Bible in 90 Days

Elisha Makes a Poison Meal Safe

³⁸ Then Elisha returned to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting with him, and he said to his servant, “Put the large cooking pot on the fire, and cook some stew for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹ One of the men went out to the field to gather plants. He found a wild vine and picked some gourds from it. He filled his garment with them. Then he came in and cut them into pieces for the pot of stew. They did not know what they were, ⁴⁰ but they served it to the men to eat. While they were eating the stew, they cried out, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” So they could not eat it.

⁴¹ But he said, “Take some flour and throw it into the pot.” Then he said, “Serve it to the people.” They ate, and there was nothing harmful in the pot.

A Miraculous Meal

⁴² A man came from Baal Shalishah and brought the man of God some bread from the first ripe grain, twenty loaves of barley bread, and some new grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Set it before the people so that they can eat.”

⁴³ His attendant said, “How can I set this before one hundred men?” But he said, “Set it before the people so that they may eat, for this is what the Lord says: They will eat and have some left over.” So he set it before them. They ate, and they had some left over, just as the Lord had said.

Elisha Cures Na’aman’s Leprosy

5 Na’aman,^[a] the commander of the king of Aram’s army, was a great man in the opinion of his master. He was highly honored because the Lord had provided victory for Aram through him. Although he was a powerful warrior, he had leprosy.^[b]

² Raiding parties had once gone out from Aram and brought back a young girl. She served Na’aman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “I wish my master stood before the prophet who is in Samaria, because he would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ So Na’aman went and told his master what the servant girl from the land of Israel had said.

⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go there. I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Na’aman went, and he took ten talents^[c] of silver and six thousand shekels^[d] of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ Then he took the letter to the king of Israel. The letter said, “Now, when you receive this letter, you will know that I am sending my officer Na’aman to you so that you can cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothing and said, “Am I God that I can kill and make alive? Why is he sending a man to me for me to heal him from his leprosy? See how he is looking for a pretext to fight against me.”

⁸ But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ So Na’aman went with his horses and chariots and stopped in front of the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ But Elisha sent a messenger out to him to say, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan. Then your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.”

¹¹ But Na’aman was angry and he left, saying, “Look, I said to myself, ‘He will certainly come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place, and I will be cured of the leprosy!’ ¹² Aren’t the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a burning rage.

¹³ But his servants approached and spoke to him. They said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not do it? How much more when he says to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

¹⁴ So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean. ¹⁵ Then he and his whole escort went back to the man of God. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not take anything.” Even though Na’aman urged him to accept something, he refused.

¹⁷ Then Na’aman said, “If you do not want anything, please give me, your servant, as much dirt as two donkeys can carry, for your servant will never again burn incense or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there and he supports himself on my arm, then I too have to bow down in the house of Rimmon. When I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing.”

¹⁹ Then Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”

Gehazi’s Sin

When Na’aman had gone some distance from him, ²⁰ Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My master was too easy on this Aramean, Na’aman, when he did not accept anything that he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

²¹ So Gehazi chased after Na’aman. When Na’aman saw him running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him. He said, “Is everything all right?”

²² Then Gehazi said, “Yes, everything is all right. My master sent me to say, ‘Look, just now two young men from the hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets, have come to me. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.”

²³ Na’aman said, “Certainly! Take two talents!” He urged Gehazi and tied up the two talents^[e] of silver in two bags with the two sets of clothing. Then Na’aman gave them to his two servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When he came to the hill, he took the gifts from them. Then he hid them in the house and sent the men back, so they left. ²⁵ Then he went in and attended his master.

Elisha said to him, “Where were you, Gehazi?”

Gehazi said, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”

²⁶ Then Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my heart go along when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take silver, or to accept clothing or olive groves or vineyards or sheep or cattle or male and female servants? ²⁷ Na’aman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went out from his presence, leprous like snow.

An Ax Floats

6 The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we are living with you is too cramped for us. ² Let’s go to the Jordan, and every one of us will get a wooden beam from there so we can build a place there for us to live.”

He said, “Go ahead.”

³ Then one of them said, “Won’t you also please come along with your servants?”

He said, “I will come.” ⁴ So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down trees. ⁵ But while one of them was cutting down a tree for a beam, the ax fell into the water.

