2 Kings 10:1–14

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.