Add parallel Print Page Options

And Elishah HaNavi summoned one of the Bnei HaNevi’im, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this jar of shemen in thine yad, and go to Ramot Gil‘ad:

And when thou comest there, look there for Yehu Ben Yehoshaphat Ben Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his achim, and take him to a cheder becheder (an inner room);

Then take the jar of shemen, and pour it on his rosh, and say, Thus saith Hashem, Meshachticha (I anoint thee) Melech over Yisroel. Then open the delet, flee; tarry not.

So the na’ar, even the na’ar hanavi, went to Ramot Gil‘ad.

And when he came, hinei, the sarim of the army were sitting; he said, I have a davar for thee, O sar. And Yehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O sar.

And he arose, and went into the bais; and he poured the shemen on his rosh, and said unto him, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, I have anointed thee Melech over Am Hashem, even over Yisroel.

And thou shalt strike down the Bais Ach’av adoneicha, that I may avenge the dahm of My avadim the Nevi’im, and the dahm of kol avdei Hashem, shed by Izevel.

For the kol Bais Ach’av shall perish: and I will cut off from Ach’av mashtin b’kir (him that urinates against the wall, i.e., all males), and him that is atzur (bond) or azuv (free) in Yisroel:

And I will make the Bais Ach’av like the Bais Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, and like the Bais Ba’asha Ben Achiyah:

10 And the kelavim shall devour Izevel in the chelek Yizre’el, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the delet and fled.

11 Then Yehu came forth to the avadim adonav: and one said unto him, Is all shalom (well)? Why came this meshuga (crazy fellow) to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the ish and his babble.

12 And they said, It is sheker; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, Thus saith Hashem, Meshachticha (I anoint thee) Melech over Yisroel.

13 Then they hasted, and took every ish his beged, and spread it under him on the top of the ma’alot (stairs), and blew the shofar, saying, Yehu is Melech.

14 So Yehu Ben Yehoshaphat Ben Nimshi plotted a kesher against Yoram. (Now Yoram had been shomer over Ramot Gil‘ad, he and Kol Yisroel, because of Chazael Melech Aram (Syria).

15 But Yehoram HaMelech had returned to recover in Yizre’el from the makkim (wounds) which the Aramim (Syrians) had inflicted on him, when he fought against Chazael Melech Aram. And Yehu said, If ye be so minded, then let none slip away nor escape from the Ir to go to tell it in Yizre’el.

16 So Yehu rode in a merkavah, and went to Yizre’el; for Yoram lay there. And Achazyahu Melech Yehudah was come down to see Yoram.

17 And there stood a tzofeh (sentinel) on the migdal in Yizre’el, and he saw the company of Yehu as he approached, and said, I see a company. Yoram said, Take a horseman, send to meet them, and let him say, Is it shalom?

18 So there went a rider on the sus to meet him, and said, Thus saith HaMelech, Is it shalom? And Yehu said, What hast thou to do with shalom? Fall in behind me. And the tzofeh told, saying, The malach reached them, but he cometh not back.

19 Then he sent out a second on sus, which came to them, and said, Thus saith HaMelech, Is it shalom? And Yehu answered, What hast thou to do with shalom? Fall in behind me.

20 And the tzofeh reported, saying, He reached them, and cometh not back: and the driving is like the driving of Yehu Ben Nimshi; for he driveth beshiga’on (like a meshuga, recklessly).

21 And Yehoram said, Harnasses ready! And his merkavah was harnessed. And Yehoram Melech Yisroel and Achazyahu Melech Yehudah went out, each in his merkavah, and they went out against Yehu, and met him in the chelek of Navot HaYizre’eli.

22 And it came to pass, when Yehoram saw Yehu, that he said, Is it shalom, Yehu? And he answered, What shalom, so long as the zenunei immecha Izevel (harlotries of your mother Jezebel) and her kheshafim (witchcrafts) are so many?

23 And Yehoram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Achazyahu, Mirmah (deceit, treachery!), O Achazyahu.

24 And Yehu drew his keshet, and struck Yehoram between the shoulders, and the khetz (arrow) went out at his lev, and he sunk down in his merkavah.

25 Then said Yehu to Bidkar his shalishoh, Take [him] up, and cast him in the chelek of the sadeh of Navot HaYizre’eli; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ach’av Aviv, Hashem laid this massa (prophetic burden) upon him;

26 Surely I have seen yesterday the dahm of Navot, and the dahm of his banim, saith Hashem; and I will requite thee in this chelek, saith Hashem. Now therefore take and cast him into the chelek, according to the Devar Hashem.

27 But when Achazyahu Melech Yehudah saw this, he fled by the derech (way) Bais HaGan. And Yehu pursued after him, and shouted, Strike him down also in the merkavah. And they did so on the way up to Gur, which is by Yivle’am. And he escaped to Megiddo, and died there.

28 And his avadim carried him in a merkavah to Yerushalayim and buried him in his kever with his avot in Ir Dovid.

29 And in the eleventh year of Yoram Ben Ach’av began Achazyahu to reign as Melech over Yehudah.

30 And when Yehu was come to Yizre’el, Izevel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and adorned her rosh, and looked out at a chalon.

31 And as Yehu entered in at the sha’ar, she said, Did Zimri have shalom, who slaughtered his adon?

32 And he lifted up his face to the chalon, and said, Who is on my side? Who? And there looked out to him two or three sarisim.

33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down; and some of her dahm spattered on the wall, and on the susim; and he trampled her under foot.

34 And when he went in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this arurah (cursed woman), and bury her; for she is a Bat Melech.

35 And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the gulgolet (skull), and the raglayim (feet), and the kappot (palms) of her yadayim.

36 Therefore, they came back, and told him. And he said, This is the Devar Hashem, which He spoke by His eved Eliyahu HaTishbi, saying, In the chelek Yizre’el shall kelavim (dogs) eat the basar Izevel;

37 And the nevelah of Izevel shall be as dung upon the face of the sadeh in the chelek Yizre’el; so that no one will be able to say, This is Izevel.

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.