The Preacher's Bible

Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and to those who brought up Ahab’s sons, saying, ²“Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor, ³select the best and fittest of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Behold, the two kings didn’t stand before him! How then shall we stand?” ⁵He who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who raised the children, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and will do all that you ask us. We will not make any man king. You do that which is good in your eyes.”

⁶Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men who are your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time.” Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

⁷When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and killed them, even seventy people, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezreel.

⁸A messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” He said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” ⁹In the morning, he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? ¹⁰Know now that nothing will fall to the earth of Jehovah’s word, which Jehovah spoke concerning Ahab’s house. For Jehovah has done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah.”

¹¹So Jehu struck all that remained of Ahab’s house in Jezreel, with all his great men, his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him no one remaining.

¹²He arose and departed, and went to Samaria. As he was at the shearing house of the shepherds on the way,

¹³Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen.”

¹⁴He said, “Take them alive!” They took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing house, even forty-two men. He didn’t leave any of them.

¹⁵When he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him, and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” “If it is, give me your hand.” He gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

²⁰Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal!” So they proclaimed it.

²¹Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that didn’t come. They came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.

²²He said to him who kept the wardrobe, “Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal!” So he brought robes out to them. ²³Jehu went with Jehonadab the son of Rechab into the house of Baal. Then he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that none of the servants of Jehovah are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”

²⁴So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men outside, and said, “If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he who lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him.”

²⁵As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them! Let no one escape.” So they struck them with the edge of the sword. The guard and the captains threw the bodies out, and went to the inner shrine of the house of Baal. ²⁶They brought out the pillars that were in the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷They broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine, to this day. ²⁸Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

²⁹However, Jehu didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin—the golden calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan. ³⁰Jehovah said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, and have done to Ahab’s house according to all that was in my heart, your descendants shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

³¹But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Jehovah, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin. ³²In those days Jehovah began to cut away parts of Israel; and Hazael struck them in all the borders of Israel ³³from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³⁵Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. ³⁶The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.