2 Kings 10:1–14

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