Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^(A)Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ Now, ^(B)summon all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers 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 did it in ^[a]cunning, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ And Jehu said, “^(C)Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^(D)they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent ^[b]throughout Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And when they went into ^(E)the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²² He said to the one who was ^[c]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. ²³ Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^(F)The one who permits any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape ^[d]shall give up his life in exchange.”

²⁵ Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^[e](G)guard and to the royal officers, “^(H)Go in, ^[f]kill them; let none come out.” And they ^[g]killed them with the edge of the sword; and the ^[h]guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the ^[i]inner room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the sacred ^(I)pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and ^(J)made it a latrine to this day.

²⁸ Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.