2 Kings 10–12

JEHU KILLS THE HOUSE OF AHAB

10Since Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria,ⁱ Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the rulers of Jezreel,^j to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons,^A saying:

²Your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weaponry, so when this letter^k arrives ³select the most qualified^B of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.

⁴However, they were terrified and reasoned, “Look, two kings^l couldn’t stand against him; how can we?”

⁵So the overseer of the palace, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think is right.”^Cm

⁶Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying:

If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master’s sons^D at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.

All seventy of the king’s sons were being cared for by the city’s prominent men. ⁷When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

⁹The next morning when he went out and stood at the gate, he said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him.ⁿ But who struck down all these? ¹⁰Know, then, that not a word the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab will fail,^o for the Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”^{p 11}So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel—all his great men, close friends, and priests—leaving him no survivors.

¹²Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, ¹³Jehu met the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

They answered, “We’re Ahaziah’s^q relatives. We’ve come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen mother’s^r sons.”

¹⁴Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and then slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He didn’t spare any of them.^s

¹⁵When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab^t coming to meet him. He greeted him and then asked, “Is your heart one with mine?”^E

“It is,” Jehonadab replied.

Jehu said, “If it is,^F give me your hand.”^u

So he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot with him. ¹⁶Then he said, “Come with me and see my zeal^v for the Lord!” So he let him ride with him in his chariot. ¹⁷When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained from the house of Ahab in Samaria until he had annihilated his house, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.^w

JEHU KILLS THE BAAL WORSHIPERS

¹⁸Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal^x a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. ¹⁹Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests.^a None must be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” However, Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal. ²⁰Jehu commanded, “Consecrate a solemn assembly^b for Baal.” So they called one.

²¹Then Jehu sent messengers throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal^A came; no one failed to come.^c They entered the temple of Baal,^d and it was filled from one end to the other. ²²Then he said to the custodian of the wardrobe, “Bring out the garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out their garments.

²³Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look carefully to see that there are no servants of the Lord here among you—only servants of Baal.” ²⁴Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and he warned them, “Whoever allows any of the men I am placing in your hands to escape will forfeit his life for theirs.”^{e 25}When he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Don’t let anyone out.”^f So they struck them down with the sword. Then the guards and officers threw the bodies out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. ²⁶They brought out the pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it, ²⁷and they tore down the pillar^g of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it a latrine^h—which it still is today.

EVALUATION OF JEHU’S REIGN

²⁸Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, ²⁹but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—worshiping the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan.^{i 30}Nevertheless, the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”^j

³¹Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

³²In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel.^k Hazael^l defeated the Israelites throughout their territory ³³from the Jordan eastward: the whole land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer^m which is by the Arnon Valleyⁿ through Gilead to Bashan.^A

³⁴The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{o 35}Jehu rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz^p became king in his place. ³⁶The length of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.^q

ATHALIAH USURPS THE THRONE

11When Athaliah,^r Ahaziah’s mother,^s saw that her son was dead,^t she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. ²Jehosheba,^u who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s^v sister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from among the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed. ³Joash was in hiding with her in the Lord’s temple six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

ATHALIAH OVERTHROWN

⁴In^w the seventh year, Jehoiada^x sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards.^y He had them come to him in the Lord’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son ⁵and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath^z are to provide protection for the king’s palace. ⁶A third are to be at the Foundation Gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.^Caa

⁷“Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide the king protection at the Lord’s temple. ⁸Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”^Dab

⁹So the commanders of hundreds did everything the priest Jehoiada commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to the priest Jehoiada.^{a 10}The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears and shields^b that were in the Lord’s temple. ¹¹Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

¹²Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown^c on him, gave him the testimony,^Ed and made him king. They anointed^e him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!”^f

¹³When Athaliah^g heard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the people at the Lord’s temple.^{h 14}She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillarⁱ according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.^j Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason!”^k

¹⁵Then the priest Jehoiada^l ordered the commanders of hundreds^m in charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in the Lord’s temple.”^{n 16}So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance^o to the king’s palace, where she was put to death.^p

JEHOIADA’S REFORMS

¹⁷Then^q Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people^r and another covenant between the king and the people.^{s 18}So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altars and images to pieces,^t and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.^u

Then Jehoiada the priest appointed guards for the Lord’s temple.^{v 19}He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards,^w and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the Lord’s temple. They entered the king’s palace by way of the guards’ gate. Then Joash^x sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword in the king’s palace.

JUDAH’S KING JOASH

²¹Joash^By was seven years old when he became king.^z 12In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.^{aa 2}Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada^ab instructed^ac him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.^{ad 3}Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^ae

REPAIRING THE TEMPLE

⁴Then^af Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to…