The Second Book of The Kings

2Ki 10:1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Sama´-ri-a. And Je´-hu wrote letters, and sent to Sa-ma´-ri-a, unto the rulers of Jez´-re-el, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying,

2Ki 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 fenced city also, and armour;

2Ki 10:3 Look even 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.

2Ki 10:4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?

2Ki 10:5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Je´-hu, 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 thine eyes.

2Ki 10:6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jez´re-el by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.

2Ki 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 him them to Jez´-re-el.

2Ki 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 entering in of the gate until the morning.

2Ki 10:9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?

2Ki 10:10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which He spake by His servant E-li´-jah.

2Ki 10:11 So Je´-hu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jez´-re-el, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

2Ki 10:12 And he arose and departed, and came to Sa-ma´-ri-a. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,

2Ki 10:13 Je´-hu met with the brethren of A-ha-zi´-ah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of A-ha-zi´-ah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

2Ki 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.

2Ki 10:15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Je-hon´-a-dab the son of Re´-chab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Je-hon´-a-dab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

2Ki 10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot.

2Ki 10:17 And when he came to Sa-ma´-ria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Sa-ma´-ri-a, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which He spake to E-li´-jah.

2Ki 10:18 And Je´-hu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Ba´-al a little; but Je´-hu shall serve him much.

2Ki 10:19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Ba´-al, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Ba´-al; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Je´-hu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Ba´-al.

2Ki 10:20 And Je´-hu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Ba´-al. And they proclaimed it.

2Ki 10:21 And Je´-hu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Ba´-al came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Ba´-al; and the house of Ba´al was full from one end to another.

2Ki 10:22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Ba´al. And he brought them forth vestments.

2Ki 10:23 And Je´-hu went, and Je-hon´-adab the son of Re´-chab, into the house of Ba´-al, and said unto the worshippers of Ba´-al, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Ba´-al only.

2Ki 10:24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Je´-hu appointed fourscore 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.

2Ki 10:25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Je´-hu 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 Ba´-al.

2Ki 10:26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Ba´-al, and burned them.

2Ki 10:27 And they brake down the image of Ba´-al, and brake down the house of Ba´-al, and made it a draught house unto this day.

2Ki 10:28 Thus Je´-hu destroyed Ba´-al out of Israel.

2Ki 10:29 Howbeit from the sins of Jer-obo´-am the son of Ne´-bat, who made Israel to sin, Je´-hu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth´–el, and that were in Dan.

2Ki 10:30 And the Lord said unto Je´-hu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in Mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

2Ki 10:31 But Je´-hu 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 Jer-o-bo´-am, which made Israel to sin.

2Ki 10:32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Haz´-a-el smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

2Ki 10:33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gil´-e-ad, the Gad´-ites, and the Reu´-ben-ites, and the Ma-nas´sites, from Ar´-o-er, which is by the river Arnon, even Gil´-e-ad and Ba´shan.

2Ki 10:34 Now the rest of the acts of Je´-hu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2Ki 10:35 And Je´-hu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Sa-ma´ri-a. And Je-ho´-a-haz his son reigned in his stead.

2Ki 10:36 And the time that Je´-hu reigned over Israel in Sa-ma´-ri-a was twenty and eight years.