^9:25Jehu ordered⁵⁴ his officer Bidkar, “Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, ^9:26‘ “Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday,” says the Lord, “and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land,”⁵⁵ says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.”⁵⁶

^9:27When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off⁵⁷ up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam.⁵⁸ He fled to Megiddo⁵⁹ and died there. ^9:28His servants took his body⁶⁰ back to Jerusalem⁶¹ and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David. ^9:29Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.

^9:30Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner,⁶² fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. ^9:31When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?”⁶³^9:32He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three⁶⁴ eunuchs looked down at him. ^9:33He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground,⁶⁵ her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her.⁶⁶^9:34He went inside and had a meal.⁶⁷ Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.”⁶⁸^9:35But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but⁶⁹ the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. ^9:36When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned,⁷⁰ ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. ^9:37Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’ ”⁷¹

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Footnotes

54 Heb “said to.”
55 Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”
56 Heb “according to the word of the Lord.”
57 Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”
58 After Jehu’s order (“kill him too”), the has simply, “to the chariot in the ascent of Gur which is near Ibleam.” The main verb in the clause, “they shot him” (וַיִּכְהוּ, vayyikhhu), has been accidentally omitted by virtual haplography/homoioteleuton. Note that the immediately preceding form הַכֻּהוּ (hakkuhu), “shoot him,” ends with the same suffix.
59 For location see ; ; ; ; .
60 Heb “drove him.”
61 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
62 Heb “she fixed her eyes with antimony.” Antimony (פּוּךְ, pukh) was used as a cosmetic. The narrator portrays her as a prostitute (see Jer 4:30), a role she has played in the spiritual realm (see the note at v. ).
63 Jezebel associates Jehu with another assassin, Zimri, who approximately 44 years before had murdered King Elah, only to meet a violent death just a few days later (1 Kgs 16:9–20). On the surface Jezebel’s actions seem contradictory. On the one hand, she beautifies herself as if to seduce Jehu, but on the other hand, she insults and indirectly threatens him with this comparison to Zimri. Upon further reflection, however, her actions reveal a clear underlying motive. She wants to retain her power, not to mention her life. By beautifying herself, she appeals to Jehu’s sexual impulses; by threatening him, she reminds him that he is in the same precarious position as Zimri. But, if he makes Jezebel his queen, he can consolidate his power. In other words through her actions and words Jezebel is saying to Jehu, “You desire me, don’t you? And you need me!”
64 Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.
65 The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
66 Heb “and he trampled her.”
67 Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”
68 Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”
69 Heb “they did not find her, except for.”
70 Heb “It is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying.”
71 Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’ ”