-
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,
02 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;
03 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.
04 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said,
Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then
shall we stand?
05 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.
06 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.
07 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.
08 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.
09 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.
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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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