He cried out, “Oh no, my lord! It was borrowed!”

⁶ But the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” Then he showed him the place. He cut off a piece of wood and threw it into the water, and the ax floated.

⁷ Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

Elisha Guarded by Angels

⁸ Now when the king of Aram was waging war against Israel, he would make plans with his officials, saying, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”

⁹ But the man of God would send a message to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful when you pass this place because the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰ So the king of Israel would send scouts to the place that the man of God had pointed out. So the man of God warned him, and he was kept safe—and not just once or twice.

¹¹ The king of Aram was enraged because of this. He summoned his officials and said to them, “Won’t you tell me who of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹² One of his officials said, “No, my lord the king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words which you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³ Then he said, “Go and see where he is. Then I’ll send men and capture him.”

He was told, “Dothan is where he is.”

¹⁴ So he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They came at night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ When the man of God’s servant got up early and went out, there were soldiers, horses, and chariots surrounding the city. So his attendant said to Elisha, “Oh no, my lord! What will we do?”

¹⁶ He answered, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he can see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire, all around Elisha.

¹⁸ When the Arameans came down, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, just as Elisha had asked.

¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the road, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” So he brought them to Samaria. ²⁰ When they came into Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open their eyes so that they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were right in the middle of Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Shall I strike them down, my father? Shall I strike them down?”

²² He said, “Do not strike them down. Would you strike down a man you captured with your own sword and bow?^[f] Set food and water before them so that they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.” ²³ So he gave a great feast for them. They ate and drank. Then he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiding parties did not come into the land of Israel anymore.

Ben Hadad Lays Siege to Samaria

²⁴ After these things, Ben Hadad king of Aram mobilized his whole army and went up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁵ There was a severe famine in Samaria, because the siege lasted until a donkey head sold for eighty shekels^[g] of silver and a cup of dove’s droppings^[h] for five shekels of silver.

²⁶ When the king of Israel was walking on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

²⁷ But he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” ²⁸ Then the king asked her, “What is the problem?”

She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Come on, give up your son, and we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So we cooked my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son so that we may eat him,’ but she hid her son.”

³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. As he was walking on the wall, the people were surprised to see that he was wearing sackcloth on his body, underneath his clothing.

³¹ Then he said, “May God punish me severely and even double it, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him. But before the messenger came to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see that this murderer has sent this man to cut off my head? When the messenger comes, shut the door and push against it. Isn’t the sound of the feet of his master behind him?”

³³ While he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then the king said, “Indeed this evil is from the Lord. Why should I wait hopefully for the Lord anymore?”

The End of the Siege

7 Then Elisha said, “All of you, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says. At this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, twelve pounds^[i] of fine flour will sell for a shekel and twenty-four pounds of barley for a shekel.”

² Then the officer at the king’s right hand, on whose arm the king was leaning, answered the man of God, “Really? Even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven, could this happen?”

Elisha said, “Listen to me. You yourself will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

³ Now four lepers were at the entrance to the gate. They said to each other, “Why should we sit here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ there is famine in the city and we will die there. But if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, we will die.”

⁵ So they got up at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp of the Arameans, they saw that there was no one there! ⁶ For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of horses and chariots and the sound of a great army. They said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us!” ⁷ Then they arose and fled at twilight. They left their tents, their horses, and their donkeys in the camp just as they were, and they fled for their lives.

⁸ So when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, and they ate and drank. They picked up silver, gold, and clothing and went and hid it. Then they returned and went to another tent. They took some of what was there and went and hid it.

⁹ Then they said to each other, “We should not be doing this. Today is a day of good news, and we are keeping silent. If we wait until daylight, our sin will find us. So come on, let’s go and tell about this at the king’s palace.”

¹⁰ So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the camp of the Arameans, and we looked, but there was no one there! Not even the sound of a man! But the horses and the donkeys are tied there, and the tents are just as they were!”

¹¹ Then the gatekeepers proclaimed the news, and it was reported in the king’s palace. ¹² So the king got up at night and said to his officials, “I’ll tell you what the Arameans are doing to us: They know that we are hungry so they left the camp to hide in the fields, saying, ‘They will certainly come out of the city, and we will capture them alive. Then we’ll get into the city!’”

