2 Kings 10:1–14

¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the princes of Jizreel, to the elders, and to Ahab’s guardians, saying, ²And now, when this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots, and horses, and a fortified city, and armour, ³look out the best and worthiest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. ⁴And they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings stood not before him; and how shall we stand? ⁵And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, and the elders, and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any one king; do what is good in thy sight. ⁶And he wrote a letter the second time to them saying, If ye are mine, and will hearken to my voice, take the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jizreel to-morrow at this time. Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. ⁷And it came to pass when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slaughtered seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jizreel. ⁸And a messenger came and told him saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning. ⁹And it came to pass in the morning that he went out; and he stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous! behold, I conspired against my master and killed him; but who smote all these? ¹⁰Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of Jehovah, which Jehovah spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for Jehovah has done that which he said through his servant Elijah. ¹¹And Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jizreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. ¹²And he rose up and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shepherds’ meeting-place on the way, ¹³Jehu found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they said, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and have come down to salute the children of the king, and the children of the queen. ¹⁴And he said, Take them alive! And they took them alive, and slew them at the well of the meeting-place, forty-two men; and he left not one of them remaining.