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10 And Ach’av had seventy banim in Shomron. And Yehu wrote sefarim (letters), and sent to Shomron, unto the sarim of Yizre’el, to the zekenim, and to the omenim Ach’av, saying,

Now as soon as this sefer cometh to you, seeing your adon’s banim are with you, and there are with you merkavot and susim, a fortified city also, and neshek (weapons);

Look even out the tov (best) and yashar of your adon’s banim, and set him on kisse aviv, and fight for the Bais adoneichem.

But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Hinei, two melachim [See 2Kgs 9:24, 27] stood not before him; how then shall we stand?

And he that was over the Bais (Palace), and he that was over the Ir, the zekenim also, and the omenim (guardians [of the royal family]), sent to Yehu, saying, We are thy avadim, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not appoint any melech; do thou that which is tov in thine eyes.

Then he wrote a sefer (letter) the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will pay heed unto my voice, take ye the rashei anshei bnei adoneichem (the heads of the male children of your master), and come to me to Yizre’el by tomorrow this time. Now the Bnei HaMelech, being seventy persons, were with the Gedolim of the Ir, who were rearing them.

And it came to pass, when the sefer came to them, that they took the Bnei HaMelech, and slaughtered seventy persons and put their heads in dudim (baskets) and sent him them to Yizre’el.

And there came a malach, and told him, saying, They have brought the rashei Bnei HaMelech. And he said, Lay ye them in two tziburim (heaps, piles) at the petach of the sha’ar until the boker.

And it came to pass in the boker, that he went out, and stood, and said to kol haAm, Ye be tzaddikim; hinei, I fomented a kesher against adoni (my master), and slaughtered him; but who slaughtered all these?

10 Know now that nothing shall fall [unfulfilled] unto ha’aretz of the Devar Hashem, which Hashem spoke against the Bais Ach’av; for Hashem hath done that which He spoke by His eved Eliyahu [See 1 Kgs 21:17-24].

11 So Yehu slaughtered all that remained of the Bais Ach’av in Yizre’el, and all his Gedolim, and his acquaintances, and his kohanim, until he left him no sarid (remnant survivor).

12 And he arose and departed, and came to Shomron. And as he was at the shearing house for the ro’im (shepherds) baderech (on the road),

13 Yehu met with the achei Achazyahu Melech Yehudah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the achei Achazyahu; and we go down to give shalom greeting to the Bnei HaMelech and the Bnei HaGevirah.

14 And he said, Take them chayyim (alive). And they took them chayyim, and executed them at the bor (pit) of the shearing house, even 42 ish; neither left he any remnant of them.

15 And when he was departed from there, he met Yehonadav Ben Rechav approaching to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine lev yashar, as my lev is with thy lev? And Yehonadav answered, It is. If it be, give me thine yad. And he gave him his yad; and he took him up to him into the merkavah.

16 And he said, Come with me, and see my kina (zeal) for Hashem. So they had him ride in his merkavah.

17 And when he came to Shomron, he slaughtered all that remained unto Ach’av in Shomron, till he had destroyed him, according to the Devar Hashem, which He spoke to Eliyahu.

18 And Yehu gathered kol HaAm together, and said unto them, Ach’av served Ba’al a little; but Yehu shall serve him much.

19 Now therefore summon unto me all the nevi’im of Ba’al, all his avadim, and all his kohanim; let none be wanting; for I have a zevach gadol to do to Ba’al; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Yehu did it be’akbah (in cunning, in deception), to the intent that he might destroy the ovdei HaBa’al (worshippers of Ba’al).

20 Yehu said, Proclaim an atzeret (a solemn assembly) for Ba’al. They proclaimed it.

21 And Yehu sent through kol Yisroel; and kol ovdei HaBa’al (all the worshippers of Ba’al) came, so that there was not an ish left that came not. And they came into the bais of Ba’al; and the bais of Ba’al was full from end to end.

