2 Kings 10

1 Now, Ahab, had seventy sons in Samaria, —so Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel—the elders, and unto them who had been foster-parents for Ahab, saying:

And Achaab [had] seventy sons in Samaria. And Ju wrote a letter, and sent it into Samaria to the rulers of Samaria, and to the elders, and to the guardians of [the children of] Achaab, saying.

2 Now, therefore, when this letter cometh in unto you, there being, with you, the sons of your lord, —and, with you, the chariots and the homes, and a fortified city, and the armour,

Now then, as soon as this letter shall have reached you, whereas [there are] with you the sons of your master, and with you chariots and horses, and strong cities, and arms,

3 ye shall look out the goodliest and fittest of the sons of your lord, and set on the throne of his father, and ye shall do battle for the house of your lord.

do ye accordingly look out the best and fittest among your master's sons, and set him on the throne of his father, and fight for the house of your master.

4 Then feared they very greatly, and said, Lo! two kings, stood not before him; how then, should, we, stand?

And they feared greatly, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: and how shall we stand?

5 So he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, and the elders, and the foster-parents sent unto Jehu, saying—Thy servants, we are! and, all that thou shalt say unto us, will we do, —we will make no man king, whatsoever is good in thine own eyes, do!

So they that were over the house, and they that were over the city, and the elders and the guardians, sent to Ju, saying, We also [are] thy servants, and whatsoever thou shalt say to us we will do; we will not make [any] man king: we will do that which is right in thine eyes.

6 Then wrote he unto them a second letter, saying—If, mine, ye are, and, unto my voice, ye intend to hearken, take ye the heads of the men who are sons of your lord, and come in unto me about this time to-morrow, in Jezreel. Now, the sons of the king, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who had been bringing them up.

And Ju wrote them a second letter, saying, If ye [are] for me, and hearken to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and bring [them] to me at this time to-morrow in Jezrael. Now the sons of the king were seventy men; these great men of the city brought them up.

7 And it came to pass, when the letter reached them, that they took the sons of the king, and slew them, seventy persons, —and put their heads in baskets, and sent unto him to Jezreel.

And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, [even] seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezrael.

8 And there came in a messenger and told him, saying, They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king. And he said—Lay ye them in two heaps, at the entrance of the gate, until the morning.

And 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 by the door of the gate until the morning.

9 And it came to pass, in the morning, that he went out and took his stand, and said unto all the people, Righteous, are, ye! Lo! I, conspired against my lord, and slew him, but, who, smote, all these?

And the morning came, and he went forth, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?

10 Know ye, then, that there shall fall nought of the word of Yahweh, to the ground, which Yahweh spake concerning the house of Ahab, —but, Yahweh, hath done that which he spake through his servant Elijah.

See now that there shall not fall to the ground anything of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke against the house of Achaab: for the Lord has performed all that he spoke of by the hand of his servant Eliu.

11 Then Jehu smote all that were left remaining unto the house of Ahab, in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances and his priests, —until there was not left remaining to him, a survivor.

And Ju smote all that were left of the house of Achaab in Jezrael, and all his great men, and his acquaintance, and his priests, so as not to leave him [any] remnant.

12 Then arose he, and came in, and departed for Samaria, —the sheep-shearing house itself being on the road;

And he arose and went to Samaria, [and] he [was] in the house of sheep-shearing in the way.

13 so, Jehu, lighted upon the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are, ye? And they said—Brethren of Ahaziah, are, we; so we came down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.

And Ju found the brethren of Ochozias king of Juda, and said, Who [are] ye? And they said, We [are] the brethren of Ochozias, and we have come down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.

14 Then said he, —Take them alive. So they took them alive, and slew them [casting them] into the pit of the shearing house, —forty-two men, neither left he remaining a man of them.

And he said, Take them alive. And they slew them at the shearing-house, forty and two men: he left not a man of them.

15 Then departed he from thence, and lighted on Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he blessed him, and said unto him—Is thy heart, right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab said—It is. Then, if it is, give me thy hand. So he gave him his hand. And he took him up to him, into the chariot;

And he went thence and found Jonadab the son of Rechab [coming] to meet him; and he saluted him, and Ju said to him, Is thy heart right with my heart, as my heart [is] with thy heart? And Jonadab said, It is. And Ju said, If it is then, give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 and said—Do come with me, and see my jealousy for Yahweh. So he made him ride in his chariot.

And he said to him, Come with me, and see me zealous for the Lord. And he caused him to sit in his chariot.

17 And, when he came into Samaria, he smote all that were left remaining unto Ahab, in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, —according to the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken unto Elijah.

And he entered into Samaria, and smote all that were left of Achaab in Samaria, until he had utterly destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Eliu.

