Jehu Reigns over Israel

Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of (A)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “[a](B)Get ready and (C)take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to (D)Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive there, then look there for (E)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and (F)have him get up from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(G)I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee, and do not wait.”

So (H)the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, commander.” And Jehu said, “[b]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, commander.” He then got up and went into the house, and the prophet’s servant poured the oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘(I)I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, (J)so that I may avenge (K)the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, (L)at the hand of Jezebel. For the entire house of Ahab shall perish, and (M)I will eliminate from Ahab (N)every male person (O)both [c]slave and free in Israel. (P)I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and (Q)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 (R)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

11 Now Jehu went out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “(S)Is everything well? Why did this (T)crazy fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.” 12 And they said, “It is a lie; tell us now.” And he said, “Such and such he said to me, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” 13 Then (U)they hurried, and each man took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and (V)blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Assassinates Jehoram (Joram)

14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (W)Now Joram [d]with all Israel was [e]defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but (X)King [f]Joram had returned to Jezreel to have himself healed of the wounds which the Arameans had [g]inflicted on him when he fought Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said to the other men, “If this is your [h]intent, then let no [i]one escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.” 16 Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, since Joram was lying there recovering. (Y)And Ahaziah the king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the [j]company of Jehu as he came, and he said, “I see a [k]company.” And [l]Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and have him [m]ask, ‘Is your intention peace?’” 18 So a horseman went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” But Jehu said, “[n](Z)How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” And the watchman [o]reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” 19 Then he sent a second horseman, and he came to them and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” And Jehu [p]answered, “[q]How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” 20 And the watchman [r]reported, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and (AA)the [s]driving is like the driving of (AB)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

21 Then [t]Joram said, “[u]Get ready.” And they [v]made his chariot ready. (AC)Then [w]Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him on the [x](AD)property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When [y]Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is your intention peace, Jehu?” And he [z]answered, “What ‘peace,’ (AE)so long as your mother Jezebel’s acts of prostitution and witchcraft are so many?” 23 So [aa]Joram [ab]turned back and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, “(AF)There is treachery, Ahaziah!” 24 Then (AG)Jehu [ac]drew his bow with his full strength and [ad]shot [ae]Joram between his arms; and the arrow went [af]through his heart, and he sank in his chariot. 25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and (AH)throw him on the [ag]property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when [ah]you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, that the (AI)Lord brought this (AJ)pronouncement against him: 26 (AK)I have certainly seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ declares the Lord, ‘and (AL)I will repay you on this [ai]property,’ declares the Lord. Now then, pick him up and throw him on the [aj]property, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

27 (AM)When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by way of the garden house. But Jehu pursued him and said, “[ak]Shoot him too, in the chariot.” So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at (AN)Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 (AO)Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

29 Now in (AP)the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, and (AQ)she put makeup on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through the window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “(AR)Is your intention peace, Zimri, his master’s murderer?” 32 Then he raised his face toward the window and said, “Who is with me, who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Killed

33 Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot. 34 When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, “See now to (AS)this cursed woman and bury her, for (AT)she is a king’s daughter.” 35 So they went to bury her, but they found nothing of her except the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 Therefore they returned and informed him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘(AU)On the [al]property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and (AV)the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung on the face of the field in the [am]property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:1 Lit Belt up your waist
  2. 2 Kings 9:5 Lit To whom of us all?
  3. 2 Kings 9:8 Or child and adult
  4. 2 Kings 9:14 Lit he and
  5. 2 Kings 9:14 Lit protecting
  6. 2 Kings 9:15 Heb Jehoram
  7. 2 Kings 9:15 Lit struck
  8. 2 Kings 9:15 Lit soul
  9. 2 Kings 9:15 Lit escapee leave
  10. 2 Kings 9:17 Lit crowd
  11. 2 Kings 9:17 Lit crowd
  12. 2 Kings 9:17 Heb Jehoram
  13. 2 Kings 9:17 Lit say
  14. 2 Kings 9:18 Lit What to you and to peace
  15. 2 Kings 9:18 Lit reported, saying
  16. 2 Kings 9:19 Lit said
  17. 2 Kings 9:19 See note 1 v 18
  18. 2 Kings 9:20 Lit reported, saying
  19. 2 Kings 9:20 I.e., of the chariot
  20. 2 Kings 9:21 Heb Jehoram
  21. 2 Kings 9:21 Lit Harness the chariot
  22. 2 Kings 9:21 Lit harnessed
  23. 2 Kings 9:21 Heb Jehoram
  24. 2 Kings 9:21 Lit portion
  25. 2 Kings 9:22 Heb Jehoram
  26. 2 Kings 9:22 Lit said
  27. 2 Kings 9:23 Heb Jehoram
  28. 2 Kings 9:23 Lit turned his hands
  29. 2 Kings 9:24 Lit filled his hand with the bow
  30. 2 Kings 9:24 Lit struck
  31. 2 Kings 9:24 Heb Jehoram
  32. 2 Kings 9:24 Lit out from
  33. 2 Kings 9:25 Lit portion
  34. 2 Kings 9:25 Lit I and you
  35. 2 Kings 9:26 Lit portion
  36. 2 Kings 9:26 Lit portion
  37. 2 Kings 9:27 Lit strike
  38. 2 Kings 9:36 Lit portion
  39. 2 Kings 9:37 Lit portion

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company(A) of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt,(B) take this flask of olive oil(C) with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.(D) When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil(E) on his head and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Jehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil(F) on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge(G) the blood of my servants(H) the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.(I) The whole house(J) of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male(K) in Israel—slave or free.[a] I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam(L) son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha(M) son of Ahijah. 10 As for Jezebel, dogs(N) will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.

11 When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac(O) come to you?”

“You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.

12 “That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”

Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread(P) them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet(Q) and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah(R)

14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead(S) against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram[b] had returned to Jezreel to recover(T) from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah(U) king of Judah had gone down to see him.

17 When the lookout(V) standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he called out, “I see some troops coming.”

“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?(W)’”

18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

“What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”

19 So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

20 The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like(X) that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”

21 “Hitch up my chariot,” Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth(Y) the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”

“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel(Z) abound?”

23 Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery,(AA) Ahaziah!”

24 Then Jehu drew his bow(AB) and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord spoke this prophecy(AC) against him: 26 ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth(AD) and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’[c] Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”(AE)

27 When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan.[d] Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam,(AF) but he escaped to Megiddo(AG) and died there. 28 His servants took him by chariot(AH) to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. 29 (In the eleventh(AI) year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)

Jezebel Killed

30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup,(AJ) arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri,(AK) you murderer of your master?”[e]

32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.(AL)

34 Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of that cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.”(AM) 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs(AN) will devour Jezebel’s flesh.[f](AO) 37 Jezebel’s body will be like dung(AP) on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 9:8 Or Israel—every ruler or leader
  2. 2 Kings 9:15 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verses 17 and 21-24
  3. 2 Kings 9:26 See 1 Kings 21:19.
  4. 2 Kings 9:27 Or fled by way of the garden house
  5. 2 Kings 9:31 Or “Was there peace for Zimri, who murdered his master?”
  6. 2 Kings 9:36 See 1 Kings 21:23.