2 Kings 9:1-13

Evangelical Heritage Version

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 Then Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets and told him, “Hike up your garments for travel,^[a] and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. ² When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in and have him excuse himself from his associates^[b] and bring him into an inner room. ³ Take the flask of oil, pour it out on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says. I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee. Do not delay!”

⁴ So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ When he got there, he found the commanders of the army sitting together.

He said, “I have a message for you, commander.”

Then Jehu said, “For which of us?”

He answered, “For you, commander.”

⁶ So Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the servant poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. ⁷ You will strike down the house of your master Ahab, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord that was shed by Jezebel. ⁸ The whole house of Ahab will perish. In Israel I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against the wall,^[c] both bound and free.^{[d] 9} I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Ba’asha son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ The dogs will eat Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezre’el, and no one will bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ Then Jehu went out to the rest of the king’s officers. They said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?”

He said to them, “You know the man and how he talks.”

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

So he said, “He told me this and that, and then he said, ‘This is what the Lord says. I anoint you king over Israel.’”

¹³ Each man quickly took his cloak. Then they placed them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and said, “Jehu is king!”