2Kings 10 - Prayer Tents



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2Kings 10
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Jehu Kills Ahab’s Family

10Ahab had seventy sons living in the city of Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the elders and officials of the city, and to the guardians of King Ahab's sons. He said,H256H7657H1121H8111H3058H3789H5612H7971H8111H8269H3157H2205H539H256H559 2"The king's sons are with you, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weapons. As soon as you receive this letter,H5612H935H113H1121H7393H5483H4013H5892H5402 3select the best qualified of your master's sons to be your king, and prepare to fight for Ahab's dynasty."H7200H2896H3477H113H1121H7760H1H3678H3898H113H1004 4But they were paralyzed with fear and said, "We've seen that two kings couldn't stand against this man! What can we do?"H3966H3966H3372H559H8147H4428H5975H6440H5975 5So the palace and city administrators, together with the elders and the guardians of the king's sons, sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants and will do anything you tell us. We will not make anyone king; do whatever you think is best."H1004H5892H2205H539H7971H3058H559H5650H6213H559H376H4427H6213H2896H5869 6Jehu responded with a second letter: "If you are on my side and are going to obey me, bring the heads of your master's sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." Now the seventy sons of the king were being cared for by the leaders of Samaria, where they had been raised since childhood.H3789H5612H8145H559H8085H6963H3947H7218H582H113H1121H935H3157H4279H6256H4428H1121H7657H376H1419H5892H1431 7When the letter arrived, the leaders killed all seventy of the king's sons. They placed their heads in baskets and presented them to Jehu at Jezreel.H5612H935H3947H4428H1121H7819H7657H376H7760H7218H1731H7971H3157 8A messenger went to Jehu and said, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." So Jehu ordered, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate, and leave them there until morning."H935H4397H5046H559H935H7218H4428H1121H559H7760H8147H6652H6607H8179H1242 9In the morning he went out and spoke to the crowd that had gathered around them. "You are not to blame," he told them. "I am the one who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?H1242H3318H5975H559H5971H6662H7194H113H2026H5221 10You can be sure that the message of the LORD that was spoken concerning Ahab's family will not fail. The LORD declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen."H3045H645H5307H776H1697H3068H3068H1696H1004H256H3068H6213H1696H3027H5650H452 11Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab's relatives living in Jezreel and all his important officials, his personal friends, and his priests. So Ahab was left without a single survivor.H3058H5221H7604H1004H256H3157H1419H3045H3548H7604H8300 12Then Jehu set out for Samaria. Along the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,H6965H935H3212H8111H7462H1004H1044H1870 13he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. "Who are you?" he asked them. And they replied, "We are relatives of King Ahaziah. We are going to visit the sons of King Ahab and the sons of the queen mother."H3058H4672H251H274H4428H3063H559H559H251H274H3381H7965H1121H4428H1121H1377 14"Take them alive!" Jehu shouted to his men. And they captured all forty-two of them and killed them at the well of Beth-eked. None of them escaped.H559H8610H2416H8610H2416H7819H953H1044H8147H705H376H7604H376 15When Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab son of Recab, who was coming to meet him. After they had greeted each other, Jehu said to him, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?" "Yes, I am," Jehonadab replied. "If you are," Jehu said, "then give me your hand." So Jehonadab put out his hand, and Jehu helped him into the chariot.H3212H4672H3082H1121H7394H7125H1288H559H3426H3824H3477H3824H3824H3082H559H3426H5414H3027H5414H3027H5927H4818 16Then Jehu said, "Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the LORD." So Jehonadab rode along with him.H559H3212H7200H7068H3068H7392H7393 17When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed everyone who was left there from Ahab's family, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah.H935H8111H5221H7604H256H8111H8045H1697H3068H1696H452

Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

18Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the city and said to them, "Ahab's worship of Baal was nothing compared to the way I will worship him!H3058H6908H5971H6908H559H256H5647H1168H4592H3058H5647H7235 19Therefore, summon all the prophets and worshipers of Baal, and call together all his priests. See to it that every one of them comes, for I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who fails to come will be put to death." But Jehu's cunning plan was to destroy all the worshipers of Baal.H7121H5030H1168H5647H3548H376H6485H1419H2077H1168H6485H2421H3058H6213H6122H6H5647H1168 20Then Jehu ordered, "Prepare a solemn assembly to worship Baal!" So they did.H3058H559H6942H6116H1168H7121 21He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning those who worshiped Baal. They all came—not a single one remained behind—and they filled the temple of Baal from one end to the other.H3058H7971H3478H5647H1168H935H376H7604H935H935H1004H1168H1004H1168H4390H6310H6310 22And Jehu instructed the keeper of the wardrobe, "Be sure that every worshiper of Baal wears one of these robes." So robes were given to them.H559H4458H3318H3830H5647H1168H3318H4403 23Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Recab. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, "Make sure no one who worships the LORD is here—only those who worship Baal."H3058H935H3082H1121H7394H1004H1168H559H5647H1168H2664H7200H3426H5650H3068H5647H1168 24So they were all inside the temple to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the building and had warned them, "If you let anyone escape, you will pay for it with your own life."H935H6213H2077H5930H3058H7760H8084H376H2351H559H376H582H935H3027H4422H5315H5315 25As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, "Go in and kill all of them. Don't let a single one escape!" So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu's men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal.H3615H6213H5930H3058H559H7323H7991H935H5221H376H3318H5221H6310H2719H7323H7991H7993H3212H5892H1004H1168 26They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and burned it.H3318H4676H1004H1168H8313 27They smashed the sacred pillar and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet, as it remains to this day.H5422H4676H1168H5422H1004H1168H7760H4163H4280H3117 28In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel.H3058H8045H1168H3478 29He did not, however, destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan, with which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin.H2399H3379H1121H5028H3478H2398H3058H5493H310H2091H5695H1008H1835 30Nonetheless the LORD said to Jehu, "You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation."H3068H559H3058H2895H6213H3477H5869H6213H1004H256H3824H1121H7243H3427H3678H3478 31But Jehu did not obey the Law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.H3058H8104H3212H8451H3068H430H3478H3824H5493H2403H3379H3478H2398

The Death of Jehu

32At about that time the LORD began to cut down the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael conquered several sections of the countryH3117H3068H2490H7096H3478H7096H2371H5221H1366H3478 33east of the Jordan River, including all of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. He conquered the area from the town of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge to as far north as Gilead and Bashan.H3383H4217H8121H776H1568H1425H7206H4520H6177H5158H769H1568H1316 34The rest of the events in Jehu's reign—everything he did and all his achievements—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H3058H6213H1369H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478 35When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Jehoahaz became the next king.H3058H7901H1H6912H8111H3059H1121H4427 36In all, Jehu reigned over Israel from Samaria for twenty-eight years.H3117H3058H4427H3478H8111H6242H8083H8141


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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