2 Kings 10

Revised Geneva Translation

10 Ahab now had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s children, to this effect:

² “Now when this letter comes to you (for you have with you your master’s sons, you have with you both chariots and horses, and a defensed city, and armor),

³ consider which of your master’s sons is best and most fitting, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Behold, two kings could not stand before him. How then shall we stand?”

⁵ And he who was governor of Ahab’s house, and he who ruled the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and will do all that you shall ask us. We will make no king. Do what seems good to you.”

⁶ Then he wrote another letter to them, saying, “If you are mine, and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men who are your master’s sons. And come to me, to Jezreel, by tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy people, were with the great men of the city, who raised them.

⁷ And when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and killed all seventy people and laid their heads in baskets and sent them to him, to Jezreel.

⁸ Then, a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Let them lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

⁹ And when it was day, 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?

¹⁰ “Know now that there 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 brought to pass the things that He spoke by his servant Elijah!”

¹¹ So Jehu killed all who remained of the House of Ahab in Jezreel, and all who were great with him, and his friends, and his priests, so that he let no one remain.

¹² And he arose and departed and came to Samaria. And as Jehu was on the road, by a house where the shepherds sheared,

¹³ he met with the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and go down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen.”

¹⁴ And he said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and killed them at the well beside the house where the sheep are shorn, forty-two men. And he did not leave one of them.

¹⁵ And when he had departed from there, he met with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he blessed him, and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “Yes, doubtless.” “Give me your hand.” And when he had given him his hand, he took him up to himself, into the chariot.

¹⁶ And he said, “Come with me, and see the zeal that I have for the LORD!” So, they made him ride in his chariot.

¹⁷ And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed according to the Word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all the people, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little! Jehu shall serve him much more!

¹⁹ “Now, therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal — all his servants and all his priests — and do not let a man be missing! For I have a great sacrifice for Baal! Whoever is missing, he shall not live!” But Jehu did so with subtlety, to destroy the servants of Baal.

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

²¹ So Jehu sent to all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came. And there was not a man left who did not come. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full, from end to end.

²² Then he said to him who had the charge of the vestry, “Bring forth vestments for all the servants of Baal.” And he brought out vestments for them.

²³ And when Jehu and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal, he said to the servants of Baal, “Search diligently and look, lest there be here with you any of the servants of the LORD, and not just the servants of Baal.”

²⁴ And when they went in to make sacrifice and burnt offering, Jehu appointed eighty men outside, and said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, his soul shall be for his soul.”

²⁵ And when he finished the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard, and to the captains, “Go in. Kill them. Do not let a man come out.” And they struck them with the edge of the sword. And the guard and the captains cast them out and went to the city, to the temple of Baal.

²⁶ And they brought out the images of the temple of Baal and burnt them.

²⁷ And they destroyed the image of Baal, and threw down the house of Baal, and made a latrine of it to this day.

²⁸ So Jehu destroyed Baal from out of Israel.

²⁹ But from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, Jehu did not depart (the golden calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan).

³⁰ And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have diligently executed that which was right in My Eyes and have done to the House of Ahab according to all things that were in My Heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the Law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin.

³² In those days, the LORD began to loathe Israel. And Hazael struck them in all the territories of Israel,

³³ from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and those who were of Manasseh, from Aroer (which is by the river Arnon) and Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his valiant deeds, 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, reigned in his place.

³⁶ And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.