2 Kings
10:1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent
to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that
brought up Ahab's children, saying,
10:2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are
with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city
also, and armour;
10:3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on
his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
10:4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not
before him: how then shall we stand?
10:5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the
elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying,
We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not
make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
10:6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine,
and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your
master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the
king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city,
which brought them up.
10:7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the
king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets,
and sent him them to Jezreel.
10:8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the
heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the
entering in of the gate until the morning.
10:9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and
said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my
master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
10:10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the
LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD
hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
10:11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all
his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him
none remaining.
10:12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the
shearing house in the way,
10:13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are
ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to
salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
10:14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at
the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he
any of them.
10:15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of
Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine
heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It
is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took
him up to him into the chariot.
10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made
him ride in his chariot.
10:17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in
Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD,
which he spake to Elijah.
10:18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab
served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
10:19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants,
and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice
to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu
did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers
of Baal.
10:20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed
it.
10:21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came,
so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the
house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.
10:22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for
all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
10:23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal,
and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be
here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of
Baal only.
10:24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu
appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have
brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall
be for the life of him.
10:25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt
offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and
slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the
sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the
city of the house of Baal.
10:26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned
them.
10:27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal,
and made it a draught house unto this day.
10:28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
10:29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to
sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that
were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
10:30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing
that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab
according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth
generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
10:31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with
all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made
Israel to sin.
10:32 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them
in all the coasts of Israel;
10:33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the
Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon,
even Gilead and Bashan.
10:34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his
might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings
of Israel?
10:35 And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And
Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
10:36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and
eight years.
