Jehu Purges the Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all of the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will worship him greatly. ¹⁹ So then, summon to me all of the prophets of Baal and all of his servants and his priests; no man should fail to come, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come shall not live!” Now Jehu was acting with cunning in order to destroy the servants of Baal. ²⁰ Then Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal!” So they proclaimed it. ²¹ Jehu sent word through all of Israel, and all of the servants of Baal came; there did not remain a man who did not come. They came to the house of Baal so that the house of Baal was filled from wall to wall.^{[a] 22} He said to the one who was over the wardrobe, “Bring out clothing for all of the servants of Baal.” So he brought the clothing out for them. ²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Recab came to the temple of Baal, and he said to the servants of Baal, “Search and see that there is none of the servants of Yahweh here with you; only those who serve Baal.” ²⁴ They came to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he said, “The man who lets anyone escape from the men who I am entrusting to you,^[b] he will pay with his life!”^[c]

²⁵ It happened that when he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the royal guard and to the officers, “Come and kill them; let no man go free!” So they put them to the sword,^[d] and the royal guard and the officers threw them out, then they went up to the citadel of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the stone pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them.^{[e] 27} So they broke down the stone pillars of Baal and destroyed the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine until this day. ²⁸ So Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.