2 Kings 10:1–14

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

10Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of ¹Jezreel, to the elders, and to ²those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying:

²Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, ³choose the ³best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.

⁴But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, ^atwo kings could not ⁴stand up to him; how then can we stand?” ⁵And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.” ⁶Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:

If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.

Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. ⁷So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and ^bslaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

⁸Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.”

And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

⁹So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed ^cI conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? ¹⁰Know now that nothing shall ^dfall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke ^eby His servant Elijah.” ¹¹So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Ahaziah’s Forty-Two Brothers Killed

¹²And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at ⁵Beth Eked of the Shepherds, ^13fJehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?”

So they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

¹⁴And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and ^gkilled them at the well of ⁶Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.