UST 2 KI Chapter 10

◄ 2 KI 10 ► ║ ═ ©

10 There were 70 members of King Ahab’s family living in Samaria. Many of the officials who had served in the royal palace in Jezreel had fled to Samaria after Jehu rebelled. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies of it to those officials, to the elders of the city of Samaria, and to the people who were caring for Ahab’s family. This is what he wrote: 2 “Jehoram’s sons are there with you, and ordinarily one of them would succeed him as king. You are in a city that has walls around it, and you have chariots, horses, and weapons. So as soon as you receive this letter, 3 decide which of Jehoram’s sons you think is the most qualified to be the next king of Israel. Proclaim his as your king, and then prepare to fight to defend him.” 4 But when they received those letters, what Jehu had written terrified them. They said, “When two kings, Jehoram and Ahaziah, fought against him, he killed them. We are just ordinary people. So if we try to fight him, he will certainly kill us.” 5 So the officer in charge of the palace, the mayor of the city, the elders of the city, and the people who were caring for Ahab’s family wrote back to Jehu. They told him, “We are willing to be your subjects. We will do whatever you tell us to do. We will not appoint anyone to become our king. Do whatever you think is best.” 6 So Jehu wrote back to them and said, “If you accept me as your king and are ready to obey me, kill all of King Ahab’s male descendants. Cut off their heads and bring them to me here in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the leaders of the city of Samaria were rearing 70 male descendants of King Ahab. 7 When a messenger brought Jehu’s letter to the leaders of Samaria and they read it, they killed all 70 of Ahab’s male 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 male descendants.” Jehu responded, “Put their heads in two piles at the city gate. Leave them there until tomorrow morning.” 9 The next morning he went out and stood at the city gate. He told the people who had gathered there, “I am the one who plotted against King Jehoram and killed him. You are not guilty of doing that. And I am not guilty of killing all of these descendants of Ahab. 10 Instead, Yahweh has done what he said through his servant Elijah that he would do. As a result, you can be sure that everything Yahweh said would happen to Ahab’s family has in fact happened.” 11 Then Jehu executed all the other relatives of Ahab in Jezreel. He also executed all of Ahab’s officers, close friends, and priests. He did not allow any of them to remain alive.

12 Then Jehu left Jezreel and went toward Samaria. On his way there, he came to Beth Eked of the Shepherds. 13 There 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 family of Ahaziah’s cousin King Jehoram, including the other children of his mother Jezebel.” 14 Jehu told his men, “Seize them!” So they seized them, and they killed all of them at the pit of Beth Eked. They killed all 42 of the relatives of Ahaziah whom they met. They did not allow any of them to remain alive.

15 Then Jehu continued to travel toward Samaria. He met Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to join him. Jehu greeted him and told him, “I am willing to work with you. Are you willing to work with me?” Jehonadab replied, “Yes, I am.” Jehu said, “If you are, then let us shake hands.” So they shook hands. Then Jehu helped him to get into his chariot. 16 Jehu told him, “Come with me and let me show you how eager I am for the Israelites to worship Yahweh.” So Jehu’s men arranged for Jehonadab to ride with Jehu in his chariot to Samaria. 17 When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed all of Ahab’s relatives who were still alive there. He did not spare any of them. That was exactly what Yahweh had told Elijah would happen to Ahab’s family.

18 Then Jehu gathered the people of Samaria and told them, “I am going to worship Baal much more than King Ahab did. 19 So now summon all of Baal’s prophets and priests and all the other Israelites who worship Baal. I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and I want all of them to be there. I will have my soldiers execute any of them who do not come to the sacrifice.” But Jehu was deceiving them. He was planning to kill everyone who worshiped Baal. 20 Then Jehu commanded, “Announce that we are going to set aside a day to honor Baal.” So his messengers went out and proclaimed that there would be a celebration on that day. 21 Jehu sent messengers throughout Israel telling the people who worshiped Baal to gather in Samaria on a certain day. All those people came that day. They went into the huge temple of Baal and filled it from one side to the other. 22 Then Jehu spoke to the person who took care of the sacred robes in Baal’s temple. He told him to bring out enough robes so that everyone who worshiped Baal would have one to wear. So the person did that. 23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jonadab. He told the people who were worshipers of Baal, “Look around and make sure that no one who worships Yahweh has come in. Only people who worship Baal should be here.” 24 Then he and Jonadab prepared to offer fellowship sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. But Jehu had stationed 80 of his men outside the temple. He had told them, “I want you to kill all the people who are in this temple. I will have my soldiers execute any of you who allows any of them to escape!”

25 As soon as he had finished making the burnt offerings, Jehu gave an order to the guards and officers he had stationed outside. He told them, “Go in to the temple and kill the worshipers of Baal! Do not allow any of them to escape!” So the guards and officers went in and killed every one of them. Then they dragged their bodies outside the temple. Then they went into the inner room of the temple 26 and got the sacred images of Baal that were there. They brought them out of the temple and burned them. 27 They also smashed the large stone pillar outside the temple that represented Baal. Then they tore down the temple. People then used it for a bathroom, and people continued to do that afterwards. 28 That is how Jehu ended the worship of Baal in Israel.

29 The one form of idolatry that Jehu allowed to continue was the worship of the golden statues of calves in the cities of Bethel and Dan. King Jeroboam had sinned by making those statues, and he led the people of Israel to sin by worshiping them. 30 Then Yahweh told Jehu, “I wanted someone to destroy Ahab’s descendants, and you did that. Because you obeyed me and did what I had decided was proper, I promise that your son, grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel.” 31 But Jehu did not carefully and completely obey the laws of Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worship. He did not stop committing the sins that Jeroboam had committed, which he had also led the Israelite people to commit.

32 At that time, Yahweh began to allow enemies to conquer some of the territory of Israel. The army of King Hazael of Aram conquered much of the Israelite territory 33 east of the Jordan River. That was the region of Gilead, where the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived. Hazael conquered territory as far south as the city of Aroer by the Arnon Valley. He conquered further territory in Gilead as far north as Bashan. 34 The book in which the kings of Israel recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Jehu did, including the victories that his armies won. 35 Then Jehu died, and the Israelites buried him in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz became the next king. 36 Jehu had ruled in Samaria as the king of Israel for 28 years.

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UST 2 KI Chapter 10

UST 2 KI Chapter 10