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The Second Book of Kings 10

10 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab who were living in Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and made copies of it and sent them to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to those who raised and tutored Ahab’s children. 2 This is what he wrote: “You are the ones who are taking care of the king’s descendants. You have chariots, horses, and weapons, and you live in cities that have walls around them. So as soon as you receive this letter, 3 choose one of the king’s descendants, the one who is the best qualified, and appoint him to be your king. Then prepare to fight to defend him.”

4 But when they got those letters and read them, they became very afraid. They said, “King Joram and King Ahaziah could not resist him; how can we resist him?

5 So the officer who was in charge of the palace and the mayor of the city sent a message to Jehu saying, “We want to serve you, and we are ready to do whatever you tell us to do. We will not appoint anyone to become our king. You do whatever you think is the best.”

6 So Jehu sent a second letter to them, writing this: “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, kill King Ahab’s descendants and cut off their heads and bring their heads to me here in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.”

Now the seventy descendants of King Ahab were being brought up and supervised by the leaders of the city of Samaria. 7 When they received the letter from Jehu, they killed all seventy of Ahab’s descendants and cut off their heads. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. 8 A messenger came to Jehu and told him, “They have brought the heads of Ahab’s descendants.” So Jehu commanded that the heads should be put in two piles at the city gate and that the heads should stay there until the next morning.

9 The next morning he went out to the city gate and said to all the people, “I am the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him. You are not guilty of doing that. But it was Yahweh, not I, who commanded that all these descendants of Ahab should be killed. 10 I want you to know that everything that Yahweh said would happen has happened. He has caused to happen what he told the prophet Elijah would happen.” 11 Then Jehu executed all the other relatives of Ahab in Jezreel, all Ahab’s officers, close friends, and his priests. He did not allow any of them to remain alive.

12 Then Jehu left Jezreel and went toward Samaria. While he was going there, at a place called Beth Eked, 13 he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked them, “Who are you?”

They replied, “We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to Jezreel to visit the children of Queen Jezebel and the other members of King Joram’s family.”

14 Jehu said to his men, “Seize them!” So they seized them and killed all of them at the well of Beth Eked. There were forty-two people whom they killed. They did not allow any of them to remain alive.

15 Then Jehu continued to travel toward Samaria. Along the road he was met by Jonadab, a son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said to him, “Are you thinking in the same way that I am thinking?”

Jonadab replied, “Yes, I am.”

Jehu said, “If you are, join your hand to mine.” So Jonadab joined hands with him, and Jehu helped him to get into his chariot. 16 Jehu said to him, “Come with me, and you will see how eager I am to obey Yahweh.” So they rode together to Samaria.

17 When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed all of Ahab’s relatives who were still alive. He did not spare any of them. That was what Yahweh told Elijah would happen.

18 Then Jehu summoned all the people of Samaria, and said to them, “King Ahab was devoted to your god Baal a little bit, but I will serve him much more. 19 So now summon all the prophets of Baal, all of Baal’s priests, and all the others who worship Baal. I am going to make a great sacrifice to Baal. I want all of them to be there. Any of them who is not there will be executed.” But Jehu was planning to trick them, because he was planning to kill all those who worshiped Baal.

20 Then Jehu commanded, “Announce that we are going to set aside a day to honor Baal.” So they sent out a proclamation about that day. 21 Jehu decided what day they would gather and sent messages throughout Israel telling everyone what day to gather, and on that day, everyone who worshiped Baal came. No one stayed at home. They all went into the huge temple of Baal and filled it from one end to the other. 22 Jehu told the priest who took care of the sacred robes to bring them out and give them to the people who worshiped Baal. So the priest did that.

23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jonadab, and he said to the people who were there to worship Baal, “Be sure that only those who worship Baal are here. Be sure that no one who worships Yahweh has come in.” 24 Then he and Jonadab prepared to offer sacrifices and other offerings to Baal that would be burned whole on the altar that was there in Samaria. But Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the temple, and had said to them, “I want you to kill all the people who are in the temple. Anyone who allows one of them to escape will be executed!”

25 As soon as Jehu and Jonadab had finished killing the animals that would be completely burned to be an offering to Baal, they went outside and said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill all of them! Do not allow any of them to escape!” So the guards and officers went in and killed them all with their swords. Then they dragged their corpses outside the temple. Then they went into the inner room of the temple, 26 and they carried out the sacred pillar of Baal that was there, and they burned it. 27 So they destroyed that pillar that honored Baal, and then they burned down the temple, and made it a latrine. And that is what it is up to the present time.

28 That is how Jehu got rid of the worship of Baal in Israel. 29 But Jehu did not stop committing the kinds of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins that led the people of Israel to sin by worshiping the gold statues of calves in the cities of Bethel and Dan.

30 Then Yahweh said to Jehu, “You have done what pleased me by getting rid of all of Ahab’s descendants. So I promise you that your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel.” 31 But Jehu did not obey all the laws of Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people. He did not stop committing the sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins that induced the Israelite people to sin.

32 At that time, Yahweh began to cause the territory controlled by Israel to become smaller. The army of King Hazael of Aram conquered much of the Israelite territory. 33 He conquered the parts east of the Jordan River, as far south as the city of Aroer on the Arnon River. That included the regions of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived.

34 If you want to read more about all the other things that Jehu did, they are written in Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel.

35 Jehu died, and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz became the king in place of his father. 36 Jehu had ruled in Samaria as the king of Israel for twenty-eight years.

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