Bible in 90 Days

Elisha Secures the Food

³⁸ So Elisha returned to Gilgal. Now the famine was in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his servant, put on the large pot and cook a stew for the sons of the prophets. ³⁹ One went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine^[a] and gathered wild gourds from it and filled his cloak. Then he came and cut them into the pot of stew, but they did not know what they were. ⁴⁰ They served the men to eat, but when they ate from the stew, they cried out and said, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” They were not able to eat it. ⁴¹ Then he said, “Bring some flour,” and he threw it into the pot. He then said, “Serve the people and let them eat.” There was nothing harmful in the pot.

⁴² A man came from Baal-Shalishah and brought food to the man of God: firstfruits and twenty loaves of barley bread, with ripe grain in his sack. He said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” ⁴³ Then his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” He said, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus Yahweh says, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of Yahweh.

The Healing of Naaman the Syrian

5 Now Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man before his master and highly regarded,^[b] for by him Yahweh had given victory to Aram. Now the man was a mighty warrior, but he was afflicted with a skin disease. ² When the Arameans went on a raid, they brought back a young girl from the land of Israel, and she came into the service of^[c] the wife of Naaman. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my lord would come before the prophet who is in Samaria; then he would cure his skin disease.”^{[d] 4} He came and told his master, saying, “Thus and so the girl who is from the land of Israel said.” ⁵ So the king of Aram said, “Go, I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He went and took with him^[e] ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

⁶ So he brought the letter of the king to Israel, saying, “Now, when this letter comes to you, I have just sent Naaman my servant to you that you may cure him from his skin disease.” ⁷ It happened that when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God to cause death or to give life? This man is sending a man to me to cure his disease. Indeed! But know and see that he seeks an opportunity against me.”

⁸ It happened that as soon as Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Please may he come to me, that he might know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ Then Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and he stopped at the doorway of the house of Elisha. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, you must wash seven times in the Jordan, then your flesh shall return to you, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became angry and he went and said, “Look, I said to myself, ‘Surely he will come out, stand, call upon the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hands over the spot; then he would take away the skin disease.’ ¹² Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all of the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them that I may be clean?” Then he turned and left in anger. ¹³ But his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had spoken a difficult thing to you to do, would you not have done it? Why not even when he says to you, ‘Wash and you shall be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh returned as the flesh of a small boy, and he was clean.

Elisha’s Greedy Servant Gehazi

¹⁵ When he returned to the man of God, he and all of his army, he came and stood before him and said, “Please now, I know that there is no God in all of the world except in Israel. So then, please take a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶ And he said, “As Yahweh lives,^[f] before whom I stand, I surely will not take it.” Still he urged him to take it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “If not, then please let a load of soil on a pair of mules be given to your servants, for your servant will never again bring a burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, but only to Yahweh. ¹⁸ As far as this matter, may Yahweh pardon your servant when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he is leaning himself on my arm, that I also bow down in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh please pardon your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ He said to him, “Go in peace,” so he went from him a short distance.^[g]

²⁰ But Gehazi the servant of Elisha, the man of God, thought, “Look, my master has refrained from taking what this Aramean Naaman brought from his hand. As Yahweh lives,^[h] I will certainly run after him, and I will accept something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he jumped off his chariot to meet him and asked him, “Is it peace?” ²² He said, “Peace. My master has sent me saying, ‘Look, just now^[i] two servants from the hill country of Ephraim came to me, from the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” ²³ Then Naaman said, “Be prepared to accept two talents.” So he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing and gave it to two of his servants and they carried it before him. ²⁴ When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, then sent away the men so that they went. ²⁵ When he went and stood by his master, Elisha asked him, “From where have you come, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant has not gone anywhere.”^[j]

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you as the man turned from on his chariot to meet you? Is it time to take silver, clothes, olive orchards, vineyards, sheep, oxen, male slaves, and female slaves? ²⁷ The skin disease of Naaman shall cling to you and to your offspring forever.” Then he went out from before him having a skin disease like the snow.

