2 Kings 10
- 1
- And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote
letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and
to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying,
- 2
- Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your
master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a
fenced city also, and armour;
- 3
- Look even out the best and meetest of your master's
sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
- 4
- But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two
kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
- 5
- And he that was over the house, and he that was over the
city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu,
saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will
not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
- 6
- Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying,
If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the
men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now
the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city,
which brought them up.
- 7
- And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that
they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in
baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
- 8
- And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They
have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two
heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
- 9
- And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out,
and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired
against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
- 10
- Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of
the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for
the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
- 11
- So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in
Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he
left him none remaining.
- 12
- And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as
he was at the shearing house in the way,
- 13
- Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and
said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go
down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
- 14
- And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive,
and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men;
neither left he any of them.
- 15
- And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab
the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is
thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It
is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up
to him into the chariot.
- 16
- And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.
So they made him ride in his chariot.
- 17
- And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained
unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of
the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
- 18
- And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto
them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
- 19
- Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all
his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great
sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But
Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers
of Baal.
- 20
- And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And
they proclaimed it.
- 21
- And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the
worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And
they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end
to another.
- 22
- And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring
forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth
vestments.
- 23
- And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the
house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that
there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers
of Baal only.
- 24
- And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt
offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men
whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life
shall be for the life of him.
- 25
- And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of
offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains,
Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge
of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the
city of the house of Baal.
- 26
- And they brought forth the images out of the house of
Baal, and burned them.
- 27
- And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down
the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
- 28
- Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
- 29
- Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who
made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden
calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
- 30
- And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well
in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of
Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth
generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
- 31
- But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God
of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam,
which made Israel to sin.
- 32
- In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and
Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;
- 33
- From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the
Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the
river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
- 34
- Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did,
and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the
kings of Israel?
- 35
- And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in
Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
- 36
- And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria
was twenty and eight years.
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