Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel,to the elders, and to the guardians of the sonsof Ahab, saying:

²“When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry,

³select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”

⁵So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”

⁶Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.

⁷And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

⁸When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.”And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

⁹The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?

¹⁰Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.”

¹¹So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.

¹²Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

¹³Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”“We are relatives of Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother.”

¹⁴Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.

¹⁵When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?”“It is!” Jehonadab replied.“If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,

¹⁶saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ridein his chariot.

¹⁷When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.

Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

¹⁸Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.

¹⁹Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.”But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.

²⁰And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.

²¹Then Jehu sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; there was not a man who failed to show. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled from end to end.

²²And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.

²³Next, Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around to see that there are no servants of the LORD here among you—only servants of Baal.”

²⁴And they went into offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.”

²⁵When he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Do not let anyone out.”So the guards and officers put them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.

²⁶They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.

²⁷They also demolished the sacred pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine, which it is to this day.

Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins

²⁸Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel,

²⁹but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

³⁰Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”

³¹Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

³²In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory

³³from the Jordan eastward through all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel

³⁴As for the rest of the acts of Jehu, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

³⁵And Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place.

³⁶So the duration of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

The Shunammite’s Land Restored

¹Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed that a seven-year famine will come to the land.”

²So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.

³At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.

⁴Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done.”

⁵And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”

⁶When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the country until now.”

Hazael Murders Ben-hadad

⁷Then Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.”

⁸So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

⁹So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

¹⁰Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORDhas shown me that in fact he will die.”

¹¹Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.

¹²“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.“Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”

¹³“But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael.And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

¹⁴So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?”And he replied, “He told me that you would surely recover.”

¹⁵But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face.So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

¹⁶In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah.

¹⁷Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

¹⁸And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

¹⁹Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

Edom and Libnah Rebel

²⁰In the days of Jehoram,Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.

²¹So Jehoramcrossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

²²So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.

²³As for the rest of the acts of Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

²⁴And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

²⁵In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

²⁶Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

²⁷And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.

²⁹So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramahwhen he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

¹And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.

²Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

³Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁴When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened himself by putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the princes of Israel.

⁵Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

⁶And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

⁷Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

Edom and Libnah Rebel

⁸In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.

⁹So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attackedby night.

¹⁰So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his hand at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.

¹¹Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

Elijah’s Letter to Jehoram

¹²Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated:“This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says:‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah,

¹³but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you.

¹⁴So behold, the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a serious blow.

¹⁵And day after day you yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.’”

Jehoram’s Disease and Death

¹⁶Then the LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the Cushites.

¹⁷So they went to war against Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz,his youngest.

¹⁸After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.

¹⁹This continued day after day until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people did not make a fire in his honor as they had done for his fathers.

²⁰Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

The LORD Has Chosen Zion

¹O LORD, remember on behalf of Davidall the hardships he endured,

²how he swore an oath to the LORD,and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³“I will not enter my houseor get into my bed,

⁴I will not give sleep to my eyesor slumber to my eyelids,

⁵until I find a place for the LORD,a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah;we found it in the fields of Jaar.

⁷Let us go to His dwelling place;let us worship at His footstool.

⁸Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,You and the ark of Your strength.

⁹May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,and Your saints shout for joy.

¹⁰For the sake of Your servant David,do not reject Your anointed one.

¹¹The LORD swore an oath to David,a promise He will not revoke:“One of your descendantsI will place on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep My covenantand the testimony I will teach them,then their sons will also sit on your throneforever and ever.”

¹³For the LORD has chosen Zion;He has desired it for His home:

¹⁴“This is My resting place forever and ever;here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.

¹⁵I will bless her with abundant provisions;I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶I will clothe her priests with salvation,and her saints will sing out in joy.

¹⁷There I will make a horn grow for David;I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.

¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame,but the crown upon him will gleam.”