Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed 1 ULT Now to Ahab{ were} 70 sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and he sent{ them}{ to} Samaria, to the commanders of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, 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 ULT “And now, when this letter comes to you, and the sons of your master{ are} with you, and chariotry and horses and a fortified city and weapon{ are} with you, 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 ULT then you shall look for the good and right{ one} from the sons of your master, and you shall set{ him} on the throne of his father, and you shall 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 ULT And they were very, very afraid, and they said,“Behold, two kings did not stand to his face, so we, how will we stand?” BSB BSB: But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
5 ULT And he who{ was} over the house and he who{ was} over the city and the elders and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying,“We{ are} your servants, and all that you say to us, we will do. We will not make a man king. Do the good in your 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 ULT And he wrote a second letter to them, saying,“If you{ are} for me and you are listening to my voice, take the heads of the men of the sons of your master and come to me at{ this} time tomorrow in Jezreel.” Now the sons of the king{ were} 70 men, with the great{ ones} of the city raising them. 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 ULT And it happened when the letter came to them that they took the sons of the king and slaughtered 70 men. And they put their heads in baskets and sent{ them} to him in Jezreel. 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 ULT And a messenger came and declared to him, saying,“They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And he said,“Put them{ in} two piles{ at} the entrance of the gate until 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 ULT And it happened in the morning that he went out and stood, and he said to all of the people,“You{ are} righteous. Behold, I, I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck all of 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 ULT Know then that nothing from the word of Yahweh that Yahweh spoke about the house of Ahab has fallen to the ground. For Yahweh has done what he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.” 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 ULT And Jehu struck everyone remaining to the house of Ahab in Jezreel and all of his great{ ones} and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left to him no survivor. 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 ULT And he arose and came. And he was going{ to} Samaria, he{ was in} Beth Eked of the Shepherds on the way, BSB BSB: Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
13 ULT and Jehu found the brothers of Ahaziah, the king of Judah. And he said,“Who{ are} you?” And they said,“We{ are} the brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down for the welfare of the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 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 ULT And he said,“Seize them alive!” And they seized them alive, and they slaughtered them at the pit of Beth Eked, 42 men, and he did not leave a man from 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 ULT And he went from there, and he found Jehonadab, the son of Recab, to meet him. And he blessed him, and he said to him,“Is your heart right, just as my heart{ is} with your heart?” And Jehonadab said,“It is.”“If it is, give your hand.” And he gave his hand. Then he lifted him to himself 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 ULT And he said,“Come with me and see my zeal for Yahweh.” And they caused him to ride 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 ULT And he entered Samaria, and he struck everyone remaining to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him, according to the word of Yahweh that he spoke to Elijah. 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 ULT And Jehu gathered all of the people, and he said to them,“Ahab served Baal a little. Jehu will 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 ULT And now, call to me all of the prophets of Baal, all of his servants, and all of his priests. Let not a man be missing, for a great sacrifice{ is} to me for Baal. Everyone who is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting with cunning in order to 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 ULT And Jehu said,“Consecrate a solemn assembly for Baal.” And they proclaimed. BSB BSB: And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
21 ULT And Jehu sent into all of Israel, and all of the servants of Baal came, and a man was not left who had not come. And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth. 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 ULT And he said to him who{ was} over the wardrobe,“Bring out clothing for all of the servants of Baal.” And he brought out to them the vestment. 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 ULT And Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab, the son of Recab, and he said to the servants of Baal,“Search and see that there are not with you here from the servants of Yahweh, but only servants of Baal.” 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 ULT And they came in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself 80 men outside, and he had said,“The man who escapes from the men whom I am bringing into your hands, his life in place of 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 ULT And it happened, when he finished making the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the runners and to the captains,“Go, strike them! Let not a man go out!” And they struck them to the mouth of the sword, and the runners and the captains threw{ them}, and they 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 ULT And they brought out the pillars of the house of Baal, and they burned it. BSB BSB: They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.
Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins 28 ULT So Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. BSB BSB: Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel,
29 ULT Only the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, Jehu did not turn away from after them, the calves of gold that{ were in} Bethel and that{ were} 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 ULT And Yahweh said to Jehu,“Because you did well by doing right in my eyes, according to all that{ was} in my heart you did to the house of Ahab, sons of the fourth will sit for you on 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 ULT But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all of his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, who caused 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 ULT from the Jordan from the rising of the sun, all of the land of Gilead, the Gadite and the Reubenite and the Manassite, from Aroer, which{ is} near the valley of Arnon, and Gilead and Bashan. 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 ULT Now the rest of the matters of Jehu and all that he did and all of his might, are they not written in the book of the matters of the days 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 ULT And Jehu lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. BSB BSB: And Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place.
36 ULT And the days that Jehu had reigned over Israel{ were} 28 years in Samaria. BSB BSB: So the duration of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.