¹³ But one of his officials answered, “Please let some men take five of the horses that are left in the city—look, they won’t be any worse off than all the rest of the Israelites who are left here—all the other Israelites who are about to die. Let’s send them out, and let’s see.”

¹⁴ So they took two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the army of Aram, saying, “Go and take a look.” ¹⁵ So they followed them to the Jordan. The whole road was full of clothing and equipment that the Arameans threw away while they fled in panic. Then the messengers returned and reported to the king.

¹⁶ Then the people went out and looted the Aramean camp. So twelve pounds of fine flour sold for a shekel and twenty-four pounds of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said. ¹⁷ The king appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said when the king went down to speak to him.

¹⁸ It happened just as the man of God had said to the king: “Twenty-four pounds of barley will be sold for a shekel and twelve pounds of fine flour for a shekel by this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.”

¹⁹ The officer had said to the man of God, “Really? Even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven, could something like this happen?”

The man of God had said, “Listen to me. You yourself will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

²⁰ So all this happened to him just like that: The people trampled him in the gate and he died.

The Widow’s Land Restored

8 Now Elisha said to the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your household, make preparations and leave, and stay in whatever other country you can, for the Lord has decreed a famine that will be in the land for seven years.” ² So the woman got up and did just as the man of God said. She and her household went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. Then she went to appeal to the king to get back her house and her fields.

⁴ The king had told Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.”

⁵ While he was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead boy back to life, the very woman whose son he had brought back to life was coming to appeal to the king about her house and her fields. Then Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life.”

⁶ Then the king asked the woman about it, and she told him. So the king appointed a high official to her case, saying, “Return everything which is hers and all the produce of her fields, from the day she left the land until now.”

Hazael Assassinates Ben Hadad

⁷ Elisha went to Damascus while Ben Hadad the king of Aram was sick. The king was told, “The man of God has come here.”

⁸ So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift and go to meet the man of God. You will inquire of the Lord through him, asking whether I will survive this sickness.”

⁹ Hazael went to meet him. He took a gift of forty camel loads of all the goods of Damascus, and he came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son, Ben Hadad, king of Aram, sent me to you to say, ‘Will I survive this sickness?’”

¹⁰ Then Elisha said to him, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly survive,’ but the Lord has shown me that he will really die.” ¹¹ Then Elisha stared straight at him until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God wept.

¹² Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?”

Then he said, “Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set fire to their fortified cities. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their children to pieces, and you will rip open their pregnant women.”

¹³ Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, a mere dog, that he could do such a great thing?”

Then Elisha said, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

¹⁴ Hazael then left Elisha and went to his master, and the king said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

He said, “He told me that you will certainly survive.”

¹⁵ But the next day, he took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it on the king’s face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram (Joram) Son of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah

¹⁶ In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, the king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,^[j] Jehoram^[k] son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, became king. ¹⁷ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he was king for eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, because the daughter of Ahab was his wife. So he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁹ But for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had said that he would give a lamp to David and to his sons forever.

²⁰ During his days, Edom broke away from the control of Judah and set a king over themselves. ²¹ So Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. At night he rose up and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but his army fled to their tents.^{[l] 22} So Edom has been in revolt against Judah to this day. Libnah also rebelled at the same time.

²³ As for the rest of Joram’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals the Kings of Judah? ²⁴ Joram rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

Ahaziah Son of Jehoram, King of Judah

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled as king in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. ²⁷ He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ He went with Joram son of Ahab to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ So King Joram returned to Jezre’el to recover from the wounds which the Arameans inflicted on him at Ramoth Gilead when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezre’el because he had been wounded.

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,^[m] 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^[n] 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,^[o] both bound and free.^{[p] 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!”

Jehu Seizes the Throne

¹⁴ Then Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram and all Israel had been guarding Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram. ¹⁵ But King Joram^[q] returned to Jezre’el to recover from the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought against Hazael king of Aram.

Then Jehu said, “If you really want me to be king, don’t let any survivors get out of the city to go and report in Jezre’el.”

¹⁶ Then Jehu got in his chariot and went to Jezre’el, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see Joram. ¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezre’el, and he saw Jehu’s troops coming, so the watchman said, “I see a large group coming!”

