2 Kings 9:1–10

JEHU ANOINTED AS ISRAEL’S KING

9The prophet Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets^ae and said, “Tuck your mantle^af under your belt, take this flask of oil^ag with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead.^{ah 2}When you get there, look for Jehu^ai son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room. ³Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I anoint you king over Israel.” ’^aj Open the door and escape. Don’t wait.” ⁴So the young prophet^A went to Ramoth-gilead.

⁵When he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there, so he said, “I have a message for you, commander.”

Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”

He answered, “For you, commander.”

⁶So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. ⁷You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel—the blood of my servants the prophets and of all the servants of the Lord.^{a 8}The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,^B both slave and free,^C in Israel.^{b 9}I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.^{c 10}The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel—no one will bury her.’ ”^d Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.