Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed
1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’ssons,saying:
2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sonsarewith you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,
3 choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, sethimon his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look,two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?”
5 And he whowasin charge of the house, and he whowasin charge of the city, the elders also, and those who rearedthesons,sent to Jehu, saying, “Weareyour servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Dowhatisgood in your sight.”
6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:
If youarefor me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.
Now the king’s sons, seventy persons,werewith the great men of the city,whowere rearing them.
7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons andslaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sentthemto him at Jezreel.
8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.”
And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “Youarerighteous. IndeedI conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these?
10 Know now that nothing shallfall to the earth of the word of theLordwhich theLordspoke concerning the house of Ahab; for theLordhas done what He spokeby His servant Elijah.”
11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Ahaziah’s Forty-two Brothers Killed
12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds,
13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Whoareyou?”
So they answered, “Wearethe brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”
14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, andkilled them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
The Rest of Ahab’s Family Killed
15 Now when he departed from there, he metJehonadab the son ofRechab,comingto meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heartistoward your heart?”
And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”
# Jehusaid,“If it is,givemeyour hand.” So he gavehimhis hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see myzeal for theLord.” So they had him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria,he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of theLordwhich He spoke to Elijah.
Worshipers of Baal Killed
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them,“Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much.
19 Now therefore, call to me all theprophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimedit.
21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and thetemple of Baal was full from one end to the other.
22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them.
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of theLordare here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “Ifany of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes,whoeverletshimescape, it shall behis life for the life of the other.”
25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go inandkill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threwthemout, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
26 And they brought thesacredpillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.
27 Then they broke down thesacredpillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal andmade it a refuse dump to this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.
29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin,thatis,fromthe golden calves thatwereat Bethel and Dan.
30 And theLordsaid to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doingwhatisright in My sight,andhave done to the house of Ahab all thatwasin My heart,your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourthgeneration.”
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of theLordGod of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart fromthe sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
Death of Jehu
32 In those days theLordbegan to cut offpartsof Israel; andHazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel
33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—fromAroer, whichisby the River Arnon, includingGilead and Bashan.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. ThenJehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samariawastwenty-eight years.