Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company^(A) of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt,^(B) take this flask of olive oil^(C) with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.^{(D) 2} When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. ³ Then take the flask and pour the oil^(E) on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

⁴ So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Jehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

⁶ Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil^(F) on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. ⁷ You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge^(G) the blood of my servants^(H) the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.^{(I) 8} The whole house^(J) of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male^(K) in Israel—slave or free.^{[a] 9} I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam^(L) son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha^(M) son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ As for Jezebel, dogs^(N) will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.

¹¹ When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac^(O) come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.

¹² “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

¹³ They quickly took their cloaks and spread^(P) them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet^(Q) and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah^(R)

¹⁴ So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead^(S) against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but King Joram^[b] had returned to Jezreel to recover^(T) from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah^(U) king of Judah had gone down to see him.

¹⁷ When the lookout^(V) standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”

“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?^(W)’”

¹⁸ The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”