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1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu 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 Ahab, saying,
2 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,
3 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.
4 And they feared greatly, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: and how shall we stand?
5 So they that were over the house, and they that were over the city, and the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, 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.
6 And Jehu 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 tomorrow in Jezreel. Now the sons of the king were seventy men; these great men of the city brought them up.
7 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 Jezreel.
8 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.
9 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?
10 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 Ahab: for the Lord has performed all that he spoke of by the hand of his servant Elijah.
11 And Jehu smote all that were left of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, so as not to leave him any remnant.
12 And he arose and went to Samaria, and he was in the house of sheepshearing in the way.
13 And Jehu found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they said, We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and we have come down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.
14 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.
15 And he went thence and found Jonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and Jehu said to him, Is thy heart right with my heart, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jonadab said, It is. And Jehu 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.
16 And he said to him, Come with me, and see me zealous for the Lord. And he caused him to sit in his chariot.
17 And he entered into Samaria, and smote all that were left of Ahab in Samaria, until he had utterly destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu shall serve him much.
19 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; everyone who shall be missing shall die. But Jehu did it in subtlety, that he might destroy the servants of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn festival to Baal, and they made a proclamation.
21 And Jehu 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.
22 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.
23 And Jehu 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.
24 And he went in to offer sacrifices and whole burnt offerings; and Jehu 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.
25 And it came to pass, when he had finished offering the whole burnt offering, that Jehu 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.
26 And they brought out the pillar of Baal, and burned it.
27 And they tore down the pillars of Baal, and made his house a draughthouse until this day.
28 So Jehu abolished Baal out of Israel.
29 Nevertheless Jehu departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin: these were the golden heifers in Bethel and in Dan.
30 And the Lord said to Jehu, 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 Ahab as they were in my heart, thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.
31 But Jehu 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.
32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Hazael smote them in every coast of Israel;
33 from Jordan eastward all the land of Gilead belonging to the Gadites, of Gad and that of Reuben, and of Manasseh, from Aroer, which is on the brink of the brook of Arnon, and Gilead and Bashan.
34 And the rest of the acts of Jehu, 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?
35 And Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
36 And the days which Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.