2Kings 10

Jehu Kills Ahab’s Family

10Ahab had seventy sons living in the city of Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the elders and officials of the city

, and to the guardians of King Ahab's sons. He said,H256H7657H1121H8111H3058H3789H5612H7971H8111H8269H3157H2205H539H256H5592"The king's sons are with you, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons. As soon as you receive this letter,H5612H935H113H1121H7393H5483H4013H5892H54023select the best qualified of your master's sons to be your king, and prepare to fight for Ahab's dynasty."H7200H2896H3477H113H1121H7760H1H3678H3898H113H10044But they were paralyzed with fear and said, "We've seen that two kings couldn't stand against this man! What can we do?"H3966H3966H3372H559H8147H4428H5975H6440H59755So the palace and city administrators, together with the elders and the guardians of the king's sons, sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants and will do anything you tell us. We will not make anyone king; do whatever you think is best."H1004H5892H2205H539H7971H3058H559H5650H6213H559H376H4427H6213H2896H58696Jehu responded with a second letter: "If you are on my side and are going to obey me, bring the heads of your master's sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." Now the seventy sons of the king were being cared for by the leaders of Samaria, where they had been raised since childhood.H3789H5612H8145H559H8085H6963H3947H7218H582H113H1121H935H3157H4279H6256H4428H1121H7657H376H1419H5892H14317When the letter arrived, the leaders killed all seventy of the king's sons. They placed their heads in baskets and presented them to Jehu at Jezreel.H5612H935H3947H4428H1121H7819H7657H376H7760H7218H1731H7971H31578A messenger went to Jehu and said, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." So Jehu ordered, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate, and leave them there until morning."H935H4397H5046H559H935H7218H4428H1121H559H7760H8147H6652H6607H8179H12429In the morning he went out and spoke to the crowd that had gathered around them. "You are not to blame," he told them. "I am the one who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?H1242H3318H5975H559H5971H6662H7194H113H2026H522110You can be sure that the message of the LORD that was spoken concerning Ahab's family will not fail. The LORD declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen."H3045H645H5307H776H1697H3068H3068H1696H1004H256H3068H6213H1696H3027H5650H45211Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab's relatives living in Jezreel and all his important officials, his personal friends, and his priests. So Ahab was left without a single survivor.H3058H5221H7604H1004H256H3157H1419H3045H3548H7604H830012Then Jehu set out for Samaria. Along the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,H6965H935H3212H8111H7462H1004H1044H187013he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. "Who are you?" he asked them. And they replied, "We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to visit the sons of King Ahab and the sons of the queen mother."H3058H4672H251H274H4428H3063H559H559H251H274H3381H7965H1121H4428H1121H137714"Take them alive!" Jehu shouted to his men. And they captured all forty-two of them and killed them at the well of Beth-eked. None of them escaped.H559H8610H2416H8610H2416H7819H953H1044H8147H705H376H7604H37615When Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab son of Recab, who was coming to meet him. After they had greeted each other, Jehu said to him, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?" "Yes, I am," Jehonadab replied. "If you are," Jehu said, "then give me your hand." So Jehonadab put out his hand, and Jehu helped him into the chariot.H3212H4672H3082H1121H7394H7125H1288H559H3426H3824H3477H3824H3824H3082H559H3426H5414H3027H5414H3027H5927H481816Then Jehu said, "Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the LORD." So Jehonadab rode along with him.H559H3212H7200H7068H3068H7392H739317When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed everyone who was left there from Ahab's family, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah.H935H8111H5221H7604H256H8111H8045H1697H3068H1696H452

Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

18Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the city and said to them, "Ahab's worship of Baal was nothing compared to the way I will worship him!H3058H6908H5971H6908H559H256H5647H1168H4592H3058H5647H723519Therefore, summon all the prophets and worshipers of Baal, and call together all his priests. See to it that every one of them comes, for I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who fails to come will be put to death." But Jehu's cunning plan was to destroy all the worshipers of Baal.H7121H5030H1168H5647H3548H376H6485H1419H2077H1168H6485H2421H3058H6213H6122H6H5647H116820Then Jehu ordered, "Prepare a solemn assembly to worship Baal!" So they did.H3058H559H6942H6116H1168H712121He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning those who worshiped Baal. They all came—not a single one remained behind—and they filled the temple of Baal from one end to the other.H3058H7971H3478H5647H1168H935H376H7604H935H935H1004H1168H1004H1168H4390H6310H631022And Jehu instructed the keeper of the wardrobe, "Be sure that every worshiper of Baal wears one of these robes." So robes were given to them.H559H4458H3318H3830H5647H1168H3318H440323Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Recab. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, "Make sure no one who worships the LORD is here—only those who worship Baal."H3058H935H3082H1121H7394H1004H1168H559H5647H1168H2664H7200H3426H5650H3068H5647H116824So they were all inside the temple to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the building and had warned them, "If you let anyone escape, you will pay for it with your own life."H935H6213H2077H5930H3058H7760H8084H376H2351H559H376H582H935H3027H4422H5315H531525As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, "Go in and kill all of them. Don't let a single one escape!" So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside

. Then Jehu's men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal.H3615H6213H5930H3058H559H7323H7991H935H5221H376H3318H5221H6310H2719H7323H7991H7993H3212H5892H1004H116826They dragged out the sacred pillar

used in the worship of Baal and burned it.H3318H4676H1004H1168H831327They smashed the sacred pillar and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet, as it remains to this day.H5422H4676H1168H5422H1004H1168H7760H4163H4280H311728In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel.H3058H8045H1168H347829He did not, however, destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan, with which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin.H2399H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398H3058H5493H310H2091H5695H1008H183530Nonetheless the LORD said to Jehu, "You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation."H3068H559H3058H2895H6213H3477H5869H6213H1004H256H3824H1121H7243H3427H3678H347831But Jehu did not obey the Law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.H3058H8104H3212H8451H3068H430H3478H3824H5493H2403H3379H3478H2398

The Death of Jehu

32At about that time the LORD began to cut down the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael conquered several sections of the countryH3117H3068H2490H7096H3478H7096H2371H5221H1366H347833east of the Jordan River, including all of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. He conquered the area from the town of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge to as far north as Gilead and Bashan.H3383H4217H8121H776H1568H1425H7206H4520H6177H5158H769H1568H131634The rest of the events in Jehu's reign—everything he did and all his achievements—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H3058H6213H1369H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H347835When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoahaz became the next king.H3058H7901H1H6912H8111H3059H1121H442736In all, Jehu reigned over Israel from Samaria for twenty-eight years.H3117H3058H4427H3478H8111H6242H8083H8141