2Ki 10 | ABEn | STEP | And to Ahab were seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote a scroll, and sent it unto Samaria, to the rulers of Samaria, and to the elders, and to the wet-nurses of the sons of Ahab, saying,

2 Kings 10

CHAPTER 10 Jehu Kills All the House of Ahab

1 And to Ahab were seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote a scroll, and sent it unto Samaria, to the rulers of Samaria, and to the elders, and to the wet-nurses of the sons of Ahab, saying, 2 And now, whenever [³comes ²scroll ¹this] to you, and with you are the sons of your master, and with you the chariots and the horses, and [²cities ¹fortified], and weapons, 3 that you shall look for the good, and the upright one among the sons of your master. And you shall place him upon the throne of his father, and you shall wage war for the house of your master. 4 And they feared exceedingly, and said, Behold, the two kings did not stand against his face, and how shall we stand? 5 And they sent the ones over the household, and the ones over the city, and the elders, and the wet-nurses to Jehu, saying, [²your servants ¹We are], and all as much as you should say to us we shall do. We will not give [²reign ¹anyone]. The thing good in your eyes we will do. 6 And [²wrote ³to ⁴them ¹Jehu ⁶scroll ⁵a second], saying, If you are with me, and [³my voice ¹you ²listen to], take the heads of the men of the sons of your master, and bring them to me at this hour tomorrow in Jezreel! And the sons of the king were seventy men, whom the stout men of the city nourished them. 7 And it came to pass as [³came ¹the ²scroll] to them, that they took the sons of the king, and they slew them -- seventy men. And they put their heads in baskets, and they sent to him in Jezreel. 8 And [³came ¹the ²messenger] and reported to him, saying, They brought the heads of the sons of the king. And he said, Place them in two hills by the door of the gate until morning. 9 And it became morning, and he came forth and stood. And he said to all the people, You are just. Behold, I confederated against my master, and I killed him; but who struck all of these? 10 See that there shall not fall of the saying of the lord unto the ground, of which the lord spoke against the house of Ahab. And the lord did as much as he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah. 11 And Jehu struck all the ones being left among the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his stout men, and his well known men, and his priests, unto [²not ³leaving behind ¹his] a vestige. 12 And he rose up and went into Samaria. He was in Beth-Akad of the shepherds in the way. 13 And Jehu found the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, Who are you? And they said, [²brothers ³of Ahaziah ¹we are], and we came down in peace of the sons of the king, and the sons of the woman being in power.

Jehu Kills the Brothers of Ahaziah

14 And he said, Seize them alive! And they seized them, and slew them in Beth-akad -- forty and two men. And he did not leave a man of them. 15 And he went from there, and he found Jehonadab son of Rechab in the way for meeting him. And he blessed him, and [²said ³to ⁴him ¹Jehu], Is [²straight ¹your heart] with my heart, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab said, It is. And Jehu said, Then if it is, give your hand! And he gave his hand. And he hauled him to himself upon the chariot. 16 And he said to him, Come with me, and see in my zealousness to the lord! And he sat by him in his chariot. 17 And he entered into Samaria, and he struck all the ones left of Ahab in Samaria, unto obliterating him according to the saying of the lord, which he spoke to Elijah. 18 And Jehu gathered together all the people. And said to them, Ahab served to Baal a little, Jehu shall serve to him much. 19 And now call to me all the prophets of Baal, and his priests, and all his servants! Let not a man be overlooked! for [⁴sacrifice ³a great ¹I ²make] to Baal. All who ever overlooked shall not live. And Jehu did it by trickery, that he might destroy the servants of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a service to Baal! And they proclaimed it. 21 And Jehu sent in all Israel. And [⁵came ¹all ²the ³servants ⁴of Baal]; there was not left behind a man who did not come. And they entered into the house of Baal, and [⁴was filled ¹the ²house ³of Baal] -- mouth unto mouth. 22 And Jehu told to the one over the house wardrobe to bring out garments for all the servants of Baal. And [³brought them forth ⁴to them ¹the ²keeper of the wardrobe]. 23 And Jehu entered, and Jehonadab son of Rechab, into the house of Baal. And he said to the servants of Baal, Search and see if there is with you servants of the lord! for there is to be only the servants of Baal alone.

Jehu Kills the Servants of Baal

24 And they entered to offer the sacrifices and the whole burnt-offerings. And Jehu stationed for himself outside eighty men. And he said, A man who ever should preserve anyone of the men whom I bring in unto your hands, his life will be for his life. 25 And it came to pass as he completed offering the whole burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the bodyguards and to the tribunes, In entering, strike them! Let not come forth from them a man! And [⁶struck ⁷them ¹the ²bodyguards ³and ⁴the ⁵tribunes] by the mouth of the broadsword; and they tossed the bodies, and went unto the city of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought forth the monument of Baal, and burnt it. 27 And they tore down the monuments of Baal, and they demolished his house. And the house of Baal they established for a bathhouse until this day. 28 And Jehu removed Baal from Israel. 29 Except from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin [²did not ³abstain ¹Jehu] from following after them -- the heifers of gold in Bethel and in Dan. 30 And the lord said to Jehu, Because you did good to do the upright thing in my eyes, and you did according to all the things in my heart to the house of Ahab, sons unto the fourth generation shall sit down for you upon the throne of Israel. 31 And Jehu did not guard to go in the law of the lord God of Israel with [²entire ³heart ¹his]. He did not abstain from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. 32 In those days the lord began to cut down in Israel. And [²struck ³them ¹Hazael] in every border of Israel; 33 from the Jordan according to the rising of the sun -- all the land of Gilead of the Gadites, and of Reuben, and of Manasseh -- from Aroer, which is upon the edge of the rushing stream Arnon, and Gilead and Bashan. 34 And the rest of the words of Jehu, and all as much as he did, and all his dominations, and the associations which he joined, behold are not these written upon the scroll of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they entombed him in Samaria, and [³reigned ¹Jehoahaz ²his son] instead of him. 36 And the days which Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.