Judgment upon Ahab’s House
12 Then he set out and [g]went to Samaria. On the way while he was at [h]Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13 Jehu [i]encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they [j]answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
15 Now when he had gone from there, he [k]encountered Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he [l]greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab [m]answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So [n]he had him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, he [o]killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated [p]them, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.
Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one go missing, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in deception, in order to eliminate the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a holy assembly for Baal.” And they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent word [q]throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one who was [r]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the garments for them. 23 Then Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see to it that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 Then they entered to [s]offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “The one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape [t]shall give up his life in exchange.”
25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished [u]offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the [v]guard and to the royal officers, “Go in, [w]kill them; let none come out.” So they [x]killed them with the edge of the sword; and the [y]guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the [z]sanctuary of the house of Baal. 26 They brought out the memorial stones of the house of Baal and burned them. 27 They also tore down the memorial stone of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine as it is to this day.
28 So Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. 29 However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel, from these Jehu did not desist, including the golden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. 30 Yet the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in performing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart, your sons to the fourth generation shall 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 desist from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel.
32 In those days the Lord began to cut off pieces from Israel; and Hazael [aa]defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites; from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan.
Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu
34 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehu and everything 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 [ab]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. 36 So the [ac]time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 10:2 Lit and with you the
- 2 Kings 10:9 Lit righteous
- 2 Kings 10:9 Lit struck
- 2 Kings 10:10 I.e., fail to come true
- 2 Kings 10:10 Lit by the hand of
- 2 Kings 10:11 Lit struck
- 2 Kings 10:12 Lit came in and went
- 2 Kings 10:12 I.e., house of binding
- 2 Kings 10:13 Lit found
- 2 Kings 10:13 Lit said
- 2 Kings 10:15 Lit found
- 2 Kings 10:15 Lit blessed
- 2 Kings 10:15 Lit said
- 2 Kings 10:16 Lit they
- 2 Kings 10:17 Lit struck
- 2 Kings 10:17 Lit him
- 2 Kings 10:21 Lit in all
- 2 Kings 10:22 Lit over the
- 2 Kings 10:24 Lit make
- 2 Kings 10:24 Lit his soul for his soul
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit making
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit runners
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit strike
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit struck
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit runners
- 2 Kings 10:25 Lit city
- 2 Kings 10:32 Lit struck
- 2 Kings 10:35 I.e., died
- 2 Kings 10:36 Lit days