22 And he said unto him that was over the meltachah (wardrobe), Bring forth levush (robe) for all the ovdei HaBa’al. And he brought them forth the malbush (vestments, religious robes).

23 And Yehu went, and Yehonadav Ben Rechav, into the bais Ba’al, and said unto the ovdei HaBa’al, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the avadim of Hashem, but the ovdei HaBa’al only.

24 And when they went in to offer zevakhim and olot, Yehu appointed fourscore ish outside, and said, If any of the anashim whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his nefesh shall be for the nefesh of him.

25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the olah (burnt offering), that Yehu said to the guard and to the shalishim (officers), Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they cut them down with the edge of the cherev; and the guard and the shalishim cast them out, and went to the Ir of the bais of Ba’al.

26 And they brought forth the matzevot out of the bais of Baal, and burned them.

27 And they demolished the matzevot HaBa’al, and broke down the bais of Baal, and made it mokharot (latrines) unto this day.

28 Thus Yehu destroyed Ba’al out of Yisroel.

29 Howbeit from the sins of Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, who caused Yisroel to commit sin, Yehu departed not from after them, even, the eglei hazahav that were in Beit-El, and that were in Dan.

30 And Hashem said unto Yehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is yashar in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the bais of Ach’av according to all that was in Mine lev, thy banim of the fourth generation shall sit on the kisse Yisroel.

31 Yet Yehu was not shomer to follow the Torat Hashem Elohei Yisroel with all his lev; for he departed not from the chattot Yarov‘am which he caused Yisroel to commit sin.

32 In those days Hashem began to cut Yisroel down to size; and Chazael struck them down in all the territory of Yisroel;

33 From Yarden eastward, all Eretz Gil‘ad, the Gadi, and the Reuveni, and the Menashi, from Aroer, which is by the Arnon Valley, even Gil‘ad and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Yehu, and all that he did, and all his gevurah, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim L’Malkhei Yisroel?

35 And Yehu slept with his avot; and they buried him in Shomron. And Yehoachaz bno reigned as melech in his place.

36 And the days that Yehu reigned as melech over Yisroel in Shomron: 28 shanah.

Ahab’s Family Killed

10 Now there were in Samaria(A) seventy sons(B) of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel,[a](C) to the elders and to the guardians(D) of Ahab’s children. He said, “You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you, choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”

But they were terrified and said, “If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”

So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants(E) and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.”

Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy(F) of them. They put their heads(G) in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.”

Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10 Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced(H) through his servant Elijah.”(I) 11 So Jehu(J) killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.(K)

12 Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria. At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They said, “We are relatives of Ahaziah,(L) and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.(M)

14 “Take them alive!” he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two of them. He left no survivor.(N)

15 After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab(O) son of Rekab,(P) who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”

“I am,” Jehonadab answered.

“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”(Q) So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. 16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal(R) for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.

17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab’s family;(S) he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.

Servants of Baal Killed

18 Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served(T) Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now summon(U) all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests. See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

20 Jehu said, “Call an assembly(V) in honor of Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21 Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants 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 And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around and see that no one who serves the Lord is here with you—only servants of Baal.” 24 So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: “If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life.”(W)

25 As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: “Go in and kill(X) them; let no one escape.”(Y) So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. 26 They brought the sacred stone(Z) out of the temple of Baal and burned it. 27 They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple(AA) of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.

28 So Jehu(AB) destroyed Baal worship in Israel. 29 However, he did not turn away from the sins(AC) of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves(AD) at Bethel(AE) and Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”(AF) 31 Yet Jehu was not careful(AG) to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins(AH) of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.

32 In those days the Lord began to reduce(AI) the size of Israel. Hazael(AJ) overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory 33 east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer(AK) by the Arnon(AL) Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.

34 As for the other events of Jehu’s reign, all he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals(AM) of the kings of Israel?

35 Jehu rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king. 36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 10:1 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate of the city