2 Kings 7-10

New Life Version

7 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord. The Lord says, ‘Tomorrow about this time, a basket of fine flour will be sold for one piece of silver in the gate of Samaria. And two baskets of barley will be sold for a piece of silver.’” ² The captain on whose arm the king rested said to the man of God, “See, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Elisha said, “You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat of it.”

The Syrians Leave

³ Now there were four men at the city gate with a bad skin disease. They said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die? ⁴ If we go into the city, there is no food there and we will die. And if we sit here, we will die also. So now come, let us go over to the tents of the Syrians. If they do not kill us, we will live. And if they kill us, we will die there.” ⁵ So they got up in the evening to go to the Syrians. When they came to the tents of the Syrians, there was no one there. ⁶ For the Lord had made the Syrian army hear a sound of war-wagons and horses and an army of many soldiers. So they said to one another, “The king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to fight against us.” ⁷ And they ran away in the evening. They left their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left everything just as it was, and ran for their lives. ⁸ Then the men with a bad skin disease came to the tents. They went into one tent and ate and drank. They carried away silver and gold and clothing, and hid them. Then they returned and went into another tent and carried things away from it, and hid them.

⁹ They said to one another, “We are not doing right. This is a day of good news, but we are keeping quiet. We will be punished if we wait until morning. So now let us go and tell those of the king’s house.” ¹⁰ And they came and called the men who watched the city gate. They said to them, “We went to the tents of the Syrians. But there was no one to be seen or heard there. Only the horses and donkeys were tied there. The tents were left just as they were.” ¹¹ So the men at the gate called out, and the news was heard in the king’s house. ¹² The king got up in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. So they have left the tents to hide themselves in the field. They are saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and get into the city.’” ¹³ One of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the horses that are left. Those who are left in the city are not doing better than all those who have died. So let us send men out to see.” ¹⁴ So they took two war-wagons with horses. And the king sent them after the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” ¹⁵ They went after them to the Jordan. All the way was covered with clothes and objects which the Syrians had thrown away in their hurry. Then the men returned and told the king.

¹⁶ So the people went out and took what the Syrians had left. Then a basket of fine flour was sold for a piece of silver. And two baskets of barley sold for a piece of silver, just as the word of the Lord had said. ¹⁷ Now the king chose the captain on whose arm he rested to watch the gate. But the people stepped on him at the gate. He died just as the man of God had said when the king came down to him. ¹⁸ It happened just as the man of God had told the king, saying, “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two baskets of barley will sell for a piece of silver. And a basket of fine flour will sell for a piece of silver.” ¹⁹ Then the captain had said to the man of God, “See, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And Elisha had said, “You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat of it.” ²⁰ So it happened to him. The people stepped on him at the gate, and he died.

The Shunammite’s Land Given Back

8 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, “Get ready and go with those of your house. Stay in whatever country you can. For the Lord has called for a time of no food. It will come upon the land for seven years.” ² So the woman got ready as the man of God had told her. She went with those of her house and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³ At the end of seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines. And she went out to ask the king for her house and field. ⁴ Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ Gehazi started telling the king how Elisha had brought the one who was dead to life again. Then the woman whose son he had brought back to life asked the king for her house and field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha brought back to life.” ⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told him what had happened. So the king chose a certain captain to help her, saying, “Give her all that was hers. And give her all the food taken from the field from the day she left the land until now.”

The Death of Ben-hadad

⁷ Then Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick, and he was told, “The man of God has come here.” ⁸ The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift and go meet the man of God. Ask the Lord through him, saying, ‘Will I get better from this sickness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to meet Elisha and took with him a gift of every kind of good thing of Damascus. It took forty camels to carry it all. He came and stood in front of Elisha and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I get better from this sickness?’” ¹⁰ Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will get better for sure.’ But the Lord has shown me that he will die for sure.” ¹¹ Then Elisha looked at Hazael until he was ashamed. And the man of God cried. ¹² Hazael said, “Why are you crying, my lord?” Then Elisha answered, “Because I know the bad things that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their strong places on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will crush their little ones against the stones. And you will cut up their women who are with child.” ¹³ Hazael said, “What is your servant, only a dog, that he should do this bad thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be the king of Syria.” ¹⁴ Then he left Elisha and returned to his owner. Ben-hadad said to him, “What did Elisha tell you?” And Hazael answered, “He told me that you will get better for sure.” ¹⁵ But the next day Hazael took the bed covering and put it in water. Then he spread it on Ben-hadad’s face so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram Rules Judah

¹⁶ In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to rule. ¹⁷ He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He ruled eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as those of Ahab’s house had done. Ahab’s daughter became his wife. He did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁹ But the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because of His servant David. The Lord had promised to give David one to rule through his sons always.

