Jehu Executes the Prophets of Baal

¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all the people and announced to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot! ¹⁹ Therefore summon all of Baal’s prophets to me, including all his worshipers and all his priests. Don’t leave even one out, because I’ve prepared a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever doesn’t show up doesn’t live!” But Jehu did this deceptively, intending to destroy Baal’s worshippers. ²⁰ Jehu ordered, “Set aside a solemn assembly for Baal!”

And so they proclaimed it. ²¹ Jehu sent the proclamation^[a] throughout Israel, and all the Baal worshipers came. There wasn’t a single man left who failed to come. When they entered Baal’s temple, it was filled from one end to the other. ²² Then Jehu^[b] ordered the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all of the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.

²³ Jehu and Rechab’s son Jehonadab entered Baal’s temple, and Jehu told the Baal worshipers, “Look around and be sure that no servant of the Lord is here among you, but only worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Meanwhile, Jehu had stationed 80 men outside, ordering them, “If any of these men whom I’ve brought into your control escape, the one who allows it will forfeit his life.”

²⁵ As soon as he had completed the burnt offering, Jehu ordered the guards and the officers, “Go in and execute them. Don’t let even one man escape.” So they executed them with swords, and the guards and the officers threw the bodies out and proceeded into the inner room of Baal’s temple, ²⁶ from which they brought out the sacred pillars and burned them. ²⁷ They also cut down the pillar to Baal, tore apart Baal’s temple, and turned it into a latrine—and it remains that way today. ²⁸ That’s how Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel.