10:1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote
letters, and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the
elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's [children], saying,
10:2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your
master's sons [are] with you, and [there are] with you chariots
and horses, a fortified city also, and armor;
10:3 Look out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and
set [him] on his father's throne, and fight for your master's
house.
10:4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two
kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
10:5 And he that [was] over the house, and he that [was] over
the city, the elders also, and those who brought up [the
children], sent to Jehu, saying, We [are] thy servants, and
will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king:
do thou [that which is] good in thy eyes.
10:6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, if
ye [are] mine, and [if] ye will hearken to my voice, take ye
the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to
Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons [being]
seventy persons, [were] with the great men of the city, who
brought them up.
10:7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that
they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put
their heads in baskets, and sent [them] to him to Jezreel.
10:8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have
brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them
in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
10:9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, 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?
10:10 Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the
word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of
Ahab; for the LORD hath done [that] which he spoke by his
servant Elijah.
10:11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in
Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsmen, and his
priests, until he left him none remaining.
10:12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. [And] as
he [was] at the shearing-house in the way,
10:13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and
said, Who [are] ye? And they answered, We [are] the brethren of
Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and
the children of the queen.
10:14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive,
and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, [even] two and
forty men; neither left he any of them.
10:15 And when he had departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab
the son of Rechab [coming] to meet him: and he saluted him, and
said to him, Is thy heart right, as my heart [is] with thy
heart; And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it is, give [me] thy
hand. And he gave [him] his hand; and he took him up to him
into the chariot.
10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.
So they made him ride in his chariot.
10:17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained to
Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the
saying of the LORD, which he spoke to Elijah.
10:18 And Jehu convened all the people, and said to them, Ahab
served Baal a little; [but] Jehu shall serve him much.
10:19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his
servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have
a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal: whoever shall be wanting, he
shall not live. But Jehu did [it] in subtilty, to the intent
that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.
10:20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And
they proclaimed [it].
10:21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshipers
of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not.
And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was
full from one end to another.
10:22 And he said to him that [was] over the vestry, Bring forth
vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. And he brought them
forth vestments.
10:23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the
house of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, Search, and
look that there are here with you none of the servants of the
LORD, but the worshipers of Baal only.
10:24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and
burnt-offerings, Jehu appointed eighty men without, and said,
[If] any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape,
[he that letteth him go], his life [shall be] for the life of
him.
10:25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of
offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to
the captains, Go in, [and] slay them; let none come forth. And
they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and
the captains cast [them] out, and went to the city of the house
of Baal.
10:26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of
Baal, and burned them.
10:27 And they broke down the image of Baal, and broke down the
house of Baal, and made it a draught-house to this day.
10:28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
10:29 Yet [from] the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made
Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, [to wit], the
golden calves that [were] in Beth-el, and that [were] in Dan.
10:30 And the LORD said to Jehu, Because thou hast done well in
executing [that which is] right in my eyes, [and] hast done to
the house of Ahab according to all that [was] in my heart, thy
children of the fourth [generation] shall sit on the throne of
Israel.
10:31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God
of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins
of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.
10:32 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and
Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel;
10:33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites,
and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which [is]
by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
10:34 Now 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?
10:35 And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in
Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
10:36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria
[was] twenty and eight years.
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