²⁰ In his days Edom turned against the rule of Judah and chose a king of their own. ²¹ Then Joram crossed over to Zair, with all his war-wagons. He and his war-wagon captains got up during the night and fought against the Edomites who had gathered around them. But his army ran away to their tents. ²² So Edom turned against the rule of Judah to this day. Libnah turned against Judah’s rule at the same time. ²³ The rest of the acts of Joram and all he did, are they not written in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²⁴ Then Joram died and was buried in the city of David. His son Ahaziah became king in his place.

Ahaziah Rules Judah

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Ahab’s son Joram the king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to rule. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. ²⁷ He walked in the way of the family of Ahab. He did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, like those of the family of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the family of Ahab. ²⁸ He went with Ahab’s son Joram to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians hurt Joram. ²⁹ So King Joram returned to Jezreel to be healed of the cuts the Syrians had given him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram the son of Ahab because he was sick.

Jehu Is Chosen to Be King of Israel

9 Now Elisha the man of God called one of the sons of those who spoke for God. He said to him, “Get ready to travel. Take this jar of oil and go to Ramoth-gilead. ² When you get there, find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. Go in and have him come away from his brothers. Bring him into a room in the house. ³ Then take the jar of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘The Lord says, “I have chosen you to be the king of Israel.”’ Then open the door and run. Do not wait.” ⁴ So the young servant of the man of God went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ When he came, he found the captains of the army sitting there. He said, “I have something to tell you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “Which one of us?” And he said, “You, O captain.” ⁶ So he got up and went into the house. He poured the oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have chosen you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ You are to destroy the house of your owner Ahab, so that I will punish Jezebel for the blood of My servants who speak for God, and the blood of all the Lord’s servants. ⁸ The whole family of Ahab must be destroyed. And I will destroy every male person in Israel who belongs to Ahab, both the servants and those who are free. ⁹ I will make the family of Ahab like the family of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ The dogs will eat Jezebel in the land of Jezreel. No one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran away.

¹¹ When Jehu came out to his owner’s servants, one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this crazy person come to you?” Jehu said, “You know the man and his talk.” ¹² And they said, “That is not true. Tell us now.” Jehu said, “This is how he spoke to me. He said, ‘The Lord says, “I have chosen you to be the king of Israel.”’” ¹³ Then each man took his clothes in a hurry and put them under him on the steps. And they sounded the horn and said, “Jehu is king!”

Joram of Israel Is Killed

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi made plans against Joram. Now Joram and all Israel were fighting against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. ¹⁵ But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed of the cuts the Syrians had given him, when he fought with King Hazael of Syria. So Jehu said, “If this is what you have in mind, then let no one get out of the city to tell the news in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu went to Jezreel in a war-wagon, for Joram was lying there. And Ahaziah the king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ Now the man who watched for danger was standing in the tower in Jezreel. He saw the group of Jehu’s men coming, and said, “I see a group of men coming.” Joram said, “Send a horseman to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’” ¹⁸ So a horseman went to meet him and said, “The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?’” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Get behind me.” Then the watchman told Joram, “The horseman came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ So he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Get behind me.” ²⁰ The watchman told Joram, “He came to them, and he did not return. The leader goes in his war-wagon like a mad man, just like Jehu.”

²¹ Then Joram said, “Get ready.” And they made his war-wagon ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in their war-wagon, to meet Jehu. They found him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the sinful ways and witchcrafts of your mother Jezebel are so many?” ²³ So Joram turned the horses around and ran away, saying to Ahaziah, “He is turning against the king, O Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Jehu pulled his bow with all his strength and shot Joram between his arms. The arrow went through his heart, and he fell in his war-wagon. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For I remember when you and I were going together after his father Ahab. The Lord said then that this would happen to him. ²⁶ The Lord said, ‘Yesterday I have seen the blood of Naboth and his sons. I will punish you in this field.’ So now take and throw him into the field, as the word of the Lord has said.”

Ahaziah of Judah Is Killed

²⁷ When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he ran away toward the garden house. Jehu went after him and said, “Shoot him in the war-wagon also.” So they shot him at the hill of Gur, by Ibleam. But he got away to Megiddo and died there. ²⁸ His servants carried him in a war-wagon to Jerusalem. They buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹ In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became the king of Judah.

