^10:1Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria.¹ So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said,²^10:2“You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives,³^10:3pick the best and most capable⁴ of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend⁵ your master’s dynasty.”

^10:4They were absolutely terrified⁶ and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him!⁷ How can we?”⁸^10:5So the palace supervisor,⁹ the city commissioner,¹⁰ the leaders,¹¹ and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects!¹² Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.”¹³

^10:6He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me,¹⁴ then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.”¹⁵ Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent¹⁶ men of the city were raising them. ^10:7When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them.¹⁷ They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. ^10:8The messenger came and told Jehu,¹⁸ “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu¹⁹ said, “Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” ^10:9In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people, “You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? ^10:10Therefore take note that not one of the judgments the Lord announced against Ahab’s dynasty has failed to materialize. The Lord had done what he announced through his servant Elijah.”²⁰^10:11Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.

^10:12Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria.²¹ While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, ^10:13Jehu encountered²² the relatives²³ of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how²⁴ the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.” ^10:14He said, “Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors.

^10:15When he left there, he met²⁵ Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him.²⁶ Jehu greeted him and asked,²⁷ “Are you as committed to me as I am to you?”²⁸ Jehonadab answered, “I am!” Jehu replied, “If so, give me your hand.”²⁹ So he offered his hand and Jehu³⁰ pulled him up into the chariot. ^10:16Jehu³¹ said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord’s cause.”³² So he³³ took him along in his chariot. ^10:17He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab’s family who were still alive in Samaria,³⁴ just as the Lord had announced to Elijah.³⁵

Jehu Executes the Prophets and Priests of Baal

^10:18Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped³⁶ Baal a little; Jehu will worship³⁷ him with great devotion.³⁸^10:19So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests.³⁹ None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them⁴⁰ so he could destroy the servants of Baal. ^10:20Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for⁴¹ a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. ^10:21Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end.⁴²^10:22Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe,⁴³ “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. ^10:23Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu⁴⁴ said to the servants of Baal, “Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.”⁴⁵^10:24They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them, “If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!”⁴⁶

^10:25When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard⁴⁷ and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there.⁴⁸ Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal.⁴⁹^10:26They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. ^10:27They demolished⁵⁰ the sacred pillar of Baal and⁵¹ the temple of Baal; it is used as⁵² a latrine⁵³ to this very day. ^10:28So Jehu eradicated Baal worship⁵⁴ from Israel.

A Summary of Jehu’s Reign

^10:29However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel⁵⁵ and Dan.⁵⁶^10:30The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.”⁵⁷^10:31But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel.⁵⁸ He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit.⁵⁹

^10:32In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory.⁶⁰ Hazael attacked their eastern border.⁶¹^10:33He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.⁶²

^10:34The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.⁶³^10:35Jehu passed away⁶⁴ and was buried in Samaria.⁶⁵ His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. ^10:36Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.

Athaliah is Eliminated

^11:1When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line.¹^11:2So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked² him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored.³ So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution.⁴^11:3He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple⁵ for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

^11:4In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned⁶ the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians⁷ and the royal bodyguard.⁸ He met with them⁹ in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement¹⁰ with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son. ^11:5He ordered them, “This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. ^11:6Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation¹¹ Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard.¹² You will take turns guarding the palace.¹³^11:7The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord’s temple and protect the king.¹⁴^11:8You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.”¹⁵

^11:9The officers of the units of hundreds did just as¹⁶ Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported¹⁷ to Jehoiada the priest. ^11:10The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and the shields that were kept in the Lord’s temple. ^11:11The royal bodyguard¹⁸ took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.¹⁹^11:12Jehoiada²⁰ led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia.²¹ They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head.²² They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

^11:13When Athaliah heard the royal guard²³ shout, she joined the crowd²⁴ at the Lord’s temple. ^11:14Then she saw²⁵ the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”²⁶^11:15Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army,²⁷ “Bring her outside the temple to the guards.²⁸ Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple.²⁹^11:16They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance.³⁰ There she was executed.

^11:17Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord.³¹^11:18All the people of the land went and demolished³² the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols³³ to bits.³⁴ They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest³⁵ then placed guards at the Lord’s temple. ^11:19He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal bodyguard, and all the people of land, and together they led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the Royal Bodyguard,³⁶ and the king³⁷ sat down on the royal throne. ^11:20All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.

