the Fourth Week of Advent
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Hebrew Names Version
2 Kings 10
1 Now Ach'av had seventy sons in Shomron. Yehu wrote letters, and sent to Shomron, to the rulers of Yizre`el, even the Zakenim, and to those who brought up [the sons of] Ach'av, saying, 2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor; 3 look you out the best and meet 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, the two kings didn't stand before him: how then shall we stand? 5 He who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the Zakenim also, and those who brought up [the children], sent to Yehu, saying, We are your servants, and will do all that you shall bid us; we will not make any man king: you do that which is good in your eyes. 6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If you be on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Yizre`el by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. 7 It happened, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and killed them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Yizre`el. 8 There came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. He said, Lay you them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning. 9 It happened in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, You are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and killed him; but who struck all these? 10 Know now that there shall fall to the eretz nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ach'av: for the LORD has done that which he spoke by his servant Eliyah. 11 So Yehu struck all that remained of the house of Ach'av in Yizre`el, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his Kohanim, until he left him none remaining. 12 He arose and departed, and went to Shomron. As he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way, 13 Yehu met with the brothers of Achazyah king of Yehudah, and said, Who are you? They answered, We are the brothers of Achazyah: and we go down to Greet the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14 He said, Take them alive. They took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
15 When he was departed there, he lighted on Yehonadav the son of Rechav coming to meet him; and he greeted him, and said to him, Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? Yehonadav answered, It is. If it be, give me your hand. He gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 He said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Shomron, he struck all who remained to Ach'av in Shomron, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke to Eliyah. 18 Yehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ach'av served Ba`al a little; but Yehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Ba`al, all his worshippers, and all his Kohanim; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Ba`al; whoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Yehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Ba`al. 20 Yehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Ba`al. They proclaimed it. 21 Yehu sent through all Yisra'el: and all the worshippers of Ba`al came, so that there was not a man left that didn't come. They came into the house of Ba`al; and the house of Ba`al was filled from one end to another. 22 He said to him who was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Ba`al. He brought them forth vestments. 23 Yehu went, and Yehonadav the son of Rechav, into the house of Ba`al; and he said to the worshippers of Ba`al, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Ba`al only. 24 They went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Yehu had appointed him eighty men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, [he who lets him go], his life shall be for the life of him. 25 It happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Yehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and kill them; let none come forth. They struck 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 Ba`al. 26 They brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Ba`al, and burned them. 27 They broke down the pillar of Ba`al, and broke down the house of Ba`al, and made it a latrine, to this day. 28 Thus Yehu destroyed Ba`al out of Yisra'el.
29 However from the sins of Yarov`am the son of Nevat, with which he made Yisra'el to sin, Yehu didn't depart from after them, [to wit], the golden calves that were in Beit-El, and that were in Dan. 30 The LORD said to Yehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, [and] have done to the house of Ach'av according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Yisra'el. 31 But Yehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, with all his heart: he didn't depart from the sins of Yarov`am, with which he made Yisra'el to sin. 32 In those days the LORD began to cut off from Yisra'el: and Haza'el struck them in all the borders of Yisra'el; 33 from the Yarden eastward, all the land of Gil`ad, the Gadi, and the Re'uveni, and the Manashshi, from `Aro`er, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gil`ad and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Yehu, and all that he did, and all his might, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Yisra'el? 35 Yehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Shomron. Yeho'achaz his son reigned in his place. 36 The time that Yehu reigned over Yisra'el in Shomron was twenty-eight years.