Queen Jezebel Is Killed

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She colored her eyes and combed her hair, and then looked out the window. ³¹ As Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is it well, Zimri, your owner’s killer?” ³² Then he looked up to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three men looked down at him. ³³ Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw Jezebel down. Some of her blood went on the wall and on the horses. And Jehu made his war-wagons go over her. ³⁴ Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. And he said, “Now go out to this sinful woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ So they went to bury her. But all they found were her skull and feet and hands. ³⁶ When they returned and told Jehu, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite. He said, ‘In the land of Jezreel the dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel. ³⁷ Jezebel’s body will be as waste on the field in the land of Jezreel. So no one will be able to say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Are Killed

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters. He sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the leaders, and to those who took care of Ahab’s children. He said, ² “Now your owner’s sons are with you. And you have war-wagons, and horses, and a strong city, and things to fight with. When this letter comes to you, ³ choose the best of your owner’s sons. Put him on his father’s throne. And fight for your owner’s house.” ⁴ But they were filled with fear, and said, “See, the two kings could not stand in front of him. How can we stand?” ⁵ So the head man of the house, the head man of the city, the leaders, and those who took care of the children, sent word to Jehu. They said, “We are your servants. We will do all that you say. We will not make any man king. Do what is good in your eyes.” ⁶ Then Jehu wrote a letter to them a second time. He said, “If you are on my side and will obey me, bring the heads of your owner’s sons to me. Meet me in Jezreel about this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s seventy sons were with the important men of the city who were taking care of them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s seventy sons and killed them. They put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸ The men who had been sent returned and told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Put them one upon the other in two places at the gate until morning.” ⁹ In the morning Jehu went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are without guilt. See, I made plans against my owner and killed him. But who killed all these? ¹⁰ Know now that everything the Lord spoke about the family of Ahab will come true. For the Lord has done what He said through his servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu killed all who were left of the family of Ahab in Jezreel. He killed all of Ahab’s important men, his friends, and his religious leaders. Not one person of Ahab was left alive.

Ahaziah’s Forty-Two Brothers Are Killed

¹² Then Jehu left and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, ¹³ Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. He asked them, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We have come down to visit the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ Jehu said, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, and killed them at the hole of Beth-eked, forty-two men. He left none of them alive.

The Rest of Ahab’s Family Are Killed

¹⁵ When Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. Jehu said to him, “Is your heart right with my heart as mine is with yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So Jehonadab gave him his hand, and Jehu took him up into the war-wagon with him. ¹⁶ Then Jehu said, “Come with me and see how glad I am to work for the Lord.” And he had him go in his war-wagon. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, he killed all of Ahab’s people who were left in Samaria. He destroyed them, as the word of the Lord was spoken to Elijah.

The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped Baal a little. Jehu will worship him much. ¹⁹ Now call all the men who speak for Baal, all his worshipers and all his religious leaders. Let no one be missing. For I have a big gift for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu did this to fool them, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ He said, “Set apart a special meeting for Baal.” And they made the news known. ²¹ Then Jehu sent for all the worshipers of Baal in Israel. Every one of them came. When they went into the house of Baal, the house was filled from one end to the other. ²² Jehu said to the one who took care of the clothes, “Bring out clothing for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out clothing for them. ²³ Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab. And he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Look 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 kill animals on the altar and give burnt gifts. Now Jehu had left eighty of his men outside. He had told them, “The one who lets anyone get away, will pay for it with his life.”

²⁵ As soon as he had finished giving the burnt gift, Jehu said to the soldiers and the leaders, “Go in and kill them. Let no one come out.” And they killed them with the sword. Then the soldiers and leaders threw the bodies out, and went into the inside room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the objects of the house of Baal, and burned them. ²⁷ They destroyed the objects of Baal and destroyed the house of Baal. They made it a place for body waste to this day. ²⁸ So Jehu got rid of Baal from Israel.

²⁹ But Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He kept the gold calves at Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well what is right in My eyes. You have done to the family of Ahab all that was in My heart. So your sons, even your great great grandson, will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in 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 made Israel sin.

The Death of Jehu

³² In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael won over them in battle through the land of Israel. ³³ He took the land east of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, by the valley of the Arnon. He took Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all he did and all his strength, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵ Then Jehu died and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ Jehu ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.