Elisha Recovers a Lost Axe Head

6 Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please look; the place where we are living before you is too cramped for us. ² Let us please go to the Jordan and each bring from there one log that we might make a place there for us to live.” Then he said, “Do so.” ³ Then a certain one said, “Please be prepared and go with your servants,” and he said, “I will go.” ⁴ He went with them, and they went to the Jordan, and they cut down the trees. ⁵ It happened as the one was felling the log, that the iron ax fell into the water. He called out and said, “Oh, no! My master, it was borrowed!” ⁶ Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” So he showed him the place, and then he cut off a stick and threw it there and made the iron ax float. ⁷ Then he said, “Pick it up for yourself,” so he stretched out his hand and took it.

Arameans Plot to Take Elisha

⁸ The king of Aram was fighting with Israel, so he consulted with his officers, saying, “My camp is at such and such a place.”^{[k] 9} Then the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Take care while crossing over to this place, because the Arameans are descending there.” ¹⁰ So the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God said to him and warned him, so he was on guard there continually.^[l]

¹¹ Then the heart of the king of Aram was stormy because of this matter, so he called his servants and said to them, “Can you not tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?”^{[m] 12} Then one of his servants said, “No, my lord the king, but Elisha the prophet who is in Israel tells the king of Israel things which you speak in your own bedchamber.”^{[n] 13} Then he said, “Go and see where he is so that I can send and capture him.” Then he was told to him, “Look, he is in Dothan.” ¹⁴ So he sent horses, chariots, and an oppressing army there. They arrived at night and surrounded the town. ¹⁵ The attendant of the man of God arose early and went out, and look, the army was surrounding the city with horses and chariots. His servant said to him, “Oh no, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ And he said, “Don’t be afraid, for more are with us than are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Yahweh, please open his eyes that he may see,” and Yahweh opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and look, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ They came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Please strike this people with blindness,” so he struck them with blindness as Elisha had spoken.^{[o] 19} Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way and this is not the city. Come after me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” Then he brought them to Samaria.

²⁰ It happened at the moment they came to Samaria, Elisha said, “O Yahweh, open the eyes of these that they may see,” so Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and look, the middle of Samaria! ²¹ Then the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, “Shall I kill them? Shall I kill, my father?” ²² And he said, “You shall not kill. Would you kill those whom you took captive with the sword or with the bow? Put food and water before them that they may eat and drink and then go to their master.” ²³ So he made a great feast for them, and they ate and drank; then he sent them, and they went to their master. And the bands of the Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

Besieged Samaria Resorts to Cannibalism

²⁴ It happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Aram assembled all of his army and marched up and laid siege against Samaria. ²⁵ There was a great famine in Samaria, and behold, a siege was against it, until the head of a donkey went for eighty shekels of silver, and one fourth of the measure of the dung of doves went for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ It happened that the king of Israel was crossing over on the wall, and a woman called out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!” ²⁷ He said, “No, let Yahweh help you. How^[p] can I save you? From the threshing floor or from the wine press?” ²⁸ The king said to her, “What is the problem?”^[q] Then the woman said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son, and let us eat him today, then tomorrow we will eat my son.’ ²⁹ So we cooked my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give your son that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” ³⁰ It happened that when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he had been walking on the wall, and the people saw, and behold, sackcloth was over his flesh underneath. ³¹ Then he said, “May God do to me and thus may he add, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!” ³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house and the elders were sitting with him, and the king dispatched a man from before him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Did you see that this son of a murderer has sent to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, close the door; and you must hold the door closed against him.^[r] Is not the sound of the feet of his master behind him?” ³³ While he was still speaking with them, suddenly the messenger was coming down to him, and he said, “Look this trouble is from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”

Elisha Prophesies Hope for Relief

7 Elisha said, “Hear the word of Yahweh: ‘Thus says Yahweh, “At this time tomorrow a seah of wheat bread flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.’” ² Then the officer on whom the king relied^[s] answered the man of God and said, “Look, even if Yahweh is making windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” And he said, “Look, you will be seeing it with your eyes, but you shall not eat from it there.”

