Ordain a national holiday for the Baal”; and they called it,
21 and Jehu sent throughout Israel, and all the Baal-worshipers came, not a man being left who did not, and went into the Baal’s house, and the Baal’s house was filled from portal to portal.
22 And Jehu said to the vesturer “Bring out clothes for all the worshipers of the Baal”; and he brought out clothes for them.
23 And Jehu and Jonadab the son of Recab went into the Baal’s house, and he said to the Baal-worshipers “Search and see that there are none of the Jehovah-worshipers here with you, but only Baal-worshipers”;
24 * and they went in to make sacrifices and burnt-offerings. And Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and had said “Whoever allows any of the men I turn over to you to escape, his life goes in place of his.”
25 * And when he had finished making the burnt-offering, Jehu said to the runners and the adjutants “Come in! down with them! let no one get out!” and they massacred them and threw them on the ground, and went clear to the wall of the Baal’s house.
26 ** And they brought out the obelisk of the Baal and burned it;
27 and they pulled down the Baal’s house and made it a site of latrines, which it is until today.
28 And Jehu rooted out the Baal from Israel;
29 only the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, Jehu did not turn from following—the golden calves at Bethel and at Dan.
30 And Jehovah said to Jehu “Since you did what I approve and did it well, did to Ahab’s family just as I had in mind, great-great-grandchildren of yours shall sit on the throne of Israel.”
31 But Jehu did not take care to go by the code of Israel’s God Jehovah with all his heart; he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.
32 * In those days Jehovah began to be tired of Israel, and Hazael made havoc of them in all Israel’s territory
33 from the Jordan eastward, all the country of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ʽAroʽer by Arnon Arroyo on, and Gilead and the Bashan.
34 And as to the rest of the history of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his exploits, they are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
35 And Jehu went to rest with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him.
36 And the time that Jehu had reigned over Israel was twenty-eight years, at Samaria.
Footnotes
^ 10:6 Perhaps the words might also mean take a list of your sovereign’s sons
^ 10:6 Var. and bring them (or it) to me
^ 10:13 Or have been down
^ 10:15 Susp.; codd. said to him “Is there with your heart squarely, as mine
^ 10:24 Var. he went in
^ 10:25 Codd. and the runners and the adjutants massacred them and threw them, and went
^ 10:26 Conj. brought out the asherah of
^ 10:26 Var. of the Baal’s house and
^ 10:32 Var. began to maim Israel (unc.)
