Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed
Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons, saying:
“And now, when this letter comes to you — since with you are the sons of your lord, and with you the chariots and the horses, and a fortified city, and the weapons —
look for the best and most upright of the sons of your lord, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for the house of your lord.”
And they were very greatly afraid, and said, “Look — the two kings could not stand before him. How shall we stand?”
And the one over the household, and the one over the city, and the elders, and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying: “We are your servants; all that you say to us we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your eyes.”
And he wrote a second letter to them, saying: “If you are mine and you listen to my voice, take the heads of the men — the sons of your lord — and come to me at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the sons of the king, seventy men, were with the great men of the city, who were raising them.
And it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the sons of the king and slaughtered them — seventy men; and they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
And the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And he said, “Set them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
And it was in the morning that he went out and stood, and said to all the people: “You are righteous. Look — I myself conspired against my lord and killed him; but who struck down all these?
Know then that nothing of the word of the LORD falls to the earth — what the LORD spoke against the house of Ahab. The LORD has done what he spoke by the hand of his servant Elijah.”
And Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his close friends, and his priests — until he left him no survivor.
And he rose and departed and went toward Samaria. He was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds on the way,
when Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down for the peace of the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”
And he said, “Seize them alive.” And they seized them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked — forty-two men; he did not leave a man of them.
And he went from there and found Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart upright, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab said, “It is.” “If it is — give me your hand.” And he gave his hand, and he brought him up to him into the chariot.
And he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” And they had him ride in his chariot.
And he came to Samaria, and struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him — according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to Elijah.
Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal
And Jehu gathered all the people and said to them: “Ahab served the Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.
Now then, call to me all the prophets of the Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no man be missing — for I have a great sacrifice for the Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu was acting with cunning, in order to destroy the servants of the Baal.
And Jehu said, “Consecrate a solemn assembly for the Baal.” And they proclaimed it.
And Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the servants of the Baal came — there was not a man left who did not come. And they came into the house of the Baal, and the house of the Baal was filled from end to end.
And he said to the one over the wardrobe, “Bring out clothing for all the servants of the Baal.” And he brought out the attire for them.
And Jehu came, with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of the Baal; and he said to the servants of the Baal, “Search and see that there is not here with you any of the servants of the LORD — but only servants of the Baal.”
And they came in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and had said, “The man who lets escape any of the men whom I am bringing into your hands — his life for that man’s life.”
And it was, when he finished making the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers, “Come in, strike them down; let no man come out.” And they struck them with the edge of the sword; and the runners and the officers threw them out, and went as far as the city of the house of the Baal.
And they brought out the pillars of the house of the Baal, and burned them.
And they tore down the pillar of the Baal, and tore down the house of the Baal, and made it a latrine — to this day.
Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins
So Jehu destroyed the Baal out of Israel.
Only, from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin, Jehu did not turn aside from following them — the calves of gold that were at Bethel and at Dan.
And the LORD said to Jehu: “Because you have done well in carrying out what is upright in my eyes — according to all that was in my heart you have done to the house of Ahab — sons of the fourth generation shall sit for you on the throne of Israel.”
But Jehu did not take care to walk in the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he caused Israel to sin.
In those days the LORD began to cut Israel down to size; and Hazael struck them throughout all the territory of Israel:
from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead — the Gadite, and the Reubenite, and the Manassite — from Aroer, which is by the ravine of the Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.
Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel
And the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might — are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
And Jehu lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.
And the days that Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years, in Samaria.