Four Lepers Report the Departure of the Arameans

³ Now four men who had a skin disease were at the entrance of the gate, and they said to each other,^[t] “Why are we sitting here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; but if we sit here, we shall die. So then, come, let us fall into the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we shall live; but if they kill us, then we shall die.” ⁵ So they got up at dusk to go to the camp of the Arameans. They went up to the edge of the camp of the Arameans, and look, there was no man there! ⁶ Now the Lord had caused the camp of the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, the sound of horses, and the sound of a great army. So they said to one another,^[u] “Look, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us!” ⁷ So they got up and fled at dusk and left their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and the camp as it was, and they fled for their lives. ⁸ When these who had the skin disease came to the edge of the camp, they went into a certain tent and they ate, drank, and took from there silver and gold and clothes. Then they went and hid them, then returned and came to another tent, and they took from there and went and hid them.

⁹ Then they said to one another,^[v] “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news! If we are silent and wait until the light of morning, they will find us and we will be punished.^[w] So then, come, let us go and tell the house of the king.” ¹⁰ When they came, they called to the gatekeepers of the city and told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no man or the voice of a man there! Only the horses and the donkeys were tied up, and the tents were left as they were.” ¹¹ Then the gatekeepers called and told it inside the house of the king. ¹² The king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Please let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. The Arameans know that we are hungry, so they went out from the camp to hide in the field, saying, ‘When they go out from the city, we shall seize them alive and go into the city.’” ¹³ Then one of his servants replied and said, “Please let them take five of the remaining horses which remain in the city; behold, they are like all of the multitude of Israel that remain in it; they are like all the multitude of Israel who have perished. Let us send and see.” ¹⁴ So he took two charioteer horsemen, and the king sent after the camp of the Arameans, saying, “Go, find out,” ¹⁵ and they went after them to the Jordan. Look, all of the way was littered with clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.

Prophecy Fulfilled

¹⁶ So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. A seah of wheat flour went for a shekel and two seahs of barley went for a shekel according to the word of Yahweh. ¹⁷ Then the king appointed the officer he was depending on over the gate, but the people trampled him and he died, according to that which the man of God had said which he spoke when the king came down to him. ¹⁸ It happened as the man of God spoke to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel and a seah of wheat flour for a shekel at this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ Then the officer had replied to the man of God and said, “Look, even if Yahweh is opening the windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” And he had said, “Look you are about to see it with your eyes, but you will not eat from it.” ²⁰ So it had happened to him; the people trampled him in the gate and he died.

Joram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

8 Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Get up and go, you and your household, and dwell as an alien wherever you can, for Yahweh has called for a famine, and it will come to the land for seven years.” ² So the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God. She and her household went and dwelt as an alien in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ It happened at the end of seven years that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went out to appeal to the king for her household and for her properties.^{[x] 4} Now the king was speaking to Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please tell me all of the great things which Elisha has done.” ⁵ It happened that as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, suddenly the woman whose son he had restored to life was crying out to the king about her household and about her field. Then Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life!” ⁶ So the king asked the woman, and she told him. So the king appointed for her a certain court official, saying, “Restore all that is hers and all the yield of the field from the day she left the land up to now.”

⁷ Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill, and he was told, “The man of God has come up here.” ⁸ Then the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go meet the man of God. Inquire of Yahweh from him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this illness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand of all of the good things of Damascus, a load on each of forty camels, and he came and stood before him. Then he said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this illness?’” ¹⁰ Elisha said to him, “Go; say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but Yahweh has shown me that he certainly will die.” ¹¹ Then the man fixed his gaze and stared at him^[y] until he was ashamed and the man of God cried. ¹² Then Hazael asked, “Why is my lord crying?” He said, “Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites.^[z] You will set their fortifications on fire,^[aa] and you will kill their young men with the sword. Their little ones you will dash to pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip open!” ¹³ Then Hazael said, “But how could your servant, who is like a dog, do this great thing?” Elisha said, “Yahweh has shown me that you are to be king over Aram.” ¹⁴ So he departed from Elisha and came to his master. He asked him, “What did Elisha say to you.” So he said, “He said to me that you will certainly recover.” ¹⁵ On the next day, he took the bed cover, dipped it in the water, and spread it over his face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

Joram Reigns in Judah

¹⁶ Now in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Joram son of Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah.^{[ab] 17} He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife, and he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. ¹⁹ Yet Yahweh was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, as he had promised to give him a lamp for his sons always.

