2 Kings 10

10 ¹Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu sent letters to Samaria, to the city officials, elders, and guardians of Ahab's sons, writing: ²"When this letter reaches you, since your master's sons are with you, plus chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons. ³Choose your master's best and ablest son, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house."

⁴They were terrified, utterly terrified, and said, "Look, two kings couldn't stand before him. How can we stand?" ⁵The palace steward, city governor, elders, and guardians sent word to Jehu: "We are your servants; we'll do all you say. We'll crown no one—do what's good in your eyes."

⁶Jehu wrote them a second letter: "If you are with me and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." The king's seventy sons were with the city's nobles, raising them.

⁷When the letter arrived, they seized the king's sons, slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸The messenger told him, "They've brought the king's sons' heads." He said, "Stack them in two piles at the gate entrance until morning."

⁹In the morning he went out, stood before all the people, and said: "You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? ¹⁰Know that none of our Father's words against Ahab's house will fall to the ground. Our Father has done what he spoke through his servant Elijah."

¹¹So Jehu killed all remaining of Ahab's house in Jezreel—his nobles, close friends, and priests—leaving him no survivor.

¹²Then he set out and went toward Samaria. On the way, at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, ¹³Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?" They answered, "Ahaziah's relatives, coming to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother."

¹⁴"Capture them alive!" he said. They captured them alive, then slaughtered them at Beth-eked's pit—forty-two men, not one left.

¹⁵He left there, met Jehonadab son of Rechab coming toward him. Jehu greeted him and asked, "Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours?" "It is," Jehonadab said. "If so," said Jehu, "give me your hand." He gave it, and Jehu pulled him into the chariot.

¹⁶"Come with me, see my passion for our Father," he said. So he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷Arriving in Samaria, Jehu killed all Ahab's survivors there, wiping them out, just as our Father told Elijah.

Jehu Wipes out the Worship of Baal

¹⁸Jehu gathered all the people and said, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹Summon me all Baal's prophets, all his worshipers, all his priests—none missing; I have a great sacrifice for Baal, and whoever is missing won't live." But Jehu acted with cunning, to destroy Baal's worshipers.

²⁰Jehu ordered, "Proclaim a sacred assembly for Baal." So they proclaimed it.

²¹Jehu sent word through all Israel; all Baal's worshipers came, none stayed away. They entered Baal's house, filling it end to end. ²²Jehu told the wardrobe keeper, "Bring out robes for all Baal's worshipers." He brought them out.

²³Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered Baal's temple. He told Baal's worshipers, "Search carefully—make sure no servants of our Father are here among you, only worshipers of Baal."

²⁴They went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, "Whoever lets any of the men I'm putting in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life."

²⁵When the burnt offering was finished, Jehu told the guards and officers, "Go in, kill them—let no one out." They struck them down with the sword; the guards and officers threw them out and entered Baal's inner temple room. ²⁶They brought out the sacred pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them. ²⁷They tore down the sacred pillar of Baal, tore down Baal's temple, and made it a latrine to this day.

²⁸So Jehu wiped out Baal worship from Israel. ²⁹Yet Jehu didn't turn from Jeroboam son of Nebat's sins, which he led Israel into—the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

³⁰Our Father told Jehu, "Because you did well, doing right in my eyes, and did all I intended to Ahab's house, your descendants will sit on Israel's throne to the fourth generation."

³¹But Jehu did not carefully, wholeheartedly follow the law of our Father, the God of Israel. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, who led Israel to sin.

³²In those days our Father began to cut Israel short. Hazael struck them throughout Israel's territory. ³³East of the Jordan—all Gilead, land of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, through Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴Jehu's remaining acts—all he did and all his power—aren't they recorded in the book of the chronicles of Israel's kings? ³⁵Jehu slept with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria; his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place. ³⁶The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.