2 Kings 10:1-11

21st Century King James Version

10 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who brought up Ahab’s children, saying,

² “Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, since your master’s sons are with you and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also and armor,

³ choose even out the best and most suitable of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, two kings stood not before him. How then shall we stand?”

⁵ And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the guardians of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are thy servants and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king. Do thou that which is good in thine eyes.”

⁶ Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, “If ye be for me, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel by tomorrow this time.” Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

⁷ And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent him them at Jezreel.

⁸ And there came a messenger and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.”

⁹ And it came to pass in the morning that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “Ye are righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master and slew him, but who slew all these?

¹⁰ Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord hath done that which He spoke by His servant Elijah.”

¹¹ So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his kinsfolk and his priests, until he left him none remaining.