²⁰ In his days, Edom rebelled against the rule^[ac] of Judah, and they set up a king over them. ²¹ So Joram crossed over to Zair and all the chariots with him. It happened that he arose by night and attacked Edom who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots; but the army fled to their tents. ²² So Edom has rebelled against the rule^[ad] of Judah until this day; then Libnah also rebelled at that time. ²³ The remainder of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ²⁴ So Joram slept with his ancestors,^[ae] and he was buried with his ancestors^[af] in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son became king in place of him.

Ahaziah Succeeds Joram in Judah

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Joram became king of Judah. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Athaliah daughter of Omri, king of Israel. ²⁷ He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab; for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ He went with Joram the son of Ahab for the battle against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-Gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ Joram the king returned to Jezreel to heal from the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted at Ramah when Hazael king of Aram fought him. Ahaziah the son of Joram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.

Jehu Anointed Prophetically to Rule in Place of Joram of Israel

9 Now Elisha the prophet called for one of the sons of the prophets, and he said to him, “Gird your loins, and take this flask of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead. ² Go there and look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi. Go, for you must cause him to arise from among his brothers, and you must bring him into an inner room.^{[ag] 3} You must take the flask of olive oil and pour it out on his head. You must say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I hereby anoint you as king over Israel.”’ Then you must open the door and flee; do not linger!”

⁴ So the young man, servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-Gilead. ⁵ He came, and look, the commanders of the army were sitting there. He said, “I have a word for you, O commander!” Jehu said, “For whom? For all of us?” And he said, “For you, O commander!” ⁶ He got up and went to the house, and poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I hereby anoint you as king over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. ⁷ You will destroy the house of Ahab your master, and you will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all of the servants of Yahweh, from the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ All of the house of Ahab will perish, and I shall cut off all males^[ah] from Ahab, both bond and free. ⁹ I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and there shall not be anyone to bury her.’”^[ai] Then he opened the door and fled.

Jehu Assassinates Joram

¹¹ Then Jehu came out to the officers of his master, and they said to him, “Peace? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his foolish talk.” ¹² Then they said, “Liar. Please tell us.” He said, “Thus and so^[aj] he said to me, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I hereby anoint you as king over Israel.”’” ¹³ So they hastened each one to take his cloak, and they spread them under him on the bare steps, blew on the trumpet, and said, “Jehu is king!”

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram was keeping guard in Ramoth-Gilead, he and all of Israel, because of the threat^[ak] of Hazael king of Aram. ¹⁵ But Joram the king had returned to heal in Jezreel from the wound which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. Jehu said, “If this is what you want,^[al] do not let him go out as a fugitive from the city to go to make it known in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there, and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to visit Joram. ¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu when he came, and he said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them.” And he said, “Is it peace?” ¹⁸ So the rider of the horse went out to meet him, and he said, “Thus the king asks, ‘Is it peace?’” Then Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace?^[am] Turn after me.” Then the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger went up to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman, and he came to them and said, “Thus the king asks, ‘Is it peace?’” Then Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace?^[an] Turn after me.” ²⁰ So the sentinel reported, saying, “He went up to them, but he did not return, and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives with madness.”

²¹ Then Joram said, “Get ready,” so he got his chariot ready. Joram king of Israel went out, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each with his chariot. They went out to meet Jehu, and they found him at the tract of land of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is it peace?” And he said, “What peace is there while the prostitutions of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are numerous?” ²³ Joram turned his chariot^[ao] and fled and said to Ahaziah, “It’s treason, Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Then Jehu drew his bow^[ap] and shot Joram between his shoulders so that the arrow went out from his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot. ²⁵ He said to Bidkar his third servant, “Lift him out and throw him on the plot of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for remember, you and I were with the pair of chariots behind Ahab his father when Yahweh pronounced this oracle against him: ²⁶ ‘“Since I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his children yesterday,” declares Yahweh, “I will requite it for you in this tract of land,” declares Yahweh.’ So then lift him out and throw him on the tract of land according to the word of Yahweh.”

