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And thou shalt strike down the Bais Ach’av adoneicha, that I may avenge the dahm of My avadim the Nevi’im, and the dahm of kol avdei Hashem, shed by Izevel.

For the kol Bais Ach’av shall perish: and I will cut off from Ach’av mashtin b’kir (him that urinates against the wall, i.e., all males), and him that is atzur (bond) or azuv (free) in Yisroel:

And I will make the Bais Ach’av like the Bais Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, and like the Bais Ba’asha Ben Achiyah:

10 And the kelavim shall devour Izevel in the chelek Yizre’el, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the delet and fled.

11 Then Yehu came forth to the avadim adonav: and one said unto him, Is all shalom (well)? Why came this meshuga (crazy fellow) to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the ish and his babble.

12 And they said, It is sheker; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, Thus saith Hashem, Meshachticha (I anoint thee) Melech over Yisroel.

13 Then they hasted, and took every ish his beged, and spread it under him on the top of the ma’alot (stairs), and blew the shofar, saying, Yehu is Melech.

14 So Yehu Ben Yehoshaphat Ben Nimshi plotted a kesher against Yoram. (Now Yoram had been shomer over Ramot Gil‘ad, he and Kol Yisroel, because of Chazael Melech Aram (Syria).

15 But Yehoram HaMelech had returned to recover in Yizre’el from the makkim (wounds) which the Aramim (Syrians) had inflicted on him, when he fought against Chazael Melech Aram. And Yehu said, If ye be so minded, then let none slip away nor escape from the Ir to go to tell it in Yizre’el.

16 So Yehu rode in a merkavah, and went to Yizre’el; for Yoram lay there. And Achazyahu Melech Yehudah was come down to see Yoram.

17 And there stood a tzofeh (sentinel) on the migdal in Yizre’el, and he saw the company of Yehu as he approached, and said, I see a company. Yoram said, Take a horseman, send to meet them, and let him say, Is it shalom?

18 So there went a rider on the sus to meet him, and said, Thus saith HaMelech, Is it shalom? And Yehu said, What hast thou to do with shalom? Fall in behind me. And the tzofeh told, saying, The malach reached them, but he cometh not back.

19 Then he sent out a second on sus, which came to them, and said, Thus saith HaMelech, Is it shalom? And Yehu answered, What hast thou to do with shalom? Fall in behind me.

20 And the tzofeh reported, saying, He reached them, and cometh not back: and the driving is like the driving of Yehu Ben Nimshi; for he driveth beshiga’on (like a meshuga, recklessly).

21 And Yehoram said, Harnasses ready! And his merkavah was harnessed. And Yehoram Melech Yisroel and Achazyahu Melech Yehudah went out, each in his merkavah, and they went out against Yehu, and met him in the chelek of Navot HaYizre’eli.

22 And it came to pass, when Yehoram saw Yehu, that he said, Is it shalom, Yehu? And he answered, What shalom, so long as the zenunei immecha Izevel (harlotries of your mother Jezebel) and her kheshafim (witchcrafts) are so many?

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You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge(A) the blood of my servants(B) the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.(C) The whole house(D) of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male(E) in Israel—slave or free.[a] I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam(F) son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha(G) son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs(H) will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.

11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac(I) come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.

12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread(J) them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet(K) and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah(L)

14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead(M) against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram[b] had returned to Jezreel to recover(N) from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah(O) king of Judah had gone down to see him.

17 When the lookout(P) standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”

“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?(Q)’”

18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”

19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like(R) that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”

21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth(S) the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”

“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel(T) abound?”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:8 Or Israel—every ruler or leader
  2. 2 Kings 9:15 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verses 17 and 21-24