1 GLT And to Ahab{ belonged} 70 sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and he sent to Samaria, to the captains 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 GLT “And now, when this letter comes to you, and with you{ are} the sons of your lords, and with you{ are} chariot and horses and fortified city and weapon, 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 GLT and you will see the best and the most upright from the sons of your lords, and you will set{ him} on the throne of his father. And fight on behalf of the house of your lords.” 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 GLT And they were very, very afraid, and they said,“Look— the two kings did not stand to his face. And how will we stand ourselves?” BSB BSB: But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
5 GLT And he sent the one who{ was} over the house and the one who{ was} over the city and the elders and the guardian to Jehu, saying,“We{ are} your servants, and all that you say to us we will do. We will not make a person 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 GLT 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 lords and come to me at the time tomorrow to Jezreel.” And the sons of the king{ were} 70 men, with the great ones of the city who were 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 GLT And it happened, when the letter came to them, and they took the sons of the king, and they slaughtered 70 men. And they put their heads in baskets, and they sent{ them} to him, to 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 GLT And the messenger came, and he informed 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 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 GLT And it happened in the morning, and he went out, and he stood, and he said to all the people,“You{ are} righteous. Look— I myself conspired against my lord, and I killed him. But who struck 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 GLT Know then that{ a word} does not fall from the word of Yahweh to the ground that Yahweh has spoken concerning the house of Ahab. And Yahweh has done that which he spoke through 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 GLT And Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel and all his great ones and those who were known{ by} him and his priests without leaving for him a 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 GLT And he got up, and he came, and he went{ to} Samaria. He{ was in} Beth- Eked of the shepherds in the way, BSB BSB: Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
13 GLT 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 came 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 GLT And he said,“Seize them alive!” And they seized them alive, and they slaughtered them near the pit of Beth- Eked— 42 men, and he did not leave over a person 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 GLT 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 there with your heart what is upright, just as my heart{ is} with your heart?” And Jehonadab said,“It is.”“And it is, give your hand.” And he gave his hand, and 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 GLT And he said,“Come with me and see my zeal for Yahweh.” And they had him 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 GLT And he came{ to} Samaria, and he struck all the people who remained of Ahab in Samaria, until he exterminated 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.
18 GLT And Jehu gathered all 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 GLT And now, call to me all the prophets of the Baal— all his servants and all his priests. Do not let a person be missing, for a great sacrifice{ belongs} to me for the Baal. All those who are missing will not live.” However Jehu acted with cunning, in order to destroy the servants of the 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 GLT And Jehu said,“Consecrate a festive assembly for the Baal.” And they called. BSB BSB: And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
21 GLT And Jehu sent in all Israel, and all the servants of the Baal came, and a person was not left over who had not come. And they entered the house of the Baal, and the house of the 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 GLT And he said to the person who{ was} over the wardrobe,“Bring out clothing for all the servants of the Baal.” And he brought out to them the robe. 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 GLT And Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Recab entered the house of the Baal, and he said to the servants of the Baal,“Search and see, lest there be here with you some of the servants of Yahweh, except the servants of the 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 GLT And they entered to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. And Jehu set for himself 80 men outside, and he said,“The man who escapes from the men who I am bringing into your hands— his life in the 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 GLT And it happened, when he finished making the burnt offering, and Jehu said to the runners and to the third{ officers},“Go! Strike them! Do not let a man go out.” And they struck them to{ the} mouth of{ the} sword, and the runners and the third{ officers} threw{ them}, and they went up to the city of the house of the 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 GLT And they brought out the pillars of the house of the Baal, and they burned it. BSB BSB: They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.
28 GLT And Jehu exterminated the Baal from Israel. BSB BSB: Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel,
29 GLT Only the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which caused Israel to sin— Jehu did not turn aside 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 GLT And Yahweh said to Jehu,“Because you did good by doing what is upright in my eyes, according to all that{ is} 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 GLT But Jehu did not take care to walk in the law of Yahweh the God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn aside away from the sins of Jeroboam, which 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 GLT from the Jordan, from the rising of the sun, all 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.
34 GLT But the rest of the words of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might— are they not written on the scroll of the words 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 GLT And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son was king 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 GLT And the days that Jehu was king 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.