Jehu Orders the Assassination of Ahaziah

²⁷ When Ahaziah king of Judah saw, he fled the way of Beth-Haggen. Jehu pursued after him and said, “Shoot him also, in the chariot.” They shot him at the ascent of Gur which is in Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo, but he died there. ²⁸ Then his officers carried him to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb with his ancestors^[aq] in the city of David. ²⁹ In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.

Jezebel Loses Her High Position

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, so she painted her eyes with black eye paint and adorned her head and looked through the window. ³¹ Now Jehu had come in the gate, so she said, “Is it peace, O Zimri, murderer of his master?” ³² When he lifted up his face to the window, he asked, “Who is with me?” Two or three eunuchs looked down to him. ³³ So he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her. ³⁴ Then he came and ate and drank, and said, “Please take care of this cursed one and bury her, for she is the daughter of a king.” ³⁵ When they went to bury her, they could not find her, except the skull, the feet, and the palms of the hands. ³⁶ They returned and told him, and he said, “This is the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground of Jezreel, the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel.’” ³⁷ So the dead body of Jezebel became dung on the surface spread on the field in the plot of ground of Jezreel, so one cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”

Jehu Continues Purging the House of Ahab

10 Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu wrote letters, and he sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab, saying, ² “Now, when this letter comes to you and your master’s sons are with you, the chariots are with you, the horses, a fortified city, and weapons, ³ then you must select the best and the most suitable from the sons of your master, and you must place him on the throne of his father, and they must fight for the house of your masters.” ⁴ But they were very afraid, and they said, “Look, two kings could not stand before him; how can we stand?” ⁵ So whoever was over the house, and whoever was over the city, and the elders and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants; all that you say to us, we shall do. We shall not make anyone a king. Do what is good in your eyes.”

⁶ Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are for me, and you are listening to my voice, take the heads of the men of the sons of your master and come to me at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the sons of the king, seventy men, were with the leaders of the city who were raising them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king, and they killed seventy men. Then they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ Then the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” and he said, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹ It happened in the morning that he went out, stood, and said to all of the people, “You are righteous. Look, I conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all of these? ¹⁰ Know then that the word of Yahweh will not fail^[ar] which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab; Yahweh has done what he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah. ¹¹ Then Jehu killed all of the remainder of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all of his leaders, his close friends, and his priests, until there was no survivor left for him.

¹² Then he arose and went and came to Samaria. On the way, he was at Beth-Eked of the shepherds, ¹³ and Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They said, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we came down for the peace of the king’s children and the children of the queen.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “Seize them alive!” So they seized them alive but then slaughtered them at the cistern of Beth-Eked, forty-two men. He did not allow any of them to survive.

¹⁵ Next he went from there and found Jehonadab the son of Recab to meet him. He greeted him and asked him, “Is your heart right with me as my heart is with you?”^[as] Then Jehonadab said, “Yes, it is. Give your hand!” And he gave his hand and took him up to him on the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me! Look at my zeal for Yahweh!” So he let him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ Then he came to Samaria and killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria until he wiped them out according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken to Elijah.

Jehu Purges the Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all of the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will worship him greatly. ¹⁹ So then, summon to me all of the prophets of Baal and all of his servants and his priests; no man should fail to come, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come shall not live!” Now Jehu was acting with cunning in order to destroy the servants of Baal. ²⁰ Then Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal!” So they proclaimed it. ²¹ Jehu sent word through all of Israel, and all of the servants of Baal came; there did not remain a man who did not come. They came to the house of Baal so that the house of Baal was filled from wall to wall.^{[at] 22} He said to the one who was over the wardrobe, “Bring out clothing for all of the servants of Baal.” So he brought the clothing out for them. ²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Recab came to the temple of Baal, and he said to the servants of Baal, “Search and see that there is none of the servants of Yahweh here with you; only those who serve Baal.” ²⁴ They came to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he said, “The man who lets anyone escape from the men who I am entrusting to you,^[au] he will pay with his life!”^[av]

²⁵ It happened that when he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the royal guard and to the officers, “Come and kill them; let no man go free!” So they put them to the sword,^[aw] and the royal guard and the officers threw them out, then they went up to the citadel of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the stone pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them.^{[ax] 27} So they broke down the stone pillars of Baal and destroyed the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine until this day. ²⁸ So Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.

