2 Kings 10

Jehu Slaughters Ahab's Descendants

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of 1 Jezreel, to the elders, and to 2 those who reared Ahab's sons, saying: 2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3 choose the 3 best qualified of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, "Look, a two kings could not 4 stand up to him; how then can we stand?" 5 And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, "We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight." 6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:
If you are for me and 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 persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and b slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." And he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning." 9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, "You are righteous. Indeed c I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? 10 "Know now that nothing shall d fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke e by His servant Elijah." 11 So Jehu killed 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 none remaining.

12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at 5 Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 f Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are you?" So they answered, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother." 14 And he said, "Take them alive!" So they took them alive, and g killed them at the well of 6 Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

15 Now when he departed from there, he 7 met h Jehonadab the son of i Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?" And Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, j give me your hand." So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, "Come with me, and see my k zeal for the LORD." So they had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, l he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD m which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Strikes Down the Prophets of Baal

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, n "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 "Now therefore, call to me all the o prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, 8 "Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal." So they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the 9 temple of Baal, and the p temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, "Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal."

24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, "If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be q his life for the life of the other." 25 Now it happened, 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 kill them; let no one come out!" And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the 10 inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the r sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the 11 temple of Baal and s made it a refuse dump to this day.

Jehu Reigns in Israel

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. 29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from t the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. 30 And the LORD u said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, v your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." 31 But Jehu 12 took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from w the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

32 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and x Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead - Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh - from y Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including z Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu 13 rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then a Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

  1. Cross References
    2 Kings 9:24
    Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.
    2 Kings 9:27
    But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, "Shoot him also in the chariot." And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
  2. Cross References
    Judges 9:5
    Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.
    1 Kings 21:21
    Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.
    2 Kings 11:1
    When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs.
  3. Cross References
    2 Kings 9:14 - 24
    So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 3:19
    So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
    1 Kings 8:56
    Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
    Jeremiah 44:28
    Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.
  5. Cross References
    1 Kings 21:17 - 24
    Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying.
    1 Kings 21:29
    "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."
  6. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 22:8
    And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.
  7. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 22:8
    And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 35:6
    But they said, "We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, 'You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons, forever.
  9. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 2:55
    And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
  10. Cross References
    Ezra 10:19
    And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.
    Ezekiel 17:18
    'Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.'"
  11. Cross References
    1 Kings 19:10
    So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.
  12. Cross References
    2 Kings 9:8
    For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free.
    2 Chronicles 22:8
    And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.
  13. Cross References
    1 Kings 21:21
    Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.
    1 Kings 21:29
    "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."
  14. Cross References
    1 Kings 16:31
    And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
    1 Kings 16:32
    Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
  15. Cross References
    1 Kings 18:19
    "Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
    1 Kings 22:6
    Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?" So they said, "Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
  16. Cross References
    1 Kings 16:32
    Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
    2 Kings 11:18
    And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.
  17. Cross References
    1 Kings 20:39
    Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:5
    But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.
    Deuteronomy 7:25
    You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.
    1 Kings 14:23
    For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.
    2 Kings 3:2
    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
  19. Cross References
    Ezra 6:11
    Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap because of this.
    Daniel 2:5
    The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap.
    Daniel 3:29
    "Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and AbedNego' shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this."
  20. Cross References
    1 Kings 12:28 - 30
    Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!
    1 Kings 13:33
    After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
    1 Kings 13:34
    And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.
  21. Cross References
    2 Kings 9:6
    Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.
    2 Kings 9:7
    You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.
  22. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:1
    In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
    2 Kings 13:10
    In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
    2 Kings 14:23
    In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years.
    2 Kings 15:8
    In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.
    2 Kings 15:12
    This was the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, "Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." And so it was.
  23. Cross References
    1 Kings 14:16
    "And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin."
  24. Cross References
    1 Kings 19:17
    It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
    2 Kings 8:12
    And Hazael said, "Why is my lord weeping?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.
    2 Kings 13:22
    And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
  25. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 2:36
    From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all to us.
  26. Cross References
    Amos 1:3 - 5
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
  27. Cross References
    2 Kings 13:1
    In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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