²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; ^(A)but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

^9 (A)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise ^(B)as some count slowness, but ^(C)is patient toward you,^{[a] (D)}not wishing that any should perish, but ^(E)that all should reach repentance.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

²⁵ Jehu said to Bidkar ^(A)his aide, “Take him up and throw him ^(B)on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how ^(C)the Lord made this ^(D)pronouncement against him: ²⁶ ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

³³ He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. ³⁴ Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, ^(A)for she is a king's daughter.” ³⁵ But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ^(B)‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, ³⁷ and the corpse of Jezebel shall be ^(C)as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”

Jehu Slaughters Ahab's Descendants

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^(D)Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city,^[a] to the elders, and to ^(E)the guardians of the sons^[b] of Ahab, saying, ² “Now 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, ³ select the best and fittest 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, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” ⁵ So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, ^(F)“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.” ⁶ Then 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, ^(G)who were bringing them up. ⁷ And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king's sons ^(H)and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

Why Will You Die, Israel?

¹⁰ “And you, ^(A)son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and ^(B)we rot away because of them. ^(C)How then can we live?’ ¹¹ Say to them, ^(D)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(E)I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; ^(F)turn back, turn back from your evil ways, ^(G)for why will you die, O house of Israel?