Jehu Purges the Baal Worshipers

18 Then Jehu assembled all of the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will worship him greatly. 19 So then, summon to me all of the prophets of Baal and all of his servants and his priests; no man should fail to come, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come shall not live!” Now Jehu was acting with cunning in order to destroy the servants of Baal. 20 Then Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal!” So they proclaimed it. 21 Jehu sent word through all of Israel, and all of the servants of Baal came; there did not remain a man who did not come. They came to the house of Baal so that the house of Baal was filled from wall to wall.[fn] 22 He said to the one who was over the wardrobe, “Bring out clothing for all of the servants of Baal.” So he brought the clothing out for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Recab came to the temple of Baal, and he said to the servants of Baal, “Search and see that there is none of the servants of Yahweh here with you; only those who serve Baal.” 24 They came to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he said, “The man who lets anyone escape from the men who I am entrusting to you,[fn] he will pay with his life!”[fn]

25 It happened that when he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the royal guard and to the officers, “Come and kill them; let no man go free!” So they put them to the sword,[fn] and the royal guard and the officers threw them out, then they went up to the citadel of the temple of Baal. 26 They brought out the stone pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them.[fn] 27 So they broke down the stone pillars of Baal and destroyed the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine until this day. 28 So Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.

29 Only Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat by which he caused Israel to sin; namely, the calf-shaped idols of gold which were in Bethel and Dan. 30 Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well by doing right in my eyes and you have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart; therefore, sons of the fourth generation will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” 31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh God of Israel with all his heart; he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam by which he caused Israel to sin.

32 In those days, Yahweh began to reduce Israel, so Hazael defeated them in every territory of Israel, 33 from the Jordan eastward: all of the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer which is on the Wadi Arnon and Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the remainder of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all of his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu slept with his ancestors,[fn] and they buried him in Samaria, and Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. 36 Now the days which Jehu had reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.