UST 2 KI Chapter 9

◄ 2 KI 9 ► ║ ═ ©

9 Meanwhile, the prophet Elisha summoned one of the young prophets he was training. He told him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt so that you can run fast. Go to the city of Ramoth Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you. 2 When you arrive there, look for a man whose name is Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. When you find him, ask him to come with you into a private room, away from his companions. 3 Then pour the olive oil on his head and tell him, ‘Yahweh declares that he is appointing you to be the king of Israel.’ Then open the door and run away as quickly as you can.” 4 So that young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he arrived, he found the officers of the army meeting together in the courtyard of a house. He said, “Sir, I have a message for you.” Jehu replied, “Which one of us is the message for?” The young prophet replied, “It is for you, sir.” 6 So Jehu got up and went with the young prophet into the house. There the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu’s head. Then he told him, “Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, declares that he is appointing you to be the king of his Israelite people. 7 Ahab’s wife Jezebel murdered many of his prophets and many other Israelites who worshiped him. To punish them for these murders, Yahweh wants you to kill the entire family of Ahab. You formerly served him as a military commander. 8 Everyone in Ahab’s family must die. So kill all of the males in his household, whether they are family members or servants, no matter where they live in the kingdom of Israel. 9 Earlier, I had people destroy the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because those kings were so wicked. I want you to destroy the family of Ahab in the same way. 10 When Jezebel dies, no one will bury her body. Instead, dogs will eat her body on the property near the city of Jezreel that belonged to Naboth.” After the young prophet said this, he went out the door and ran away.

11 When Jehu came out of the house to where the other officers were, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did that crazy person come and speak with you?” Jehu replied, “You know very well what kinds of silly things young prophets like him say.” 12 They responded, “No, he must have come to tell you something important. Tell us what he said!” Jehu replied, “All right, this is what he said. He told me that Yahweh said that he was appointing me to be the king of Israel.” 13 They had Jehu stand in a high place where people could see him. Then they all quickly took off their cloaks and spread them on the ground beneath his feet to honor him. They blew on a ram’s horn to show that they were making an important announcement and shouted, “Jehu is now the king!”

14 Then Jehu and the other commanders made plans to kill Joram so that Jehu could replace him as king. King Joram and his army had been defending Ramoth Gilead against the attacking army of Hazael king of Aram. 15 But the Arameans had wounded Joram as he was fighting against their army. Joram had returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds. Jehu told the other commanders, “If you really want me to be king, make sure that no one leaves this city to warn the people of Jezreel that I am planning to go there.”

16 Then Jehu and his officers got into their chariots and rode to Jezreel. That was where Joram was still recovering. King Ahaziah of Judah was there visiting Jehoram.

17 A lookout was standing on top of the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu and his men approaching. He called out, “I see a lot of men approaching!” King Jehoram heard what the watchman said, so he told his soldiers, “Send someone out on a horse to ask them whether they are coming peacefully.” 18 So a man rode out on a horse to meet Jehu. The man told him, “The king asks whether you are coming peacefully.” Jehu replied, “I do not have to tell you that. Get into the group of men behind me and follow me to the city!” The lookout in the tower saw this and reported that the messenger had reached the group of men who were approaching and had spoken with them, but he was not coming back ahead of them. 19 So King Jehoram sent another messenger to tell Jehu that he hoped he was coming peacefully. Again Jehu replied, “I do not have to tell you that. Get into the group of men behind me and follow me to the city!” 20 Then the watchman reported again, “That messenger also reached them, but he is not coming back ahead of them. And the leader of that group of men must be Jehu son of Nimshi, because he is driving his chariot so recklessly!”

21 Jehoram told one of his attendants, “Get my chariot ready for me.” So his attendants did that. Then King Jehoram and King Ahaziah each rode out in his own chariot toward Jehu. They met Jehu just as he arrived on the property that had belonged to Naboth. 22 When Jehoram met Jehu, he asked him, “Have you come here peacefully, Jehu?” Jehu replied, “There can be no peace while you and your mother Jezebel are leading the Israelites to worship so many false gods and practicing so much witchcraft!” 23 Jehoram cried out, “Ahaziah, Jehu is rebelling against me!” Then Jehoram turned his chariot around and tried to escape. 24 But Jehu got his bow and shot an arrow that hit Jehoram in the back between his shoulder blades. The arrow entered Jehoram’s body and went right through his heart. He slumped down dead in his chariot. 25 Then Jehu told his captain Bidkar, “Take his body and throw it here onto the field that belonged to Naboth. Remember what happened when you and I were riding together behind King Jehoram’s father Ahab. Yahweh spoke about Ahab through Elijah. 26 He said that he had seen Ahab murder Naboth and his sons the day before. He solemnly promised that he would punish Ahab right here in this same field! So take Jehoram’s body and throw it onto this field! That will make happen exactly what Yahweh said would happen.”

27 When King Ahaziah saw what happened, he left the property through a pavilion that led into the adjacent palace gardens. But Jehu and his men chased him. Jehu told his men, “Shoot him as well!” So they shot him with arrows while he was riding in his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the city of Ibleam. Ahaziah continued riding in his chariot until he reached the city of Megiddo, but he died there. 28 His officials brought his body back to Jerusalem in his chariot. The Judeans buried him in the tombs in the part of Jerusalem that people called the City of David. That was where they had also buried his ancestors.

29 Ahaziah had become the king of Judah when Joram son of Ahab had been ruling Israel for almost 11 years.

30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel the queen mother heard what had happened, she put on eye makeup and combed her hair to make it beautiful. Then she looked out the window of the palace toward the street below. 31 As Jehu was entering the city gate, she called out to him, “Your life will not be peaceful! You will be just like Zimri, who also murdered his king!” 32 Jehu looked up toward the window and called out, “Will anyone there help me?” Two or three palace officials looked down at him from windows. 33 Jehu told them, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and Jehu ordered his men to drive their chariots over her body. This killed her, and some of her blood splattered on the city wall and on the horses that were pulling the chariots. 34 Then Jehu went into the palace and had a meal there. Then he told some of his men, “Jezebel brought Yahweh’s curse on herself through the idolatry and violence she committed. However, she was a king’s daughter, and so she should receive a proper burial. Please take her body and bury it.” 35 But when they went to get her body to bury it, the only things left were her skull, her feet, and the front part of her hands. 36 When they reported this to Jehu, he said, “That is what Yahweh said would happen!” He said through his servant Elijah that dogs would eat Jezebel’s body on the property that belonged to Naboth. 37 Dung dissolves into the ground so that no one recognizes it anymore. Yahweh said that in the same way, no one would be able to recognize Jezebel’s body. They would just know that she died somewhere on Naboth’s property.

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UST 2 KI Chapter 9

UST 2 KI Chapter 9