18 Then Jehu gathered together all the people, and said unto them, —Ahab, served Baal, a little, —Jehu, will serve him, much.

And Ju gathered all the people, and said to them, Achaab served Baal a little; Ju shall serve him much.

19 Now, therefore, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests, call ye for me; do not let, a man, be missing; for, a great sacrifice, have I, to Baal, no one that is missing, shall live. But, Jehu, acted, craftily, to the end he might destroy the servants of Baal.

Now then do all [ye] the prophets of Baal call all his servants and his priests to me; let not a man be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to offer] to Baal; every one who shall be missing shall die. But Ju did it in subtilty, that he might destroy the servants of Baal.

20 And Jehu said—Hallow ye a solemn festival unto Baal. And they made proclamation.

And Ju said, Sanctify a solemn festival to Baal, and they made a proclamation.

21 And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came in, so that there was not left remaining a man, who had not come in, —and they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled, from door to door.

And Ju sent throughout all Israel, saying, Now then let all [Baal's] servants, and all his priests, and all his prophets [come], let none be lacking: for I am going to offer a great sacrifice; whosoever shall be missing, shall not live. So all the servants of Baal came, and all his priests, and all his prophets: there was not one left who came not. And they entered into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

22 Then said he to him who was over the wardrobe chamber, Bring forth vestments for all the servants of Baal. And he brought forth for them the vestments.

And he said to the man who was over the house of the wardrobe, Bring forth a robe for all the servants of Baal. And the keeper of the robes brought forth to them.

23 Then entered Jehu, with Jehonadab son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, —and he said unto the servants of Baal—Search ye and see, that there be not here, with you, any of the servants of Yahweh, none but the servants of Baal, alone.

And Ju and Jonadab the son of Rechab entered into the house of Baal, and said to the servants of Baal, Search, and see whether there is among you any of the servants of the Lord, or only the servants of Baal, by themselves.

24 And, when they entered to offer sacrifices and ascending-offerings, Jehu, set him, outside, eighty men, and said—The man who shall escape, of the men whom I am bringing into your power, his own life, shall be for, his life.

And he went in to offer sacrifices and whole-burnt-offerings; and Ju set for himself eighty men without, and said, Every man who shall escape of the men whom I bring into your hand, the life of him [that spares him] shall go for his life.

25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the ascending-sacrifice, that Jehu said to the runners and to the officers—Enter, smite them, let not, a man, get out. So they smote them, with the edge of the sword, —and the runners and the officers cast them out, and then went as far as the city of the house of Baal,

And it came to pass, when he had finished offering the whole-burnt-offering, that Ju said to the footmen and to the officers, Go ye in and slay them; let not a man of them escape. So they smote them with the edge of the sword, and the footmen and the officers cast [the bodies] forth, and went to the city of the house of Baal.

26 and brought forth the idolatrous pillars that were in the house of Baal, and then burned it;

And they brought out the pillar of Baal, and burnt it.

27 and they brake down the pillars of Baal, —and brake down the house of Baal, and appointed it for a sewer-house—until this day.

And they tore down the pillars of Baal, and made his house a draught-house until this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

So Ju abolished Baal out of Israel.

29 Nevertheless, as for the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused, Israel, to commit, Jehu turned not away from following them, —the calves of gold, one being in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

Nevertheless Ju departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who led Israel to sin: [these were] the golden heifers in Baethel and in Dan.

30 And Yahweh said unto Jehu: Because thou hast done well, by doing that which was right in mine eyes—according to all that was in my heart, hast done to the house of Ahab, sons, of thine, unto the fourth generation, shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

And the Lord said to Ju, Because of all thy deeds wherein thou hast acted well in doing that which was right in my eyes, according to all things which thou hast done to the house of Achaab [as they were] in my heart, thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

31 But, Jehu, took not heed to walk in the law of Yahweh God of Israel, with all his heart, —he turned not away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused, Israel, to commit.

But Ju took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: he departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.

32 In those days, began Yahweh to make inroads in Israel, —and Hazael smote them in all the boundaries of Israel;

In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Azael smote them in every coast of Israel;

33 from the Jordan, towards sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, —from Aroer, which is by the torrent of Arnon, both Gilead and Bashan.

from Jordan eastward all the land of Galaad belonging to the Gadites, of Gaddi and that of Ruben, and of Manasses, from Aroer, which is on the brink of the brook of Arnon, and Galaad and Basan.

34 Now, the rest of the story 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?

And the rest of the acts of Ju, and all that he did, and all his might, and the wars wherein he engaged, [are] not these things 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.

And Ju slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joachaz his son reigned in his stead.

36 Now, the days that Jehu reigned over Israel, were twenty-eight years, in Samaria.

And the days which Ju reigned over Israel [were] twenty-eight years in Samaria.