2 Kings 9:1-13

International Standard Version

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 Elisha called one of the members of the^[a] Guild of Prophets and told him, “Get ready to run,^[b] take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. ² As soon as you get there, go find Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu, the grandson of Nimshi. When you do,^[c] go in, tell him to get up and go apart with you away from his brothers. Lead him into a private chamber, ³ take the flask of oil, and pour it out on his head. Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m anointing you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and leave. Don’t linger there!”

⁴ So the young man, who was an attendant to the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, the army commanders were seated, so he said, “I have a message for you, captain!”

Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”

“For you, captain!” he answered.

⁶ So Jehu^[d] got up and went inside the house, and the young man^[e] told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord—that is, over Israel. ⁷ You are to attack the household of your master Ahab, so I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, as well as the blood of all of the servants of the Lord that has been spilled^[f] at Jezebel’s orders.^{[g] 8} The entire household of Ahab will die, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person in Israel, whether imprisoned or surviving.^{[h] 9} I will make the household of Ahab like the household of Nebat’s son Jeroboam and the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha. ¹⁰ Furthermore, the dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel. There will be no burial for her.’” Then he opened the door and left.

¹¹ As Jehu was coming out to his master’s attendants, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac visit you?”

“You know the man and how he speculates,” Jehu replied.

¹² “That’s a lie!” they said. “Tell us what’s going on!”

“He said ‘This and that’ to me,” he responded. “‘This is what the Lord says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’”

¹³ At this, each man quickly grabbed his own garment, placed it under him at the top of the stairs,^[i] sounded a trumpet, and announced, “Jehu is king!”