Joash’s Reign over Judah

^11:21³⁸Jehoash³⁹ was…

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Footnotes

1 For location see ; ; ; ; .
2 Heb “to the officers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, saying.” It is not certain why the officials of Jezreel would be in Samaria. They may have fled there after they heard what happened to Joram and before Jehu entered the city. They would have had time to flee while Jehu was pursuing Ahaziah.
3 Heb “And now when this letter comes to you—with you are the sons of your master and with you are chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons.”
4 Hebrew יָשָׁר (yashar) does not have its normal moral/ethical nuance here (“upright”), but a more neutral sense of “proper, right, suitable.” For the gloss “capable,” see יָשָׁר.
5 Or “fight for.”
6 Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.
7 Heb “did not stand before him.”
8 Heb “How can we stand?”
9 Heb “the one who was over the house.”
10 Heb “the one who was over the city.”
11 Or “elders.”
12 Heb “servants.”
13 Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”
14 Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”
15 Jehu’s command is intentionally vague. Does he mean that they should bring the guardians (those who are “heads” over Ahab’s sons) for a meeting, or does he mean that they should bring the literal heads of Ahab’s sons with them? (So , , and some of the ) The city leaders interpret his words in the literal sense, but Jehu’s command is so ambiguous he is able to deny complicity in the executions (see v. 9).
16 Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.
17 Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”
18 Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the Lord to the ground that which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab. The Lord has done that which he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.”
21 Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.”
22 Heb “found.”
23 Or “brothers.”
24 Heb “for the peace of.”
25 Heb “found.”
26 Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.”
27 Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.”
28 Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?”
29 Heb “Jehonadab said, ‘There is and there is. Give your hand.’ ” If the text is allowed to stand, there are two possible ways to understand the syntax of וָיֵשׁ (vayesh), “and there is”: (1) The repetition of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is and there is”) could be taken as emphatic, “indeed I am.” In this case, the entire statement could be taken as Jehonadab’s words or one could understand the words “give your hand” as Jehu’s. In the latter case the change in speakers is unmarked. (2) וָיֵשׁ begins Jehu’s response and has a conditional force, “if you are.” In this case, the transition in speakers is unmarked. However, it is possible that וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer), “and he said,” or וַיֹּאמֶר יֵהוּא (vayyo’mer yehu), “and Jehu said,” originally appeared between יֵשׁ and וָיֵשׁ and has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note that both the proposed וַיֹּאמֶר and וָיֵשׁ begin with vav, ו). The present translation assumes such a textual reconstruction; it is supported by the , , and .
30 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 Heb “and see my zeal for the Lord.”
33 The has a plural form, but this is most likely an error. The , , and all have the singular.
34 Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.”
35 Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Elijah.”
36 Or “served.
37 Or “serve.”
38 Heb “much” or “greatly.”
39 Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”
40 Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”
41 Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”
42 Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.”
43 Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.”
44 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the Lord, only the servants of Baal.”
46 Heb “The man who escapes from the men whom I am bringing into your hands, [it will be] his life in place of his life.”
47 Heb “runners.”
48 Heb “and they threw.” No object appears. According to M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [], ), this is an idiom for leaving a corpse unburied.
49 Heb “and they came to the city of the house of Baal.” It seems unlikely that a literal city is meant. Some emend עִיר (’ir), “city,” to דְּבִיר (dévir) “holy place,” or suggest that עִיר is due to dittography of the immediately preceding עַד (’ad) “to.” Perhaps עִיר is here a technical term meaning “fortress” or, more likely, “inner room.”
50 Or “pulled down.”
51 The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text.
52 Heb “and they made it into.”
53 The consonantal text (Kethib) has the מַחֲרָאוֹת (makhara’ot), “places to defecate” or “dung houses” (note the related noun חרא (khr’)/חרי (khri), “dung,” *חֲרָאִים). The marginal reading (Qere) glosses this, perhaps euphemistically, מוֹצָאוֹת (motsa’ot), “outhouses.”
54 Heb “destroyed Baal.”
55 For location see ; ; ; ; .
56 Heb “Except the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat which he caused Israel to commit, Jehu did not turn aside from after them—the golden calves which [were in] Bethel and which [were] in Dan.”
57 Heb “Because you have done well by doing what is proper in my eyes—according to all which was in my heart you have done to the house of Ahab—sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” In the Hebrew text the Lord’s statement is one long sentence (with a parenthesis). The translation above divides it into shorter sentences for stylistic reasons. Jehu ruled over Israel from approximately 841–814 b.c. Four of his descendants (Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah) ruled from approximately 814–753 b.c. The dynasty came to an end when Shallum assassinated Zechariah in 753 b.c. See 2 Kgs 15:8–12.
