10:1 Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. He said,
10:2 “As soon as this letter reaches you, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons,
10:3 choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”
10:4 But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”
10:5 So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.”
10:6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them.
10:7 When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.
10:8 When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.” Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”
10:9 The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?
10:10 Know then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The LORD has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”
10:11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.
10:12 Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds,
10:13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.”
10:14 “Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked–forty-two men. He left no survivor.
10:15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Recab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?” “I am,” Jehonadab answered. “If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.
10:16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.
10:17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family; he destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD spoken to Elijah.
10:18 Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.
10:19 Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests. See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.
10:20 Jehu said, “Call an assembly in honor of Baal.” So they proclaimed it.
10:21 Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the ministers of Baal came; not one stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other.
10:22 And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.
10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, “Look around and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you–only ministers of Baal.”
10:24 So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: “If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life.”
10:25 As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: “Go in and kill them; let no one escape.” So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal.
10:26 They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it.
10:27 They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.
10:28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel.
10:29 However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit–the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
10:30 The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”
10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.
10:32 In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory
10:33 east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.
10:34 As for the other events of Jehu’s reign, all he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
10:35 Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king.
10:36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
10:1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, 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,
10:2 Now then, when this letter comes to you, since your master s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons,
10:3 Look for the best and fittest of your master s sons, and set him on the throne of his father, and fight for your master s house.
10:4 But they feared very greatly and said, If the two kings could not stand before him, how then can we stand before him?
10:5 And he who was over the household and he that was over the city and the elders and the guardians of the children sent word to Jehu, saying, We are your servants; all that you say to us, we will do. We will not make anyone king. What is good in your sight, do.
10:6 Then he wrote a letter to them a second time, saying, If you are mine and listen to my voice, take the heads of the sons of your master, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time. Now the king s sons, seventy men, were with the great men of the city, who had brought them up.
10:7 And when the letter reached them, they took the king s sons and slaughtered them, seventy men; and they placed their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel.
10:8 And the messenger came and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king s sons. And he said, Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
10:9 And in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, You are righteous. I conspired against my master and have killed him; but who struck all these?
10:10 Know therefore that nothing of the word of Jehovah, which Jehovah spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall fall to the earth; for Jehovah has done that which He spoke through His servant Elijah.
10:11 So Jehu killed all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him no one remaining.
10:12 Then he rose up and departed and came into Samaria. And while he was at the shepherds meeting place on the way,
10:13 Jehu came upon the brothers of Ahaziah the king of Judah; and he said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.
10:14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive and slew them, forty-two men, at the pit of the meeting place; and he left not one of them remaining.
10:15 And when he departed from there, he came upon Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab said, It is. And Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and Jehu took him up to himself into the chariot.
10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot.
10:17 And when he came to Samaria, he struck all who were left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of Jehovah, which He spoke to Elijah.
10:18 And Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much.
10:19 Now call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be missing. For I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal. Whoever is missing will not live. But Jehu acted in subtlety, in order that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
10:20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
10:21 And Jehu sent word throughout all Israel, and all the worshippers of Baal came; and there was not one left who did not come. And they came to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.
10:22 And he said to the one who was over the wardrobe, Bring out garments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought out the garments to them.
10:23 And Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab came to the house of Baal; and he said to the worshippers of Baal, Search and see that none of the servants of Jehovah are here with you; only the worshippers of Baal should be here.
10:24 And they came to offer sacrifice and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside; and he had said, He who allows any of the men to escape whom I bring into your hands will give up his life instead.
10:25 And when he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and to the captains, Go in and slay them; let no one get out. And they struck them with the edge of the sword. And the guards and the captains threw them out, and they went to the inner room of the house of Baal.
10:26 And they brought out the pillars of the house of Baal and burned them.
10:27 And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal and made it a latrine, as it is to this day.
10:28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel.
10:29 However as regards the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin, Jehu did not turn away from them, that is, the golden calves which were in Bethel and in Dan.
10:30 And Jehovah said to Jehu, Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes and have dealt with the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
10:31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of Jehovah the God of Israel with all his heart; he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he caused Israel to sin.
10:32 In those days Jehovah began to cut away portions of land in Israel, and Hazael struck them in all the borders of Israel
10:33 From the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.
10:34 And 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 place.
10:36 Now the time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.