2 Kings 10

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

1Now Ahab had seventy sons in 1Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, 2“And now, 2when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, 3as well as the chariots and horses, and a fortified city and the weapons, 3select the best and most capable of your master’s sons and seat him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” 4But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, 4the two kings did not stand firm before him; how then can we stand?” 5And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “5We are your servants, and everything that you tell us we will do. We will not appoint any man king; do what is good in your sight.” 6Then he wrote them a letter a second time, saying, “If you are on my side, and will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel about this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy men, were with the great people of the city, who were raising them. 7When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and 6slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8When the messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” 9Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are 7innocent; behold, 8I conspired against my master and killed him, but 9who 10killed all these? 10Know then that 11nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall 12fall to the earth, for the Lord has done 13what He spoke 14through His servant Elijah.” 11So Jehu 15killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in 16Jezreel, and all his great men, his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

12Then he set out and 17went to Samaria. On the way while he was at 18Beth-eked of the shepherds, 1319Jehu 20encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they 21answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

15Now when he had gone from there, he 22encountered 23Jehonadab the son of 24Rechab coming to meet him; and he 25greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab 26answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, 27give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. 16Then he said, “Come with me and 28see my zeal for the Lord.” So 29he had him ride in his chariot. 17When he came to Samaria, 30he 31killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated 32them, 33in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

18Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “34Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19Now, 35summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one go missing, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in deception, in order to eliminate the worshipers of Baal. 20And Jehu said, “36Proclaim a holy assembly for Baal.” And 37they proclaimed it. 21Then Jehu sent word 38throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered 39the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22And he said to the one who was 40in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the garments for them. 23Then Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see to it that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24Then they entered to 41offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “42The one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape 43shall give up his life in exchange.”

25Then it came about, as soon as he had finished 44offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the 4546guard and to the royal officers, “47Go in, 48kill them; let none come out.” So they 49killed them with the edge of the sword; and the 50guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the 51sanctuary of the house of Baal. 26They brought out the 52memorial stones of the house of Baal and burned them. 27They also tore down the memorial stone of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and 53made it a latrine as it is to this day.

28So Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. 29However, 54as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel, from these Jehu did not desist, including the 55golden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. 30Yet the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in performing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart, 56your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31But Jehu 57was not careful to walk in the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; 58he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel.

32In those days the 59Lord began to cut off pieces from Israel; and 60Hazael 61defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites; from 62Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, 63Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

34Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehu and everything that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 35And Jehu 64lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. 36So the 65time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.