58 Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart.”
59 Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.”
60 Heb “began to cut off Israel.”
61 Heb “Hazael struck them down in all the territory of Israel, from the Jordan on the east.” In the Hebrew text the phrase “from the Jordan on the east” begins v. 33.
62 Heb “all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassehites, from Aroer which is near the Arnon Valley, and Gilead, and Bashan.”
63 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehu, and all which he did and all his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
64 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
65 For location see ; ; ; ; .
1 Heb “she arose and she destroyed all the royal offspring.” The verb קוּם (qum) “arise,” is here used in an auxiliary sense to indicate that she embarked on a campaign to destroy the royal offspring. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
2 Heb “stole.”
3 Heb “him and his nurse in an inner room of beds.” The verb is missing in the Hebrew text. The parallel passage in 2 Chr 22:11 has “and she put” at the beginning of the clause. M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [], ) regard the Chronicles passage as an editorial attempt to clarify the difficulty of the original text. They prefer to take “him and his nurse” as objects of the verb “stole” and understand “in the bedroom” as the place where the royal descendants were executed. The phrase בַּחֲדַר הַמִּטּוֹת (bakhadar hammittot), “an inner room of beds,” is sometimes understood as referring to a bedroom ( חֶדֶר), though some prefer to see here a “room where the covers and cloths were kept for the beds ( מִטָּת). In either case, it may have been a temporary hideout, for v. 3 indicates that the child hid in the temple for six years.
4 Heb “and they hid him from Athaliah and he was not put to death.” The subject of the plural verb (“they hid”) is probably indefinite.
5 Heb “and he was with her [in] the house of the Lord hiding.”
6 Heb “Jehoiada sent and took.”
7 The Carians were apparently a bodyguard, probably comprised of foreigners. See כָּרִי and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
8 Heb “the runners.”
9 Heb “he brought them to himself.”
10 Or “covenant.”
11 Heb “the gate of Sur” (followed by many English versions) but no such gate is mentioned elsewhere in the OT. The parallel account in 2 Chr 23:5 has “Foundation Gate.” סוּר (sur), “Sur,” may be a corruption of יְסוֹד (yésod) “foundation,” involving in part dalet-resh confusion.
12 Heb “the runners.”
13 The meaning of מַסָּח (massakh) is not certain. The translation above, rather than understanding it as a genitive modifying “house,” takes it as an adverb describing how the groups will guard the palace. See מַסָּח for the proposed meaning “alternating” (i.e., “in turns”).
14 Verses 5b–7 read literally, “the third of you, the ones entering [on] the Sabbath and the ones guarding the guard of the house of the king, and the third in the gate of Sur, and the third in the gate behind the runners, and you will guard the guard of the house, alternating. And the two units of you, all the ones going out [on] the Sabbath, and they will guard the guard of the house of the Lord for the king.” The precise meaning of this text is impossible to determine. It would appear that the Carians and royal bodyguard were divided into three units. One unit would serve during the Sabbath; the other two would be off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada divided the first unit into three groups and assigned them different locations. The two off duty units were assigned the task of guarding the king.
15 Heb “and be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.”
16 Heb “according to all that.”
17 Heb “came.”
18 Heb “the runners” (also in v. 19).
19 Heb “and the runners stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
20 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain. See the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), . Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant. See עֵדוּת.
22 Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
23 The reads, “and Athaliah heard the sound of the runners, the people.” The term הָעָם (ha’am), “the people,” is probably a scribal addition anticipating the reference to the people later in the verse and in v. 14.
24 Heb “she came to the people.”
25 Heb “and she saw, and look.”
26 Or “conspiracy, conspiracy.”
27 The Hebrew text also has, “and said to them.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated.
28 Heb “ranks.”
29 Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.’ ”
30 Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went the way of the entrance of the horses [into] the house of the king.”
31 Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and [between] the king and [between] the people, to become a people for the Lord, and between the king and [between] the people.” The final words of the verse (“and between the king and [between] the people”) are probably accidentally repeated from earlier in the verse. They do not appear in the parallel account in 2 Chr 23:16. If retained, they probably point to an agreement governing how the king and people should relate to one another.
32 Or “tore down.”
33 Or “images.”
34 The Hebrew construction translated “smashed … to bits” is emphatic. The adverbial infinitive absolute (הֵיטֵב [hetev], “well”) accompanying the Piel form of the verb שָׁבַר (shavar), “break,” suggests thorough demolition.
35 Heb “the priest.” Jehoiada’s name is added for clarification.
36 Heb “the Gate of the Runners of the House of the King.”
37 Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 Beginning with 11:21, the verse numbers through 12:21 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (), with 11:21 = 12:1 , 12:1 = 12:2 , 12:2 = 12:3 , etc., through 12:21 = 12:22 . With 13:1 the verse numbers in the and are again the same.
39 Jehoash is an alternate name for Joash (see 11:2).