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Jehu Slaughters Ahab’s Family

¹ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel^(a), to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons^(a) of Ahab, saying:² “When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry,³ select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”⁴ But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”⁵ So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”⁶ Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.⁷ And when the letter arrived, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy of them, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.⁸ When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”⁹ The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?¹⁰ Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.”¹¹ So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.¹² Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,¹³ Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” “We are relatives of Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother.”¹⁴ Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.

¹⁵ When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,¹⁶ saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride^(a) in his chariot.¹⁷ When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.

Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins

²⁹ but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.³⁰ Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out 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 Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.³² In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel