2 Kings 9:14-10:25 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept guard at Ramoth-gil’ad, he and all Israel, because of Chazael the king of Syria.

Leeser⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept guard at Ramoth-gil’ad, he and all Israel, because of Chazael the king of Syria. ¹⁵ But king Jehoram was returned to be healed in Yizre’el of the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him, when he was fighting with Chazael the king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none that escapeth go forth out of the city to go to tell it in Yizre’el. ¹⁶ So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Yizre’el; for Joram was lying there. And Achazyah the king of Judah was come down to see Joram. ¹⁷ And the watchman stood on the tower in Yizre’el, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came; and he said, A company do I see, And Jehoram said, Take a horseman, and send out to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? ¹⁸ So there went one riding on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus hath said the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee about behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came up to them, but he hath not returned. ¹⁹ Then sent he out a second rider on horseback, who came to them, and said, Thus hath said the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee about behind me. ²⁰ And the watchman told, saying, He came up to them, but he hath not returned: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth as though he were mad. ²¹ And Jehoram said, Harness up. And his chariot was harnessed up. And Jehoram the king of Israel and Achazyahu the king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of land of Naboth the Yizre’elite. ²² And it came to pass, when Jehoram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he said, What peace can there be with the acts of incest of thy mother Izebel and her many witchcrafts? ²³ And Jehoram turned about, and fled, and said to Achazyahu, Treachery, Achazyahu. ²⁴ And Jehu grasped the bow with his full strength, and struck Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then said he to Bidkar his officer, Lift up, and cast him down in the part of the field that was Naboth’s the Yizre’elite; for remember how that I and thou rode alongside each other after Achab his father, when the Lord pronounced over him this fatal decree: ²⁶ Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will repay thee in this part of the field, saith the Lord. And now lift up, and cast him down into the field, according to the word of the Lord. ²⁷ And when Achazyahu the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden-house; but Jehu pursued after him, and said, Also him smite in the chariot. And they did so on the ascent to Gur, which is by Yible’am. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ²⁸ And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. ²⁹ And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Achab became Achazyah king over Judah. ³⁰ And Jehu came to Yizre’el; and when Izebel heard of it, she painted her eyes, and ornamented her head, and looked out at the window. ³¹ And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Is it peace, O Zimri, who hath slain his master? ³² And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three chamberlains. ³³ And he said, Pitch her down. So they pitched her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses; and he trod her under foot. ³⁴ And he came in, and ate and drank; and then said he, Look, I pray you, after this accursed one, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter. ³⁵ And they went to bury her: but they found nothing of her but the skull, and the feet, and the palms of the hands. ³⁶ And they returned, and told him; and he said, It is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by means of his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the field of Yizre’el shall the dogs eat the flesh of Izebel: ³⁷ And the carcass of Izebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Yizre’el; so that they shall not say, This is Izebel. ¹⁰ ¹ And Achab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, unto the rulers of Yizre’el, the elders, and to those that brought up Achab’s children, saying, ² And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing that there are with you your master’s sons, and there are with you the chariots and the horses, and the fortified city, and the armor: ³ Select then the best and the most fitting of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. ⁴ But they were exceedingly much afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings could not stand before him: how then shall we be able to stand? ⁵ And the superintendent over the house, and the commander over the city, and the elders, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and all that thou mayest say unto us will we do; we will not set up any one as king: do what is good in thy eyes. ⁶ Then wrote he to them a letter the second time, saying, If ye be for me, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, then take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me to Yizre’el by this time tomorrow. Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. ⁷ And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Yizre’el. ⁸ And the messenger came, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Place ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning. ⁹ And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him; but who hath killed all these? ¹⁰ Know now that there shall not fall of the word of the Lord unto the earth, the least that the Lord hath spoken concerning the house of Achab; and the Lord hath done that which he spoke by means of his servant Elijah. ¹¹ And Jehu smote all that yet remained of the house of Achab in Yizre’el, and all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, until he had left him none that escaped. ¹² And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria; he was just at the binding-house of the shepherds, on the way: ¹³ When Jehu met with the brothers of Achazyahu the king of Judah, and he said, Who are ye? And they said, The brothers of Achazyahu are we; and we are come down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. ¹⁴ And he said, Seize them alive. And they seized them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of the binding-house, two and forty men; and he left not one of them remaining. ¹⁵ And he went away thence, and met Yehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is all right in thy heart, as my heart is with thy heart? And Yehonadab answered, It is; it is: give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ And he said, Come with me, and behold my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that yet remained unto Achab in Samaria, till he had exterminated him, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Elijah. ¹⁸ And Jehu assembled all the people, and said unto them, Achab hath served Ba’al a little: Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ And now call unto me all the prophets of Ba’al, all his worshippers, and all his priests: let no one be missing; for I have a great sacrifice to make for Ba’al; whosoever will be missing, shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, in order to destroy the worshippers of Ba’al. ²⁰ And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Ba’al. And they proclaimed it. ²¹ And Jehu sent throughout all Israel: and there came all the worshippers of Ba’al, so that there was not a man remaining that came not; and they came into the house of Ba’al; and the house of Ba’al was full from one end to another. ²² And he said unto him that was over the wardrobe, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Ba’al. And he brought forth for them the vestments. ²³ And Jehu went, with Yehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Ba’al, and he said unto the worshippers of Ba’al, Search, and look that there be not here with you any of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Ba’al entirely alone. ²⁴ And they went in to prepare sacrifices and burnt-offerings; but Jehu had set for himself without eighty men, and said, If there be a man that escapeth from the men whom I deliver into your hands, there shall be given life for his life. ²⁵ And it came to pass, as soon as they had made an end of preparing the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers, Go in, smite them: let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the runners and the captains cast them out, and went as far as the city of the house of Ba’al.