²⁹ Only Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat by which he caused Israel to sin; namely, the calf-shaped idols of gold which were in Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well by doing right in my eyes and you have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart; therefore, sons of the fourth generation will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh God of Israel with all his heart; he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam by which he caused Israel to sin.

³² In those days, Yahweh began to reduce Israel, so Hazael defeated them in every territory of Israel, ³³ from the Jordan eastward: all of the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer which is on the Wadi Arnon and Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴ Now the remainder of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all of his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ³⁵ So Jehu slept with his ancestors,^[ay] and they buried him in Samaria, and Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ Now the days which Jehu had reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.

Athaliah Usurps the Throne in Judah

11 Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, so she prepared to destroy all of the offspring of the royal family. ² But Jehosheba the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah took Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, and she stole him from among the sons of the king who were being put to death, putting him and his nurse in the inner bedroom. So they hid him from the presence of Athaliah, and he was not killed. ³ He remained with her in the temple of Yahweh, hidden for six years while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

⁴ But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took the commanders of the hundreds of the Carites and the runners, and he brought them to himself to the temple of Yahweh. Then he made^[az] a covenant with them and made them swear in the house of Yahweh and showed them the son of the king. ⁵ He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing which you must do: one third of you who go off duty on the Sabbath,^[ba] the keepers of the guard in the house of the king, ⁶ and another third at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the runners, shall guard the post of the palace alternately. ⁷ Two of the units among you, all who go on duty on the Sabbath,^[bb] guard the post of the temple of Yahweh for the king. ⁸ You must surround the king all about, each with his weapon in his hand; whoever comes to the ranks must be killed. Be with the king wherever he goes.”^[bc]

⁹ So the commanders of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and each took his men who went off duty on the Sabbath^[bd] and those who came on duty on the Sabbath,^[be] and they came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ Then the priest gave to the commanders of the hundreds spears and small round shields which were King David’s, which were in the temple of Yahweh. ¹¹ So the royal runners stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the side of the temple to the south up to the side of the temple on the north, around the altar and around the temple, about the king all around. ¹² Then he brought out the son of the king, put the crown on him with the testimony, and they made him king, anointed him, clapped their hands, and said, “Long live the king!”

¹³ When Athaliah heard the sound of the runners of the people, she came to the people at the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁴ She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all of the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing on the trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and she called, “Treason, treason!” ¹⁵ Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of the hundreds, the appointed of the army, and he said to them, “Bring her out to the house of the ranks! The one coming after her should kill her with the sword,” for the priest had said, “Let her not be killed in the temple of Yahweh.” ¹⁶ So they grabbed her^[bf] as she went by the entranceway of the horses to the palace of the king, and she was killed there. ¹⁷ Then Jehoiada made^[bg] a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that the people should be as a people for Yahweh, and also a covenant between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Then all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down, and its altars and its images they broke completely into pieces. Mattan the priest of Baal they killed in front of the altars. Then the priest put guards over the house of Yahweh. ¹⁹ He took the commanders of the hundreds and the Carites and the runners and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the temple of Yahweh. And they marched by the way of the runner’s gate to the palace of the king, and he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city rested; for Athaliah had been killed with the sword in the palace of the king.

^21 [bh] Jehoash was seven years old^[bi] when he began to reign.

Jehoash/Joash Reigns in Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years, and the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. ² Jehoash did right in the eyes of Yahweh all of his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only the high places were not removed; the people were still making sacrifices and offering incense on the high places.

Temple Repairs Planned

⁴ Jehoash said to the priests, “All of the money for the sacred things that is brought to the temple of Yahweh, the money taxed at its proper value for each person^[bj] and all of the money which comes upon the heart of a man to bring to the temple of Yahweh, ⁵ let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurers, and let them repair the breach of the temple for every place where damage is found.”

