2 Kings 9
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Anointing of Jehu
9 Then Eli′sha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ra′moth-gil′ead. 2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehosh′aphat, son of Nimshi; and go in and bid him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not tarry.”
4 So the young man, the prophet,[a] went to Ra′moth-gil′ead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council; and he said, “I have an errand to you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” 6 So he arose, and went into the house; and the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge on Jez′ebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jerobo′am the son of Nebat, and like the house of Ba′asha the son of Ahi′jah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jez′ebel in the territory of Jezre′el, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door, and fled.
11 When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” 12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment, and put it under him on the bare[b] steps, and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
Joram of Israel Killed
14 Thus Jehu the son of Jehosh′aphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ra′moth-gil′ead against Haz′ael king of Syria; 15 but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezre′el of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Haz′ael king of Syria.) So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezre′el.” 16 Then Jehu mounted his chariot, and went to Jezre′el, for Joram lay there. And Ahazi′ah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezre′el, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” 18 So a man on horseback went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn round and ride behind me.” And the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” 19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them, and said, “Thus the king has said, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn round and ride behind me.” 20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he drives furiously.”
21 Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahazi′ah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezre′elite. 22 And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the harlotries and the sorceries of your mother Jez′ebel are so many?” 23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahazi′ah, “Treachery, O Ahazi′ah!” 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.[c] 25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up, and cast him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezre′elite; for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord uttered this oracle against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—says the Lord—I will requite you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and cast him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”
Ahaziah of Judah Killed
27 When Ahazi′ah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him also”; and they shot him[d] in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megid′do, and died there. 28 His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahazi′ah began to reign over Judah.
Jezebel’s Violent Death
30 When Jehu came to Jezre′el, Jez′ebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down; and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34 Then he went in and ate and drank; and he said, “See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Eli′jah the Tishbite, ‘In the territory of Jezre′el the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jez′ebel; 37 and the corpse of Jez′ebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the territory of Jezre′el, so that no one can say, This is Jez′ebel.’”
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 9:4 Gk Syr: Heb the young man, the young man, the prophet
- 2 Kings 9:13 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- 9.24 So was the sin of Ahab visited upon his son, according to the word of the Lord, cf. 1 Kings 21.29.
- 2 Kings 9:27 Syr Vg Compare Gk: Heb lacks and they shot him
Hosea 11-14
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude
11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I[a] called them,
the more they went from me;[b]
they kept sacrificing to the Ba′als,
and burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught E′phraim to walk,
I took them up in my[c] arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of compassion,[d]
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one
who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them in their fortresses.[e]
7 My people are bent on turning away from me;[f]
so they are appointed to the yoke,
and none shall remove it.
8 How can I give you up, O E′phraim!
How can I hand you over, O Israel!
How can I make you like Admah!
How can I treat you like Zeboi′im!
My heart recoils within me,
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not again destroy E′phraim;
for I am God and not man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come to destroy.[g]
10 They shall go after the Lord,
he will roar like a lion;
yea, he will roar,
and his sons shall come trembling from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.
12 [h] E′phraim has encompassed me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit;
but Judah is still known by[i] God,
and is faithful to the Holy One.
12 E′phraim herds the wind,
and pursues the east wind all day long;
they multiply falsehood and violence;
they make a bargain with Assyria,
and oil is carried to Egypt.
The Long History of Rebellion
2 The Lord has an indictment against Judah,
and will punish Jacob according to his ways,
and requite him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed,
he wept and sought his favor.
He met God at Bethel,
and there God spoke with him[j]—
5 the Lord the God of hosts,
the Lord is his name:
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return,
hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
7 A trader, in whose hands are false balances,
he loves to oppress.
8 E′phraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich,
I have gained wealth for myself”;
but all his riches can never offset[k]
the guilt he has incurred.
9 I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you dwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.
10 I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied visions,
and through the prophets gave parables.
11 If there is iniquity in Gilead
they shall surely come to nought;
if in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
their altars also shall be like stone heaps
on the furrows of the field.
12 (Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
there Israel did service for a wife,
and for a wife he herded sheep.)
13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was preserved.
14 E′phraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him,
and will turn back upon him his reproaches.
