2 Kings 10–12

CHAPTER 10

The Heads of Ahab’s Sons Sent to Jehu

¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^aSamaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying,

²“So now, ^awhen this letter comes to you, ¹since your master’s sons are with you, ²as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons,

³look for the best and ¹fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴But they feared exceedingly greatly and said, “Behold, ^athe two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?”

⁵And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^aWe are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.”

⁶Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me about this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.

⁷Now it happened that when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^aslaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel.

⁸Then the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” So he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

⁹Now it happened in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous; behold, ^aI conspired against my master and killed him, but ^bwho struck down all these?

¹⁰“Know then that ^anothing from the word of Yahweh, which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall fall to the earth. Indeed, Yahweh has done ^bwhat He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.”

¹¹So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^aJezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until ¹there was no survivor remaining for him.

¹²Then he arose and came out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at ¹Beth-eked of the shepherds,

^13aJehu found the ¹relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the ²relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down ³to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

¹⁴Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

¹⁵Then he went from there and found ^aJehonadab the son of ^bRechab coming to meet him; and he ¹blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ²answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^cgive me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.

¹⁶Then he said, “Come with me and ^asee my zeal for Yahweh.” So ¹he made him ride in his chariot.

¹⁷And he came to Samaria ^aand struck down all who were left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, ^baccording to the word of Yahweh which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys the Slaves of Baal

¹⁸Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^aAhab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.

¹⁹“So now, ^asummon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his slaves and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in ¹cunning, so that he might cause the slaves of Baal to perish.

²⁰And Jehu said, “^aSanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^bthey summoned them.

²¹Then Jehu sent ¹throughout Israel, and all the slaves of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into ^athe house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

²²Then he said to the one who was ¹in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the slaves of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.

²³And Jehu came into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the slaves of Baal, “Search and see lest there be here with you any of the slaves of Yahweh, but only the slaves of Baal.”

²⁴Then they came in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had placed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^aThe one who permits any of the men whom I cause to come into your hands to escape, ¹shall give up his life in exchange.”

²⁵Now it happened that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the ^1aguard and to the royal officers, “^bCome in, strike them down; let none come out.” And they struck them down with the edge of the sword; and the ²guard and the royal officers threw them out and went to the ³inner room of the house of Baal.

²⁶And they brought out the sacred ^apillars of the house of Baal and burned them.

²⁷They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal and ^amade it a latrine to this day.

²⁸Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

²⁹However, ^aas for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the ^bgolden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.

³⁰And Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, ^ayour sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”

³¹But Jehu ^1awas not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^bhe did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

³²In those days ^aYahweh began to cut off portions ¹from Israel; and ^bHazael struck them throughout the territory of Israel:

³³from the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ^aAroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even ^bGilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Reigns over Israel

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

³⁵And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.

³⁶Now the ¹time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

CHAPTER 11

Athaliah Reigns over Judah

^1aNow Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and caused all the royal seed to perish.

²But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, ^atook Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.

³So he was hidden away with her in the house of Yahweh six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

^4aNow in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for and took the commanders of hundreds of ^bthe Carites and of the ¹guard, and brought them to him in the house of Yahweh. Then he cut a covenant with them and had them swear in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king’s son.

⁵And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: ^aone-third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house

⁶(one-third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the ¹guards), ²shall keep watch over the house for defense.

⁷“And two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of Yahweh for the king.

⁸“And you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And ^abe with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹So the commanders of hundreds ^adid according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

^10aThen the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of Yahweh.

¹¹And the ¹guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right ²side of the house to the left ³side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.

¹²Then he brought the king’s son out and ^aput the crown on him and gave him ^bthe testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “^cLong live the king!”

^13aThen Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, and she came to the people in the house of Yahweh.

¹⁴And she looked, and behold, the king was standing ^aby the pillar, according to the custom, with the commanders and the ¹trumpeters beside the king; and ^ball the people of the land were glad and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah ^ctore her clothes and cried, “^dTreason! Treason!”

¹⁵And Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of hundreds who were appointed over the military force and said to them, “Bring her out ¹between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of Yahweh.”

¹⁶So they ¹laid hands on her, and she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house and was ^aput to death there.

¹⁷Then ^aJehoiada cut a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that they would be the people of Yahweh, also ^bbetween the king and the people.

¹⁸And all the people of the land came to ^athe house of Baal and tore it down; ^bhis altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and they ^ckilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed ¹overseers over the house of Yahweh.

¹⁹And he took the commanders of hundreds and the ^aCarites and the ¹guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh, and came by the way of ^bthe gate of the ²guards to the king’s house. And he sat on…