2 Kings 10:1-10

Jehu Slaughters Ahab’s Descendants

1Now Ahab had seventy sons in aSamaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city,
Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew  rulers of Jezreel
to the elders, and to cthe guardians of the sons
Hebrew lacks  of the sons
of Ahab, saying,
2Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, 3select the best and fittest of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne and fight for your master’s house.” 4But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” 5So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, e“We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.” 6Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, fwho were bringing them up. 7And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons gand slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” 9Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. hIt was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? 10Know then that there shall ifall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done jwhat he said by his servant Elijah.”
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