Then Joram said, “Get a rider and send him to meet them and say, ‘Do you come in peace?’”

¹⁸ So a horseman^[r] went to meet him. He said, “This is what the king says. Do you come in peace?”

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

Then the watchmen said, “The messenger reached him but did not return.”

¹⁹ So he sent a second horseman. He came to them and said, “This is what the king says. Do you come in peace?”

Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

²⁰ Then the watchman said, “He reached them, but he did not return. But the driving is like Jehu son of Nimshi’s driving. He drives like a madman.”

²¹ Then Joram said, “Hitch up a chariot!” Then they hitched up his chariot, and Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They reached him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth from Jezre’el.

²² When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?”

Jehu answered, “What peace can there be as long as so much of your mother Jezebel’s prostitution and witchcraft exists?”

²³ Then Joram turned his chariot around and fled. He said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

²⁴ Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between his shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him onto the plot of land that belonged to Naboth from Jezre’el. Remember that when you and I were riding side by side in chariots behind his father Ahab, the Lord made this pronouncement against him: ²⁶ ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, the Lord declares, I will repay you on this plot of land, the Lord declares.’ So now, pick him up and throw him onto that plot of land according to the word of the Lord.”

²⁷ Ahaziah king of Judah saw this and fled on the road toward Beth Hagan. But Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him too!” They shot him^[s] in his chariot on the way up to Gur, that is Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there. ²⁸ His servants brought him in his chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb with his fathers in the City of David. ²⁹ (It was in the eleventh year of Joram son of King Ahab that Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)

Jehu Kills Jezebel

³⁰ Jehu went to Jezre’el. When Jezebel heard it, she put on eye make-up and arranged her hair. Then she looked down through a window. ³¹ When Jehu came into the gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, the killer of your master?”

³² He looked up to the window and said, “Who is with me? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down to him. ³³ Then he said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her. ³⁴ Then he went inside and ate and drank. Then Jehu said, “See to that cursed woman and bury her, because she was a king’s daughter.”

³⁵ But when they went to bury her, they did not find her, except for her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ So they came back and told him. Then Jehu said, “This is the word of the Lord which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: On the plot of ground at Jezre’el, the dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel. ³⁷ Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure spread on the surface of the field at the plot of ground at Jezre’el, so they won’t be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

Jehu Kills Ahab’s Family

10 Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, so Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, that is, to the officials of Samaria,^[t] the elders, and to the guardians appointed by Ahab, saying, ² “Now, when this letter comes to you, since you have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons, ³ choose the best and most upright of your master’s sons and seat him on his father’s throne and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴ They were terrified and said, “Look, two kings could not stand before him, so how can we?”

⁵ Then the palace administrator, the ruler of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants. We will do everything you tell us. We will not make any man king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.”

⁶ Then Jehu wrote a second letter to them, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at this time tomorrow in Jezre’el.”

Now the king’s seventy sons were with the leaders of the city who were raising them. ⁷ When the letter came, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy of them. Then they put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezre’el. ⁸ When the messenger arrived, he said, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu said, “Put them in two piles at the entrance to the gate until morning.”

⁹ When morning came, he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? ¹⁰ Know, therefore, that nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab, will fail. For the Lord did what he said through his servant Elijah.”

¹¹ Then Jehu killed everyone who remained from the house of Ahab in Jezre’el and all his important people, his close friends, and his priests, so that no survivor was left to him.

¹² Then he set out toward Samaria. While he was on the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, ¹³ Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. He said, “Who are you?” They said, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons.”

¹⁴ Then he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them. Then they slaughtered them at the cistern of Beth Eked—forty-two men, and he did not let one survive.

¹⁵ Then he set out from there and met Jehonadab son of Recab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Is your heart as true to my heart as my heart is to yours?”

He said, “It is.”

Then Jehu said, “If it is, then give me your hand!” So Jehonadab gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.

¹⁶ Then Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he had him ride with him in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, he struck down everyone who was left to Ahab there. He wiped out Ahab completely, according to the word which the Lord had spoken to Elijah.

Jehu Slaughters the Prophets of Baal

¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little. Jehu will serve him a great deal. ¹⁹ But now, gather all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests! Let no one be missing because I am going to make a great sacrifice to Baal. No one who misses it will live.”

