2Kings 10:1 - Prayer Tents

The Descendants of Ahab Are Killed

10There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city, to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab's descendants. The letter read:H256H7657H1121H8111H3058H3789H5612H7971H8111H8269H3157H2205H539H256H559

2"You are in charge of the king's descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities. So then, as soon as you receive this letter,H5612H935H113H1121H7393H5483H4013H5892H5402

3you are to choose the best qualified of the king's descendants, make him king, and fight to defend him."H7200H2896H3477H113H1121H7760H1H3678H3898H113H1004

4The rulers of Samaria were terrified. "How can we oppose Jehu," they said, "when neither King Joram nor King Ahaziah could?"H3966H3966H3372H559H8147H4428H5975H6440H5975

5So the officer in charge of the palace and the official in charge of the city, together with the leading citizens and the guardians, sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants, and we are ready to do anything you say. But we will not make anyone king; do whatever you think best."H1004H5892H2205H539H7971H3058H559H5650H6213H559H376H4427H6213H2896H5869

6Jehu wrote them another letter: "If you are with me and are ready to follow my orders, bring the heads of King Ahab's descendants to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." The seventy descendants of King Ahab were under the care of the leading citizens of Samaria, who were bringing them up.H3789H5612H8145H559H8085H6963H3947H7218H582H113H1121H935H3157H4279H6256H4428H1121H7657H376H1419H5892H1431

7When Jehu's letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.H5612H935H3947H4428H1121H7819H7657H376H7760H7218H1731H7971H3157

8When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab's descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning.H935H4397H5046H559H935H7218H4428H1121H559H7760H8147H6652H6607H8179H1242

9In the morning he went out to the gate and said to the people who were there, "I was the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him; you are not responsible for that. But who killed all these?H1242H3318H5975H559H5971H6662H7194H113H2026H5221

10This proves that everything that the LORD said about the descendants of Ahab will come true. The LORD has done what he promised through his prophet Elijah."H3045H645H5307H776H1697H3068H3068H1696H1004H256H3068H6213H1696H3027H5650H452

11Then Jehu put to death all the other relatives of Ahab living in Jezreel, and all his officers, close friends, and priests; not one of them was left alive.H3058H5221H7604H1004H256H3157H1419H3045H3548H7604H8300

The Relatives of King Ahaziah Are Killed

12Jehu left Jezreel to go to Samaria. On the way, at a place called "Shepherds' Camp,"H6965H935H3212H8111H7462H1004H1044H1870

13he met some relatives of the late King Ahaziah of Judah and asked them, "Who are you?" "Ahaziah's relatives," they answered. "We are going to Jezreel to pay our respects to the children of Queen Jezebel and to the rest of the royal family."H3058H4672H251H274H4428H3063H559H559H251H274H3381H7965H1121H4428H1121H1377

14Jehu ordered his men, "Take them alive!" They seized them, and he put them to death near a pit there. There were forty-two people in all, and not one of them was left alive.H559H8610H2416H8610H2416H7819H953H1044H8147H705H376H7604H376

All Remaining Relatives of Ahab Are Killed

15Jehu started out again, and on his way he was met by Jonadab son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said, "You and I think alike. Will you support me?" "I will," Jonadab answered. "Give me your hand, then," Jehu replied. They clasped hands, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot,H3212H4672H3082H1121H7394H7125H1288H559H3426H3824H3477H3824H3824H3082H559H3426H5414H3027H5414H3027H5927H4818

16saying, "Come with me and see for yourself how devoted I am to the LORD." And they rode on together to Samaria.H559H3212H7200H7068H3068H7392H7393

17When they arrived there, Jehu killed all of Ahab's relatives, not sparing even one. This is what the LORD had told Elijah would happen.H935H8111H5221H7604H256H8111H8045H1697H3068H1696H452

The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed

18Jehu called the people of Samaria together and said, "King Ahab served the god Baal a little, but I will serve him much more.H3058H6908H5971H6908H559H256H5647H1168H4592H3058H5647H7235

19Call together all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. No one is excused; I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and whoever is not present will be put to death." (This was a trick on the part of Jehu by which he meant to kill all the worshipers of Baal.)H7121H5030H1168H5647H3548H376H6485H1419H2077H1168H6485H2421H3058H6213H6122H6H5647H1168

20Then Jehu ordered, "Proclaim a day of worship in honor of Baal!" The proclamation was made,H3058H559H6942H6116H1168H7121

21and Jehu sent word throughout all the land of Israel. All who worshiped Baal came; not one of them failed to come. They all went into the temple of Baal, filling it from one end to the other.H3058H7971H3478H5647H1168H935H376H7604H935H935H1004H1168H1004H1168H4390H6310H6310

22Then Jehu ordered the priest in charge of the sacred robes to bring the robes out and give them to the worshipers.H559H4458H3318H3830H5647H1168H3318H4403

23After that, Jehu himself went into the temple with Jonadab son of Rechab and said to the people there, "Make sure that only worshipers of Baal are present and that no worshiper of the LORD has come in."H3058H935H3082H1121H7394H1004H1168H559H5647H1168H2664H7200H3426H5650H3068H5647H1168

24Then he and Jonadab went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. He had stationed eighty men outside the temple and had instructed them: "You are to kill all these people; anyone who lets one of them escape will pay for it with his life!"H935H6213H2077H5930H3058H7760H8084H376H2351H559H376H582H935H3027H4422H5315H5315

25As soon as Jehu had presented the offerings, he said to the guards and officers, "Go in and kill them all; don't let anyone escape!" They went in with drawn swords, killed them all, and dragged the bodies outside. Then they went on into the inner sanctuary of the temple,H3615H6213H5930H3058H559H7323H7991H935H5221H376H3318H5221H6310H2719H7323H7991H7993H3212H5892H1004H1168

26brought out the sacred pillar that was there, and burned it.H3318H4676H1004H1168H8313

27So they destroyed the sacred pillar and the temple, and turned the temple into a latrine - which it still is today.H5422H4676H1168H5422H1004H1168H7760H4163H4280H3117

28That was how Jehu wiped out the worship of Baal in Israel.H3058H8045H1168H3478

29But he imitated the sin of King Jeroboam, who led Israel into the sin of worshiping the gold bull-calves he set up in Bethel and in Dan.H2399H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398H3058H5493H310H2091H5695H1008H1835

30The LORD said to Jehu, "You have done to Ahab's descendants everything I wanted you to do. So I promise you that your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel."H3068H559H3058H2895H6213H3477H5869H6213H1004H256H3824H1121H7243H3427H3678H3478

31But Jehu did not obey with all his heart the Law of the LORD, the God of Israel; instead, he followed the example of Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.H3058H8104H3212H8451H3068H430H3478H3824H5493H2403H3379H3478H2398

The Death of Jehu

32At that time the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territoryH3117H3068H2490H7096H3478H7096H2371H5221H1366H3478

33east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River - this included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.H3383H4217H8121H776H1568H1425H7206H4520H6177H5158H769H1568H1316

34Everything else that Jehu did, including his brave deeds, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H3058H6213H1369H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478

35He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king.H3058H7901H1H6912H8111H3059H1121H4427

36Jehu had ruled in Samaria as king of Israel for twenty-eight years.H3117H3058H4427H3478H8111H6242H8083H8141