Beginning

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, “Prepare yourself. Take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. ² When you get there, look for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in and make him rise from among his brothers, and bring him into an inner chamber. ³ Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee. Do not wait.”

⁴ So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, Commander.”

Jehu said, “Which one of us?”

And he said, “For you, Commander.”

⁶ So he arose, went into the house, poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: I am anointing you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ You will strike the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord from the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both imprisoned and free. ⁹ I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ Dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ When Jehu had returned to his master’s servants, one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?”

And he said to them, “You know this man and his babble.”

¹² They said, “A lie! Tell us.”

Then he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: I am anointing you king over Israel.’ ”

¹³ Then they hurried. Each took his clothes, put them under him on the bare stairs, and blew a horn, saying, “Jehu is king.”

Joram of Israel Killed^(A)

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Joram had been guarding Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Aram. ¹⁵ But King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel from the wounds with which the Arameans had stricken him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this be your minds, let no fugitive exit the city to go tell Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ A watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he was coming and said, “I see a company.”

And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’ ”

¹⁸ So the horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’ ”

But Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Circle in behind me.”

So the watchman reported, “The messenger came to them, but he is not returning.”

¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’ ”

Again, Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Circle in behind me.”

²⁰ The watchman reported, “He came to them, but he is not returning. The driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

²¹ Then Joram said, “Hitch my chariot.” So his chariot was hitched, and Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot. They went out to meet Jehu and found him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When Joram saw Jehu he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?”

And he said, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are so many?”

²³ Then Joram turned the reins, fled, and said to Ahaziah, “There is treachery, Ahaziah.”

²⁴ Jehu drew a bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his shoulder blades. The arrow went out at his heart, and he kneeled down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Lift him up and throw him on the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father and the Lord pronounced this oracle about him: ²⁶ ‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and his sons, declares the Lord, and I will pay you back on this property, declares the Lord.’ Now lift him up and throw him onto the property, according to the word of the Lord.”

Ahaziah of Judah Killed

²⁷ But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled on the path to the garden house. Jehu chased after him and said, “Shoot him too.” So they shot him on the ascent to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo 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, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

Jezebel Executed

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She put black paint on her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down through the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?”

³² And he lifted up his face toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked down to him. ³³ He said, “Drop her down.” So they dropped her down and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses. Then he trampled her.

³⁴ Then he entered, ate and drank, and said, “Attend to that cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ So they went to bury her, but they found nothing of her except a skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ They returned and told Jehu, and he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the property of Jezreel dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel. ³⁷ The corpse of Jezebel will be like dung in the field on the property of Jezreel, so that they cannot say, This is Jezebel.’ ”

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the captains of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying, ² “Now as soon as this letter comes to you—since you are with your master’s sons, chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons— ³ select the best and most fitting of your master’s sons, put him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴ But they were extremely afraid and said, “Two kings could not stand before him. How can we stand?”

⁵ So he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and everything you say to us we will do. We will not appoint a man king. Do what is good in your eyes.”

⁶ Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying, “If you belong to me and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel at this time tomorrow.”

Now the king’s sons, seventy men, were with the great men of the city who brought them up. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons, slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him in Jezreel. ⁸ So the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.”

Then he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entry of the gate until morning.”

⁹ When morning came, he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck all these? ¹⁰ Know then that the words of the Lord which He spoke about the house of Ahab will not fall to the ground. The Lord has done that which He spoke by His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu struck all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel and all his great men, his confidants, and his priests, until he left him no survivor.

Ahaziah’s Forty-Two Brothers Killed

¹² Then he got up and went to Samaria. When he was at Beth Eked of the Shepherds on the way, ¹³ Jehu found the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?”

And they said, “We are brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down to visit the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

¹⁴ He said, “Capture them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth Eked, forty-two men. Not a man of them remained.

¹⁵ Then he left there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab coming to meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right with me, as my heart is with yours?”

And Jehonadab said, “It is.”

“If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ He said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he made him ride in his chariot.

¹⁷ Then he came to Samaria and struck all that remained to Ahab in Samaria until he exterminated them, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Worshippers of Baal Killed

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ Now call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests. Let none go unaccounted for, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal. All who are not accounted for will not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

²⁰ Jehu said, “Sanctify a festive assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. ²¹ Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the worshippers of Baal came. Not a man remained who did not come. They came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was full from one end to the other. ²² He said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshippers of Baal.” So he brought them garments.

²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rekab went into the house of Baal and said to the worshippers of Baal, “Search and see that there are no worshippers of the Lord here with you and only worshippers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, but Jehu put eighty men outside and said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, the one who lets him go will die in his place.”

²⁵ As soon as he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and the officers, “Go in. Kill them. No one comes out.” So they struck them with the edge of the sword. The guards and the officers threw them out and went to the city of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the sacred pillar from the house of Baal and burned it. ²⁷ They broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the house of Baal and made it a latrine to this day.

²⁸ So Jehu exterminated Baal from Israel. ²⁹ But from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, Jehu did not turn aside (that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan).

³⁰ And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well by doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin.

The Death of Jehu

³² In those days the Lord began to trim off parts of Israel, and Hazael struck them in all the territory of Israel: ³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, the Manassites from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehu, all he did and all his power, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

³⁵ So Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ The days that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria were twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah^(B)

11 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed all the royal descendants. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash^[a] the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ³ He was with her, hidden in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Anointed King of Judah

⁴ But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent word and took the captains of hundreds from the Carites and the guards and brought them to him in the house of the Lord. He made a covenant with them, put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and then showed them the king’s son. ⁵ He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: One-third of your unit, those who come on duty on the Sabbath, will guard the king’s house. ⁶ One-third will be at the gate of Sur, and one-third will be at the gate behind the guards. You will take turns guarding the house. ⁷ Two of your companies from all who go out on the Sabbath will keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king. ⁸ You will encircle the king, each man with his weapons in his hand, and the one that comes within the ranks must be killed. They must be with the king when he goes out and comes in.”

⁹ The captains of hundreds did according to everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each took his men, those who came on duty on the Sabbath, with those that went off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ And the priest gave to the captains of hundreds spears and shields which belonged to King David that were in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ The guards stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, along the altar and the house, surrounding the king.

¹² Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. They made him king and anointed him. Then they clapped their hands and said, “Live, O king!”

The Death of Athaliah

¹³ Then Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and the people, so she came to the people in the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ Then she looked, and the king was standing by a pillar according to custom, the captains and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Conspiracy, conspiracy!”

¹⁵ But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, those appointed over the forces, “Bring her out of the house to the ranks, and kill with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Let her not be killed in the house of the Lord.” ¹⁶ So they laid hands on her, and she came through the horses’ entrance into the king’s house. Then she was put to death there.

¹⁷ Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the people of the Lord, and also between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Then all the people of the land entered the house of Baal and broke down its altars. His images they thoroughly broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

The priest put appointees over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ He took the captains of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land. Then they brought down the king from the house of the Lord and marched through the gate of the guards to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. They had killed Athaliah with the sword at the king’s house.

²¹ Jehoash^[b] was seven years old when he became king.