1Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons, saying:
2“Now, when this letter comes to you—since your master’s sons are with you, and the chariots and the horses, and a fortified city and weaponry are with you—
3look for the best and most upright of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
4But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Look, the two kings could not stand before him—how then can we stand?”
5So the one over the house and the one over the city, and the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants; whatever you say to us we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your eyes.”
6Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are for me, and you will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy men, were with the great men of the city, who were raising them.
7And it came about, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them—seventy men—and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
8When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9And in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Look, I conspired against my master and killed him—but who struck down all these?
10Know then that not one word of Yahweh’s shall fall to the ground, the word that Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab. Yahweh has done what he spoke through the hand of his servant Elijah.”
11So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him no survivor.
12Then he arose and came and went toward Samaria. On the way, at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
13Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”
14And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the cistern of Beth-eked—forty-two men—and he left none of them.
15He went on from there and found Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab said, “It is, yes, it is. Give me your hand.” So he gave his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for Yahweh.” So they had him ride in his chariot.
17When he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken to Elijah.
18Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.
19Now then, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted with cunning, in order to destroy the servants of Baal.
20And Jehu said, “Consecrate a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it.
21Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not a man was left who did not come. They came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from end to end.
22And he said to the one over the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out the vestments for them.
23Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab son of Rechab and said to the servants of Baal, “Search and see that there is no one here among you of the servants of Yahweh—only the servants of Baal alone.”
24So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside for himself, and he had said, “The man who lets any escape from the men whom I am bringing into your hands—his life shall be for that man’s life.”
25And it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the runners and the officers, “Go in, strike them down; let no one come out!” So they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and the runners and the officers threw them out and went as far as the inner room of the house of Baal.
26And they brought out the sacred pillars of the house of Baal and burned them.
27They tore down the sacred pillar of Baal, and they tore down the house of Baal and made it into latrines, as it remains to this day.
28Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.
29Only from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, Jehu did not turn aside—the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.
30And Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit for you on the throne of Israel.”
31But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit.
32In those days Yahweh began to trim away parts of Israel, and Hazael struck them throughout all the territory of Israel:
33from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead — the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites — from Aroer, which is by the Wadi Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.
34Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might — are they not written on the scroll of the annals of the kings of Israel?
35And Jehu lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
36The days that Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years, in Samaria.
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