Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed 1 Brenton And Achaab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Ju wrote a letter, and sent it into Samaria to the rulers of Samaria, and to the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Achaab, saying, BSB BSB: Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying:
2 Brenton Now then, as soon as this letter shall have reached you, whereas there are with you the sons of your master, and with you chariots and horses, and strong cities, and arms, BSB BSB: “When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry,
3 Brenton do ye accordingly look out the best and fittest among your master's sons, and set him on the throne of his father, and fight for the house of your master. BSB BSB: select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
4 Brenton And they feared greatly, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: and how shall we stand? BSB BSB: But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
5 Brenton So they that were over the house, and they that were over the city, and the elders and the guardians, sent to Ju, saying, We also are thy servants, and whatsoever thou shalt say to us we will do; we will not make any man king: we will do that which is right in thine eyes. BSB BSB: So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
6 Brenton And Ju wrote them a second letter, saying, If ye are for me, and hearken to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and bring them to me at this time to-morrow in Jezrael. Now the sons of the king were seventy men; these great men of the city brought them up. BSB BSB: Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.
7 Brenton And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezrael. BSB BSB: And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
8 Brenton And 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 by the door of the gate until the morning. BSB BSB: When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 Brenton And the morning came, and he went forth, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? BSB BSB: The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?
10 Brenton See now that there shall not fall to the ground anything of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke against the house of Achaab: for the Lord has performed all that he spoke of by the hand of his servant Eliu. BSB BSB: Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.”
11 Brenton And Ju smote all that were left of the house of Achaab in Jezrael, and all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, so as not to leave him any remnant. BSB BSB: So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.
12 Brenton And he arose and went to Samaria, and he was in the house of sheep-shearing in the way. BSB BSB: Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
13 Brenton And Ju found the brethren of Ochozias king of Juda, and said, Who are ye? And they said, We are the brethren of Ochozias, and we have come down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen. BSB BSB: Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” “We are relatives of Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother.”
14 Brenton And he said, Take them alive. And they slew them at the shearing-house, forty and two men: he left not a man of them. BSB BSB: Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.
15 Brenton And he went thence and found Jonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and Ju said to him, Is thy heart right with my heart, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jonadab said, It is. And Ju said, If it is then, give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. BSB BSB: When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,
16 Brenton And he said to him, Come with me, and see me zealous for the Lord. And he caused him to sit in his chariot. BSB BSB: saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride in his chariot.
17 Brenton And he entered into Samaria, and smote all that were left of Achaab in Samaria, until he had utterly destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Eliu. BSB BSB: When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.
Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal 18 Brenton And Ju gathered all the people, and said to them, Achaab served Baal a little; Ju shall serve him much. BSB BSB: Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.
19 Brenton Now then do all ye the prophets of Baal call all his servants and his priests to me; let not a man be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal; every one who shall be missing shall die. But Ju did it in subtilty, that he might destroy the servants of Baal. BSB BSB: Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.
20 Brenton And Ju said, Sanctify a solemn festival to Baal, and they made a proclamation. BSB BSB: And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
21 Brenton And Ju sent throughout all Israel, saying, Now then let all Baal's servants, and all his priests, and all his prophets come , let none be lacking: for I am going to offer a great sacrifice; whosoever shall be missing, shall not live. So all the servants of Baal came, and all his priests, and all his prophets: there was not one left who came not. And they entered into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. BSB BSB: Then Jehu sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; there was not a man who failed to show. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled from end to end.
22 Brenton And he said to the man who was over the house of the wardrobe, Bring forth a robe for all the servants of Baal. And the keeper of the robes brought forth to them. BSB BSB: And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.
23 Brenton And Ju and Jonadab the son of Rechab entered into the house of Baal, and said to the servants of Baal, Search, and see whether there is among you any of the servants of the Lord, or only the servants of Baal, by themselves. BSB BSB: Next, Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around to see that there are no servants of the LORD here among you—only servants of Baal.”
24 Brenton And he went in to offer sacrifices and whole-burnt-offerings; and Ju set for himself eighty men without, and said, Every man who shall escape of the men whom I bring into your hand, the life of him that spares him shall go for his life. BSB BSB: And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.”
25 Brenton And it came to pass, when he had finished offering the whole-burnt-offering, that Ju said to the footmen and the officers, Go ye in and slay them; let not a man of them escape. So they smote them with the edge of the sword, and the footmen and the officers cast the bodies forth, and went to the city of the house of Baal. BSB BSB: When he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Do not let anyone out.” So the guards and officers put them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
26 Brenton And they brought out the pillar of Baal, and burnt it. BSB BSB: They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.
Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins 28 Brenton So Ju abolished Baal out of Israel. BSB BSB: Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel,
29 Brenton Nevertheless Ju departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who led Israel to sin: these were the golden heifers in Bæthel and in Dan. BSB BSB: but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
30 Brenton And the Lord said to Ju, Because of all thy deeds wherein thou hast acted well in doing that which was right in my eyes, according to all things which thou hast done to the house of Achaab as they were in my heart, thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
31 Brenton But Ju took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: he departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. BSB BSB: Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
33 Brenton from Jordan eastward all the land of Galaad belonging to the Gadites, of Gaddi and that of Ruben, and of Manasses, from Aroer, which is on the brink of the brook of Arnon, and Galaad and Basan. BSB BSB: from the Jordan eastward through all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.
Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel 34 Brenton And the rest of the acts of Ju, and all that he did, and all his might, and the wars wherein he engaged, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Jehu, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
35 Brenton And Ju slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joachaz his son reigned in his stead. BSB BSB: And Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place.
36 Brenton And the days which Ju reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria. BSB BSB: So the duration of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
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