But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to exterminate the servants of Baal.

²⁰ Then Jehu said, “Consecrate a festival for Baal,” and they proclaimed it.

²¹ Then Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came. Not a man was left who did not come. They came into the temple^[u] of Baal so that the temple of Baal was filled from end to end. ²² Then he said to the person in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.

²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Make a careful search, and see to it that there are no servants of the Lord with you, but only servants of Baal.”

²⁴ Then they went in to make sacrifices and whole burnt offerings. But Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “If any man escapes from these men whom I am putting into your hands, it will be your life for his life.”

²⁵ When he was finished offering the whole burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and to the officers, “Go strike them down! Don’t let anyone out!” So they struck them down with their swords, and the guards and the officers threw the bodies out. They then went into the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought the sacred memorial stones out from the temple of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They tore down the memorial stone for Baal and tore down the temple of Baal. They have used it for a latrine to this day. ²⁸ In this way Jehu exterminated Baal worship from Israel.

Jehu Falters in His Faithfulness

²⁹ But when it came to the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit, Jehu did not turn aside from following the golden calves which were in Bethel and in Dan. ³⁰ But the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well by doing what is right in my eyes—you have done everything that was in my heart to the house of Ahab—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, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam caused Israel to commit.

³² In those days, the Lord began to break off pieces from Israel. Then Hazael attacked all the territory of Israel ³³ east of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, from Aroer, which is above the canyon of the Arnon, up to Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ As for the rest of Jehu’s acts and everything he did and all his mighty deeds, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ³⁵ Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ The time that Jehu ruled as king over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Seizes Control

11 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she went into action and destroyed all the royal heirs.^{[v] 2} But Jehosheba, King Joram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah. She stole him away from among the king’s sons, who were to be killed. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom. He was kept hidden from Athaliah so that he was not killed. ³ He was kept hidden with her in the House of the Lord for six years while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

Jehoiada Makes Joash King

⁴ In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent a message and summoned the officers in charge of the units^[w] of the Carians^[x] and the guards to meet him at the House of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and had them swear an oath in the House of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son.

⁵ He commanded them, “This is how you will deploy: A third of you who are coming on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the palace of the king. ⁶ Another third will be stationed at the Sur Gate,^[y] and the final third at the gate behind the guards who take turns protecting this temple.^{[z] 7} The two divisions of you who are going off duty on the Sabbath will protect the House of the Lord, together with the king.^{[aa] 8} You will surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who comes into the ranks will be put to death. You will accompany the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ So the officers of the companies did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those coming on duty on the Sabbath with those going off duty on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ The priest gave the officers in charge of the units the spears and shields which had belonged to King David and which were in the House of the Lord. ¹¹ So the guards, each one with his weapon in his hand, stood around the king from the south side of the temple to the north side, near the altar of the temple. ¹² Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and set the crown on him and gave him the Testimony,^[ab] and they made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

Athaliah’s Death

¹³ When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she went to them in the House of the Lord. ¹⁴ She looked, and there was the king standing beside the pillar according to the custom, and the officers and the trumpeters were in front of the king, and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the officers in charge of the units of the army, “Bring her out between the ranks! Anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword!”

Because the priest had said, “She is not to be killed in the House of the Lord,” ¹⁶ they laid hands on her as she was going through the passageway where the horses enter the king’s palace, and they killed her there.

¹⁷ Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Then all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altar and its idols till they were dust. They also killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then the priest posted a watch over the House of the Lord.

¹⁹ Then he took the officers of the companies and the Carians and the guards and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the House of the Lord. They entered the king’s palace through the gate of the guards. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. Athaliah had been put to death with the sword in the king’s palace.

²¹ Joash was seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash (Joash) Son of Ahaziah, King of Judah, Repairs the House of the Lord

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash^[ac] became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba.^[ad]

² Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord during the whole time that Jehoiada the priest instructed him, ³ but the high places were still not removed. The people were making sacrifices and burning incense on the high places.