⁶ It happened in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash that the priests had not repaired the damage in the temple. ⁷ So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the priests, and he said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage in the temple? Now, you shall not take money from your treasurers for the damage in the temple. You must provide it.” ⁸ So the priests agreed not to take money from the people and not to repair the damage to the temple.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took a certain chest and bored a hole in its lid, and he put it beside the altar to the right as a man enters into the temple of Yahweh; then the priests who were keepers of the threshold would put there all of the money brought into the temple. ¹⁰ It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh. ¹¹ They placed the money, which was weighed out, into the hands of the workers who were appointed over the temple of Yahweh, and they paid it to the skilled craftsmen of wood and to the builders working on the temple of Yahweh ¹² and to the masons and the stonecutters, to buy timber and stones for hewing, in order to repair the damage of the temple of Yahweh, and for all who went to the temple to repair it. ¹³ Only, for the temple of Yahweh, there were not any silver basins, snuffers, bowls for drinking wine, trumpets, or any vessel of gold or silver from the money being brought to the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁴ For they gave that to all the workers, and they repaired the temple^[bk] of Yahweh with it. ¹⁵ They did not have to settle accounts with the men into whose hands they placed the money to give to the workers, for they were dealing honestly. ¹⁶ The money of the guilt offering and the money of the sin offering was not brought into the temple^[bl] of Yahweh, but were each for the priests.

Hazael Threatens Judah

¹⁷ At that time, Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it; then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Jehoash king of Judah took all of the holy objects that Jehoshaphat, Joram, and Ahaziah his ancestors,^[bm] the kings of Judah, had devoted, and all his holy objects and all of the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of Yahweh, and in the palace of the king, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, so that he went up from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Now the remainder of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ Then his servants arose and conspired and killed Joash in the house of the Millo as he was going down toward Silla. ²¹ Jozabad^[bn] the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and killed him, so they buried him with his ancestors^[bo] in the city of David. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Jehoahaz and Jehoash in Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, reigning seventeen years. ² But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he went after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat with which he had caused Israel to sin, and he did not depart from it. ³ So the anger of Yahweh was kindled^[bp] against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael repeatedly.^{[bq] 4} Then Jehoahaz entreated Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ Yahweh gave Israel a savior, and they went out from under the hand of Aram. So the Israelites^[br] lived in their tents as formerly.^{[bs] 6} Yet they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to sin, but walked in it; and also, the pole of the Asherah worship was still standing in Samaria. ⁷ For there was no army left over for Jehoahaz except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them as the dust at threshing. ⁸ Now the remainder of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did and his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ⁹ Then Jehoahaz slept with his ancestors^[bt] and they buried him in Samaria, and Jehoash his son became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, reigning sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh; he did not depart from all of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin, but walked in it. ¹² The remainder of the acts of Joash^[bu] and all that he did, his powerful deeds, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ¹³ Then Joash slept with his ancestors,^[bv] and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha Passes Away

¹⁴ Elisha became ill with the illness with which he would die, so Jehoash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, and said, “My father, my father; the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” ¹⁵ Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows,” so he took him a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ He said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow,”^[bw] so he lay hold of it; then Elisha put his hand on the hands of the king. ¹⁷ Then he said, “Open the window to the east,” so he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. Then he said, “An arrow of victory for Yahweh, and an arrow of victory against Aram; you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until finishing them.” ¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” so he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” so he struck three times and stopped. ¹⁹ Yet the man of God became angry against him and said, “For striking five or six times, then you would have defeated Aram until finishing them, but now you will defeat Aram only three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died and they buried him. Now the raiding parties of Moab came in the spring.^{[bx] 21} And it happened that they were burying a man; suddenly they saw the marauding band, so they threw the man in the grave of Elisha. As he went in, the man touched the bones of Elisha, and became alive and got up on his feet!

²² Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But Yahweh had mercy on them and showed compassion to them and turned to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was not willing to destroy them nor cast them from his presence up to now.