Relentless Judgment on Israel
13 When E′phraim spoke, men trembled;
he was exalted in Israel;
but he incurred guilt through Ba′al and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
and make for themselves molten images,
idols skilfully made of their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
Sacrifice to these, they say.[l]
Men kiss calves!
3 Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes early away,
like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or like smoke from a window.
4 I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no saviour.
5 It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
6 but when they had fed[m] to the full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
7 So I will be to them like a lion,
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rend them.
9 I will destroy you, O Israel;
who[n] can help you?
10 Where[o] now is your king, to save you;
where are all[p] your princes,[q] to defend you[r]—
those of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I have given you kings in my anger,
and I have taken them away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of E′phraim is bound up,
his sin is kept in store.
13 The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son;
for now he does not present himself
at the mouth of the womb.
14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from Death?
O Death, where[s] are your plagues?
O Sheol, where[t] is your destruction?
Compassion is hid from my eyes.
15 Though he may flourish as the reed plant,[u]
the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
rising from the wilderness;
and his fountain shall dry up,
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip his treasury
of every precious thing.
16 [v] Samar′ia shall bear her guilt,
because she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword,
their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open.
A Plea for Repentance
14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept that which is good
and we will render
the fruit[w] of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us,
we will not ride upon horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In thee the orphan finds mercy.”
Assurance of Forgiveness
4 I will heal their faithlessness;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
5 I will be as the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom as the lily,
he shall strike root as the poplar;[x]
6 his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 They shall return and dwell beneath my[y] shadow,
they shall flourish as a garden;[z]
they shall blossom as the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 O E′phraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.[aa]
I am like an evergreen cypress,
from me comes your fruit.
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:2 Gk: Heb they
- Hosea 11:2 Gk: Heb them
- Hosea 11:3 Gk Syr Vg: Heb his
- Hosea 11:4 Heb man
- Hosea 11:6 Cn: Heb counsels
- Hosea 11:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Hosea 11:9 Cn: Heb into the city
- Hosea 11:12 Ch 12.1 in Heb
- Hosea 11:12 Cn Compare Gk: Heb roams with
- Hosea 12:4 Gk Syr: Heb us
- Hosea 12:8 Cn Compare Gk: Heb obscure
- Hosea 13:2 Gk:Heb to these they say sacrifices of
- Hosea 13:6 Cn: Heb according to their pasture
- Hosea 13:9 Gk Syr: Heb for in me
- Hosea 13:10 Gk Syr Vg: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:10 Cn: Heb in all
- Hosea 13:10 Cn: Heb cities
- Hosea 13:10 Cn Compare Gk: Heb and your judges
- Hosea 13:14 Gk Syr: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:14 Gk Syr: Heb I will be
- Hosea 13:15 Cn: Heb among brothers
- Hosea 13:16 Ch 14.1 in Heb
- Hosea 14:2 Gk Syr: Heb bulls
- Hosea 14:5 Cn: Heb Lebanon
- Hosea 14:7 Heb his
- Hosea 14:7 Cn: Heb they shall grow grain
- Hosea 14:8 Heb him
Psalm 109
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
109 Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They beset me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
even as I make prayer for them.[a]
5 So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser bring him to trial.[b]
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his days be few;
may another seize his goods!
9 May his children be fatherless,
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children wander about and beg;
may they be driven out of[c] the ruins they inhabit!
11 May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
15 Let them be before the Lord continually;
and may his[d] memory be cut off from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted to their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him!
He did not like blessing; may it be far from him!
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat,
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment which he wraps round him,
like a belt with which he daily girds himself!
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But thou, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf for thy name’s sake;
because thy steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone, like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they wag their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to thy steadfast love!
27 Let them know that this is thy hand;
thou, O Lord, hast done it!
28 Let them curse, but do thou bless!
Let my assailants be put to shame;[e] may thy servant be glad!
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save him from those who condemn him to death.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:4 Syr: Heb I prayer
- Psalm 109:6 Heb stand at his right hand
- Psalm 109:10 Gk: Heb and seek
- Psalm 109:15 Gk: Heb their
- Psalm 109:28 Gk: Heb they have arisen and have been put to shame
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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