2 Kings 10

10 ¹ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria — to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab's sons. He wrote: ² "Now when this letter reaches you — since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons — ³ choose the best and most worthy of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house."

⁴ But they were terrified, utterly terrified, and said, "Look, two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?" ⁵ So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders, and the guardians sent word to Jehu: "We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will make no one king; do whatever you think best."

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

⁷ When the letter reached them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."

⁹ In the morning he went out, stood before all the people, and said, "You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him — but who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know then that nothing of the word our Father spoke against the house of Ahab will fall to the ground. Our Father has done what he spoke through his servant Elijah."

¹¹ So Jehu killed everyone who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel — all his great men, his close friends, and his priests — leaving him no survivor.

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

¹⁴ "Take them alive!" he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked — forty-two men. He left no one alive.

¹⁵ When he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, "Is your heart true to mine, as my heart is to yours?" "It is," Jehonadab answered. "If so," said Jehu, "give me your hand." So he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot.

¹⁶ "Come with me," he said, "and see my zeal for our Father." So he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left of Ahab's family there; he destroyed them, according to the word our Father had spoken to Elijah.

Jehu Wipes Out the Worship of Baal

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much." ¹⁹ "Now summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing will not live." But Jehu was acting deceptively, in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.

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

²¹ Then Jehu sent word throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; not one stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other. ²² Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, "Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out garments for them.

²³ Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Rechab. He said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and make sure that no servants of our Father are here among you — only worshipers of Baal."

²⁴ So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, "If anyone lets one of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life."

²⁵ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu ordered the guards and the officers, "Go in and kill them; let no one escape." So they put them to the sword. The guards and the officers threw the bodies out and then went into the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the sacred pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They tore down the sacred pillar of Baal, demolished the temple of Baal, and made it a latrine, as it remains to this day.

Jehu Clings to Jeroboam's Sin

²⁸ So Jehu wiped out Baal worship from Israel. ²⁹ But Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he had led Israel — the golden calves at Bethel and at Dan.

³⁰ Our Father said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation."

³¹ But Jehu was not careful to follow the law of our Father, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he had led Israel.

³² In those days our Father began to cut Israel short. Hazael struck them down throughout the territory of Israel, ³³ east of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead — the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites — from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, through Gilead and Bashan.

Jehu Rests with His Ancestors

³⁴ As for the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³⁵ Jehu rested with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.