²⁴ When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-Hadad became king in his place. ²⁵ Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz returned and took the cities from the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael which he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father in the war. Three times Jehoash defeated him and recovered the towns of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah; Jeroboam II in Israel

14 In the second year of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Jehoash king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the eyes of Yahweh, only not as David his ancestor;^[by] as all which Jehoash his father had done, he did. ⁴ Only the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and offering incense on the high places.

⁵ It happened that when the kingdom was firmly in his hand, he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. ⁶ But the sons of the killers he did not kill, as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which Yahweh had commanded, saying, “Fathers should not be killed because of children, and children should not be killed because of fathers; but a man should die because of his own sin.” ⁷ He also killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and he seized Sela in the battle, and he called its name Jokteel, until this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, “Come let us meet face-to-face.”^{[bz] 9} So Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah, saying, “The thornbush which is in Lebanon sent to the cedar which is in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife,’ but an animal of the field which is in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thornbush. ¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom and your heart is lifted up; enjoy the honor and stay home. Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel went up and they met face-to-face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-Shemesh which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated before Israel and they fled, each to this tent. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-Shemesh. Then they came to Jerusalem, and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim up to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits! ¹⁴ He also took all of the gold and silver and all the vessels found in the temple of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the palace of the king, as well as the hostages;^[ca] then he returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ Now the remainder of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his powerful deeds, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Then Jehoash slept with his ancestors^[cb] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Jerusalem; Zechariah Succeeds Jeroboam II in Samaria

¹⁷ Amaziah the son of Jehoash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ The remainder of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹ They conspired against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. ²⁰ Then they carried him on the horses, and he was buried with his ancestors^[cc] in the city of David. ²¹ All of the people of Judah took sixteen-year-old Azariah and made him king in place of this father Amaziah. ²² He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his ancestors.^[cd]

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Jehoash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, reigning forty-one years. ²⁴ But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin. ²⁵ He restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-Hamath up to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai the prophet, who was from Gath-Hepher. ²⁶ For Yahweh saw that the misery of Israel was very bitter, whether bond or free, but there was no helper for Israel. ²⁷ Yahweh did not decree to blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Jehoash.

²⁸ Now the remainder of the acts of Jeroboam, all that he did, his powerful deeds, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath of Judah to Israel, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ So Jeroboam slept with his ancestors^[ce] the kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah became king in his place.

The Acts of Azariah (Uzziah) in Judah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. ² He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. ⁴ Only he did not remove the high places; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ⁵ Yahweh struck the king, and he was infected with a skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in a separate house, while Jotham the son of the king was over the house, governing the people of the land. ⁶ The remainder of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? ⁷ So Azariah slept with his ancestors,^[cf] and they buried him with his ancestors^[cg] in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.

Zechariah in Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as his ancestors^[ch] had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin. ¹⁰ Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, struck him in front of the people, killed him, and reigned in his place. ¹¹ Now the remainder of the acts of Zechariah, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. ¹² This is the word of Yahweh which he spoke to Jehu, saying, “Sons of a fourth generation shall sit for you on the throne of Israel,” and it was so.

Shallum Reigns only a Month in Israel

¹³ Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned a full month^[ci] in Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from Tirzah, and he came to Samaria and struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him. Then he became king in place of him. ¹⁵ Now the remainder of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he conspired; look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. ¹⁶ At that time Menahem destroyed Tiphsah, all who were in it, and all its territory from Tirzah, because it had not opened to him, so he destroyed it and ripped open all of its pregnant women.

Menahem Reigns in Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel for ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He did not depart all of his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin.

¹⁹ Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, so Menahem gave a thousand talents of silver to Pul so that his hand would be with him to strengthen his hold on the kingdom.^{[cj] 20} Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the very rich,^[ck] to give to the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver for each one. Then the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. ²¹ Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? ²² So Menahem slept with his ancestors,^[cl] and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria for two years. ²⁴ But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin. ²⁵ Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, so he attacked him in Samaria in the citadel fortress of the palace of the king, with Argob and Arieh. With him also were fifty men from the children of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. ²⁶ Now the remainder of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, look, they are written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.