⁴ Jehoash said to the priests, “All the silver from the sacred offerings which is brought into the House of the Lord—the redemption money which is assessed to each man in the census, all the money from the redemption of dedicated things, and all the money which any man brings to the House of the Lord as a gift from his heart— ⁵ the priests are to take it from the donor^[ae] and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”^[af]

⁶ But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple. ⁷ So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and he said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage to the temple? Do not accept any more silver from those who are handing it in to you. Instead, put it toward repairing the damage to the temple.”

⁸ So the priests agreed that they would not take any silver from the people and that they themselves would not do the work of repairing the damage to the temple.

⁹ But Jehoiada the priest took a box, drilled a hole in its lid, and placed it at the right side of the altar as one entered the House of the Lord. Then the priests who were guarding the threshold put all the money which came into the House of the Lord there. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was a large quantity of silver in the box, the king’s secretary and the high priest went up and tied it in bags and tallied^[ag] the silver which was found in the House of the Lord.

¹¹ Then they gave the silver which had been weighed out to those who were overseeing the work on the House of the Lord. They paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who were working on the House of the Lord, ¹² and to the bricklayers and the stonemasons, who used it to buy wood and stone from the quarry to repair the damage to the House of the Lord and to meet all the expenses for repairing the building.

¹³ But the silver basins, snuffers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, and all the gold and silver articles for the House of the Lord were not made from this silver which was brought into the House of the Lord. ¹⁴ Rather they paid it to the ones who were doing the work, and they repaired the House of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ They did not audit the men to whom they gave the silver to do the work, because they were acting honestly. ¹⁶ The silver from the restitution offerings and the silver from the sin offerings was not brought into the House of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Attacks Jerusalem

¹⁷ Then Hazael king of Aram came up and attacked Gath and captured it. Hazael turned to go up against Jerusalem. ¹⁸ So Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred articles which his fathers Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, as well as the sacred articles that he himself had given and all the gold which was found in the treasuries of the House of the Lord and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael left Jerusalem.

The Wickedness and Death of Jehoash

¹⁹ As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash^[ah] and all the things he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ His servants conspired against him and killed Jehoash at Beth Millo, along the road down to Silla. ²¹ His servants Jozabad^[ai] son of Shimath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. They buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.

Jehoahaz Son of Jehu, King of Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. He did not turn from them. ³ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, so he gave them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben Hadad son of Hazael, all his days. ⁴ Jehoahaz, however, sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him, because he saw the oppression that the king of Aram was inflicting on Israel. ⁵ So the Lord appointed a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes^[aj] as they had before.

⁶ But they did not turn from the sins which the house of Jeroboam caused Israel to commit. They walked in them, and there was even an Asherah pole standing in Samaria. ⁷ Nothing was left of Jehoahaz’s army except fifty charioteers,^[ak] ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed them. He made them like dust at threshing time.

⁸ As for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and everything he did and his mighty deeds, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ⁹ Jehoahaz rested with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. Then his son Joash^[al] became king in his place.

Joash (Jehoash) Son of Jehoahaz, King of Israel

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn from all the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. He walked in them.

¹² As for the rest of Joash’s acts and all he did and his mighty deeds, how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ¹³ Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha’s Final Prophecy and Death

¹⁴ Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he would die, and Joash king of Israel went down to him. Then he wept over him and said, “My father! My father! Israel’s chariot and its charioteers!”

¹⁵ Elisha said to him, “Get a bow and arrow.” So he brought a bow and arrow to him.

¹⁶ Then he told the king of Israel, “Take the bow in your hands!” So he took the bow in his hands. Then Elisha put his hand on the king’s hand.

¹⁷ He said, “Open the window to the east.” So he opened it.

Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot.

Then he said, “The arrow of victory for the Lord! The arrow of victory over Aram! You will completely destroy Aram at Aphek!”

¹⁸ Then Elisha said, “Take your arrows.” So he took the arrows.

Then he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck it three times and then stopped.

¹⁹ Then the man of God was furious with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! Then you would have completely destroyed Aram. But now, you will defeat Aram only three times.”

²⁰ Then Elisha died, and they buried him.

Now raiders from Moab were coming into the land during the spring. ²¹ While a man was being buried, the people suddenly saw the raiders, so they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha. When the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life, and he got up on his feet.

²² Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and showed compassion for them, and he turned his attention to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So until this time he has not been willing to destroy them, nor did he cast them from his presence.

