Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^aSamaria. 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, ^awhen this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, ¹as well as the chariots and horses, and a fortified city and the weapons, 3 select 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.” 4 But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, ^athe two kings did not stand firm before him; how then can we stand?” 5 And 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, “^aWe 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.” 6 Then 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. 7 When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^aslaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8 When 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.” 9 Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are ¹innocent; behold, ^aI conspired against my master and killed him, but ^bwho ²killed all these? 10 Know then that ^anothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall ¹fall to the earth, for the LORD has done ^bwhat He spoke ²through His servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu ¹killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^aJezreel, and all his great men, his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

12 Then he set out and ¹went to Samaria. On the way while he was at ²Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13 ^aJehu ¹encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they ²answered, “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.” 14 Then 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.

15 Now when he had gone from there, he ¹encountered ^aJehonadab the son of ^bRechab coming to meet him; and he ²greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ³answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^cgive me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, “Come with me and ^asee my zeal for the LORD.” So ¹he had him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, ^ahe ¹killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated ²them, ^bin accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^aAhab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now, ^asummon 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. 20 And Jehu said, “^aProclaim a holy assembly for Baal.” And ^bthey proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent word ¹throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered ^athe house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one who was ¹in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the garments for them. 23 Then 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.” 24 Then they entered to ¹offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^aThe one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape ²shall give up his life in exchange.”

25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished ¹offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^2aguard and to the royal officers, “^bGo in, ³kill them; let none come out.” So they ⁴killed them with the edge of the sword; and the ⁵guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the ⁶sanctuary of the house of Baal. 26 They brought out the ^amemorial stones of the house of Baal and burned them. 27 They also tore down the memorial stone of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and ^amade it a latrine as it is to this day.

28 So Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. 29 However, ^aas for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel, from these Jehu did not desist, including the ^bgolden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. 30 Yet 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, ^ayour sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31 But Jehu ^awas not careful to walk in the Law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^bhe did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel.

32 In those days the ^aLORD began to cut off pieces from Israel; and ^bHazael ¹defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites; from ^aAroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, ^bGilead and Bashan.

34 Now 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? 35 And Jehu ¹lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. 36 So the ¹time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Ahab had seventy sons and grandsons in ^aSamaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, 2 “Now ^aas soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons (male descendants) are with you, as well as chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons, 3 select the best and most capable of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s royal house.” 4 But they were extremely afraid and said, “^aLook, the two kings did not stand before Jehu; so how can we stand?” 5 And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children sent word to Jehu, saying, “^aWe are your servants and we will do whatever you tell us, but we will not make any man king; do what is good in your eyes.” 6 Then Jehu wrote a second letter to them, saying, “If you are with me and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s ¹sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the dead king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^aslaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. 8 When a messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” 9 The next morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are just and innocent; behold, ^aI conspired against Joram my master and killed him, but ^bwho killed all these? 10 Know then without any doubt that ^athere shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the LORD has done ^bwhat He said ¹through His servant Elijah.” 1+@Kin 19:17 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^aJezreel, and all his great men and his familiar friends and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

12 And he set out and went to Samaria. On the way as he was at the ¹place of the sand heaps meeting place for the shepherds, 13 ^aJehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we came down to greet the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother Jezebel.” 14 Then Jehu said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and later slaughtered them at the well by the place of the sand heaps, forty-two men; he left none of them alive.

15 When Jehu went on from there, he met ^aJehonadab the son of ^bRechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with yours?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said “If it is, ^cgive me your hand.” He gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot. 16 And he said, “Come with me and ^asee my zeal for the LORD.” So he had Jehonadab in his chariot. 17 When Jehu came to Samaria, ^ahe killed everyone who remained of Ahab’s family in Samaria, until he had destroyed all of them, ^bin accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

18 Jehu assembled all the people and said in pretense to them, “^aAhab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much more. 19 Now, ^asummon unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with trickery, in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal. 20 Jehu said, “^aConsecrate a festive assembly (celebration) for Baal.” And ^bthey proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; there was no one left who did not come. They went to ^athe house (temple) of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22 He said to the man in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” And he brought the garments out to them. 23 Then Jehu with Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see that there are no servants of the LORD here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside for himself and said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, ^athe one who lets him go shall forfeit his own life for that man’s life.”

25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^aguards and to the royal officers, “^bGo in and kill them; let no one come out.” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the royal officers threw their bodies out, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal. 26 They brought out the sacred ^apillars (obelisks) of the house of Baal and burned them. 27 They also tore down the sacred pillar of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and ^amade it into a latrine forever unclean ¹to this day.

28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. 29 However, Jehu did not turn from ^athe idolatrous sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, that is, led them to worship the ^bgolden calves which were at Bethel and Dan. 1+@Kin 12:28ff 30 The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart, ^1ayour sons (descendants) shall sit on Israel’s throne to the fourth generation.” 2+@Kin 15:12 31 But Jehu ^adid not take care to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^bhe did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin.

32 So in those days the ^aLORD began to cut off portions of Israel; ^bHazael of Aram defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ^aAroer, which is by the Arnon River, even ^bGilead and Bashan.

34 Now 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? 35 Jehu slept with his fathers in death, and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^aSamaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, 2 “So now, ^awhen this letter comes to you, ¹since your master’s sons are with you, ²as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, 3 look for the best and ¹fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” 4 But they feared exceedingly greatly and said, “Behold, ^athe two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?” 5 And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^aWe are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.” 6 Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me about this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 Now it happened that when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^aslaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8 Then the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” So he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” 9 Now it happened in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous; behold, ^aI conspired against my master and killed him, but ^bwho struck down all these? 10 Know then that ^anothing from the word of Yahweh, which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall fall to the earth. Indeed, Yahweh has done ^bwhat He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^aJezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until ¹there was no survivor remaining for him.

12 Then he arose and came out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at ¹Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13 ^aJehu found the ¹relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the ²relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down ³to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 Then 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.

15 Then he went from there and found ^aJehonadab the son of ^bRechab coming to meet him; and he ¹blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ²answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^cgive me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, “Come with me and ^asee my zeal for Yahweh.” So ¹he made him ride in his chariot. 17 And he came to Samaria ^aand struck down all who were left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, ^baccording to the word of Yahweh which He spoke to Elijah.

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^aAhab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19 So now, ^asummon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his slaves and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in ¹cunning, so that he might cause the slaves of Baal to perish. 20 And Jehu said, “^aSanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^bthey summoned them. 21 Then Jehu sent ¹throughout Israel, and all the slaves of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into ^athe house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22 Then he said to the one who was ¹in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the slaves of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. 23 And Jehu came into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the slaves of Baal, “Search and see lest there be here with you any of the slaves of Yahweh, but only the slaves of Baal.” 24 Then they came in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had placed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^aThe one who permits any of the men whom I cause to come into your hands to escape, ¹shall give up his life in exchange.”

25 Now it happened that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the ^1aguard and to the royal officers, “^bCome in, strike them down; let none come out.” And they struck them down with the edge of the sword; and the ²guard and the royal officers threw them out and went to the ³inner room of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought out the sacred ^apillars of the house of Baal and burned them. 27 They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal and ^amade it a latrine to this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29 However, ^aas for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the ^bgolden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan. 30 And Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, ^ayour sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31 But Jehu ^1awas not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^bhe did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

32 In those days ^aYahweh began to cut off portions ¹from Israel; and ^bHazael struck them throughout the territory of Israel: 33 from the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ^aAroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even ^bGilead and Bashan.

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? 35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36 Now the ¹time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.