⁶Then Jehu wrote them a second letter. It said, “You say you are on my side. You say you will obey me. If you really mean it, bring me the heads of your master’s sons. Meet me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

There were 70 royal princes. They were with the most important men of the city. Those men were in charge of raising them. ⁷When Jehu’s letter arrived, the men went and got the princes. They killed all 70 of them. They put their heads in baskets. Then they sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.

⁸When the messenger arrived, he spoke to Jehu. He told him, “The heads of the princes have been brought here.”

Then Jehu ordered his men, “Put them in two piles. Stack them up at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

⁹The next morning Jehu went out. He stood in front of all of the people. He said, “You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. I’m the one who made plans against my master Joram. I killed him. But who killed all of these? ¹⁰I want you to know that the Lord has spoken against Ahab’s royal house. Not a word of what he has said will fail. The Lord has done exactly what he promised through his servant Elijah.”

¹¹So Jehu killed everyone from Ahab’s family who was in Jezreel. He also killed all of Ahab’s chief men. And he killed Ahab’s close friends and his priests. He didn’t leave anyone in Ahab’s family alive.

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