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Jehu Anointed King over Israel

Now Elisha the prophet called one of (A)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “(B)Gird up your loins, and (C)take this flask of oil in your hand and go to (D)Ramoth-gilead. And you will come there and look there for (E)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi. And you will come in and [a](F)bid him arise from among his brothers. And you will cause him to come in to an inner room. Then you will take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “(G)I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

So (H)the young man—the young man of the prophet—went to Ramoth-gilead. Then he came, and behold, the commanders of the military were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “[b]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O commander.” And he arose and came into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘(I)I have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, even over Israel. And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, (J)that I may avenge (K)the blood of My slaves the prophets, and the blood of all the slaves of Yahweh, (L)at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and (M)I will cut off from Ahab (N)every [c]male person (O)both bond and free in Israel. (P)And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and (Q)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 (R)And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the [d]property of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

11 Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “(S)Is all well? Why did this (T)mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his talk.” 12 And they said, “It is a lie, declare it to us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” 13 Then (U)they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and (V)blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:2 Lit cause him to
  2. 2 Kings 9:5 Lit To whom of us all?
  3. 2 Kings 9:8 Lit him who urinates against the wall, cf. 1 Sam 25:22, 34; 1 Kin 14:10, 21:21; 2 Kin 9:8
  4. 2 Kings 9:10 Lit portion

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

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. 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, 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!”

So the young man, who was an attendant to the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 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.

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. 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] The entire household of Ahab will die, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person in Israel, whether imprisoned or surviving.[h] 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!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:1 The Heb. lacks members of the
  2. 2 Kings 9:1 Lit. Tie up your garments
  3. 2 Kings 9:2 The Heb. lacks When you do
  4. 2 Kings 9:6 Lit. he
  5. 2 Kings 9:6 Lit. and he
  6. 2 Kings 9:7 The Heb. lacks that has been spilled
  7. 2 Kings 9:7 Lit. hand
  8. 2 Kings 9:8 Or whether in servitude or left behind
  9. 2 Kings 9:13 Or him on the uncovered ascent; i.e. on the roof of the building

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company(A) of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt,(B) take this flask of olive oil(C) with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.(D) When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil(E) on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Jehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil(F) on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge(G) the blood of my servants(H) the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.(I) The whole house(J) of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male(K) in Israel—slave or free.[a] I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam(L) son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha(M) son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs(N) will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.

11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac(O) come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.

12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread(P) them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet(Q) and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:8 Or Israel—every ruler or leader