²⁴ Then Hazael king of Aram died, and his son Ben Hadad became king in his place. ²⁵ Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took action and recovered from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities which Hazael had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Three times Joash^[am] defeated him and recovered those Israelite cities.

Amaziah Son of Joash, King of Judah

14 In the second year of Joash^[an] son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah became king. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin^[ao] from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father David. He did everything his father Joash had done, ⁴ but the high places were still not removed. The people were still offering sacrifices and burning incense at the high places.

⁵ When the royal power was firmly in his hand, he killed his officials who had killed his father the king. ⁶ But he did not put the sons of the assassins to death, in obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord commanded, “Fathers are not to be put to death on account of their sons, and sons are not to be put to death on account of their fathers, but each person will die for his own sin.”^[ap]

⁷ He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He seized Sela in the war and named it Jokthe’el, the name it has to this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s confront each other face-to-face.”

⁹ Then Jehoash king of Israel sent a message to Amaziah king of Judah:

¹¹ But Amaziah did not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah confronted each other face-to-face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man fled to his tent. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, at Beth Shemesh. Then they went to Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down six hundred feet^[aq] of the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. ¹⁴ Then he took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ As for the rest of Jehoash’s acts, the things he did and his mighty deeds, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then his son Jeroboam became king in his place. ¹⁷ But Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

¹⁸ As for the rest of Amaziah’s acts, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹ A conspiracy was raised against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ Then they brought him back on horses and buried him in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David. ²¹ Then all the people of Judah took Azariah,^[ar] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²² It was he who built Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.

Jeroboam II, Son of Jehoash, King of Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria for forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn from all the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ It was he who restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea^[as] according to the word which the Lord, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, who was from Gath Hepher.

²⁶ The Lord saw the misery of Israel, which was extremely bitter for both bound and free.^[at] There was no one to help Israel. ²⁷ Since the Lord had not said that he would wipe the name of Israel from under the heavens, he rescued them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash.

²⁸ As for the rest of Jeroboam’s acts and everything he did and his mighty deeds, the wars he fought, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath (which had belonged to Judah) for Israel, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then his son Zechariah became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Son of Amaziah, King of Judah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. ² He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jekoliah from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like everything that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ But the high places were still not removed. The people were still offering sacrifices and burning incense there at the high places.

⁵ Then the Lord afflicted the king so that he had leprosy^[au] until the day of his death. So he lived in a quarantined house, and Jotham, the king’s son, was in charge of the palace and administered justice for the people of the land.

⁶ As for the rest of Azariah’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? ⁷ Azariah rested with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah Son of Jeroboam, King of Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam ruled as king over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his fathers had done. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. ¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him. He struck him down in front of the people and killed him. Then he became king in his place.

¹¹ As for the rest of Zechariah’s acts, you can find them written in the annals of the kings of Israel. ¹² This was the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Jehu: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.” And that is what happened.

Shallum Son of Jabesh, King of Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah^[av] king of Judah, and he ruled for one month in Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi from Tirzah went up to Samaria. He struck down Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him. Then he became king in his place.

¹⁵ The rest of Shallum’s acts, including the conspiracy he led, you can find written in the annals of the kings of Israel. ¹⁶ Then Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and all the people who were in it and its territory. Because they did not open their gates to him, he attacked it and cut open every pregnant woman.

Menahem Son of Gadi, King of Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel in Samaria and ruled for ten years. ¹⁸ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. All his days he did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. ¹⁹ Pul^[aw] king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents^[ax] of silver for supporting him and strengthening his hold over the kingdom. ²⁰ Menahem exacted the silver from Israel, from every wealthy man—fifty shekels^[ay] from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left. He did not remain in the land.

²¹ As for the rest of Menahem’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ²² Menahem rested with his fathers. Then his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah Son of Menahem, King of Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria for two years. ²⁴ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his military advisor, conspired against him and struck him down in the fortified part of the king’s palace in Samaria, along with Argob and Arieh. Fifty men from Gilead were with Pekah when he killed Pekahiah and became king in his place. ²⁶ As for the rest of Pekahiah’s acts and everything he did, you can find them written in the annals of the kings of Israel.