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Chapter 10 |
| 1 | And Ahab had
seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the
rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children,
saying, |
| 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 armor; |
|
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. |
| 4 |
But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings
stood not before him: how then shall we stand? |
| 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 Jehu, 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. |
|
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 Jezreel 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. |
| 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 Jezreel. |
| 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. |
|
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? |
| 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 Elijah. |
| 11 | So
Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great
men, and his kinsfolk, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
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| 12 | And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the
shearing house in the way, |
|
13 | Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah
king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of
Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of
the queen. |
| 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. |
| 15 | And when he was departed thence, he lighted
on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said
to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab
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. |
| 16 | And he said, Come with me,
and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot. |
| 17 |
And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria,
till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake
to Elijah. |
| 18
| And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto
them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. |
| 19 | Now
therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his
priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal;
whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to
the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. |
| 20 | And Jehu
said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. |
| 21 |
And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that
there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal;
and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. |
| 22 | And he said
unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the
worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. |
| 23 | And Jehu
went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto
the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of
the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only. |
| 24 | And when
they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu 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.
|
| 25 | And it came to pass, 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 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
Baal. |
| 26 |
And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal,
and burned them. |
|
27 | And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake
down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. |
| 28 |
Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. |
|
29 | Howbeit from the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after
them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in
Dan. |
| 30 |
And the LORD said unto Jehu, 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. |
| 31 | But Jehu
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 Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
|
| 32 | In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them
in all the coasts of Israel; |
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33 | From Jordan eastward, all the land of
Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which
is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. |
| 34 | Now the rest
of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? |
| 35 | And
Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his
son reigned in his stead. |
|
36 | And the time that Jehu reigned over
Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years. |
