The Second Book of the Kings

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 9 -

And Elisha the prophet has called to one of the sons of the prophets and says to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this vial of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead,

and you have gone in there, and see Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, there, and you have gone in, and caused him to rise out of the midst of his brothers, and brought him into the inner part of an inner-chamber,

and taken the vial of oil, and poured [it] on his head, and said, Thus said YHWH: I have anointed you for king to Israel; and you have opened the door, and fled, and do not wait.”

And the young man goes—the young man the prophet—to Ramoth-Gilead,

and comes in, and behold, chiefs of the force are sitting, and he says, “I have a word for you, O chief!” And Jehu says, “To which of all of us?” And he says, “To you, O chief.”

And he rises and comes into the house, and he pours the oil on his head, and says to him, “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: I have anointed you for king to the people of YHWH, to Israel,

and you have struck the house of your lord Ahab, and I have required the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of YHWH, from the hand of Jezebel;

and all the house of Ahab has perished, and I have cut off from Ahab those sitting on the wall, and restrained, and left, in Israel,

and I have given up the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha son of Ahijah,

and dogs eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there is none burying”; and he opens the door and flees.

And Jehu has gone out to the servants of his lord, and [one] says to him, “Is there peace? Why did this madman come to you?” And he says to them, “You have known the man and his talk.”

And they say, “False! Declare to us now”; and he says, “He spoke thus and thus to me, saying, Thus said YHWH: I have anointed you for king to Israel.”

And they hurry—each [one]—and take his garment, and put [it] under him at the top of the stairs, and blow with a horn, and say, “Jehu has reigned!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

(2 Chronicles 22:8–9)

And Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspires against Joram. And Joram was keeping in Ramoth-Gilead, he and all Israel, from the presence of Hazael king of Aram,

and King Joram turns back to be healed in Jezreel, of the wounds with which the Arameans strike him in his fighting with Hazael king of Aram. And Jehu says, “If it is your mind, do not let an escaped one go out from the city, to go to declare [it] in Jezreel.”

And Jehu rides, and goes to Jezreel, for Joram is lying there, and Ahaziah king of Judah has gone down to see Joram.

And the watchman is standing on the tower in Jezreel, and sees the company of Jehu in his coming, and says, “I see a company”; and Joram says, “Take a rider and send [him] to meet them, and let him say, Is there peace?”

And the rider on the horse goes to meet him and says, “Thus said the king: Is there peace?” And Jehu says, “And what is peace to you? Turn around behind me.” And the watchman declares, saying, “The messenger came to them, and he has not returned.”

And he sends a second rider on a horse, and he comes to them and says, “Thus said the king: Is there peace?” And Jehu says, “And what is peace to you? Turn around behind me.”

And the watchman declares, saying, “He came to them, and he has not returned, and the driving [is] like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for he drives with madness.”

And Jehoram says, “Harness”; and his chariot is harnessed, and Jehoram king of Israel goes out, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each in his chariot, and they go out to meet Jehu, and find him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.

And it comes to pass, at Jehoram’s seeing Jehu, that he says, “Is there peace, Jehu?” And he says, “What [is] the peace, while the whoredoms of your mother Jezebel, and her witchcrafts, are many?”

And Jehoram turns his hands and flees, and says to Ahaziah, “Deceit, O Ahaziah!”

And Jehu has filled his hand with a bow, and strikes Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow goes out from his heart, and he bows down in his chariot.

And [Jehu] says to his captain Bidkar, “Lift up, cast him into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite—for remember, you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, and YHWH lifted this burden on him:

Have I not seen the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons last night—a declaration of YHWH—indeed, I have repaid to you in this portion—a declaration of YHWH—and now, lift up, cast him into the portion, according to the word of YHWH.”

And Ahaziah king of Judah has seen, and flees the way of the garden-house, and Jehu pursues after him, and says, “Strike him—also him—in the chariot,” in the going up to Gur, that [is] Ibleam, and he flees to Megiddo, and dies there,

and his servants carry him to Jerusalem in a chariot, and bury him in his burying-place with his fathers in the City of David.

And in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah reigned over Judah.

Jezebel’s Violent Death

And Jehu comes to Jezreel, and Jezebel has heard, and puts her eyes in paint and beautifies her head, and looks out through the window.

And Jehu has come into the gate, and she says, “Was there peace [for] Zimri—slayer of his lord?”

And he lifts up his face to the window and says, “Who [is] with me? Who?” And two [or] three eunuchs look out to him;

and he says, “Let her go”; and they let her go, and [some] of her blood is sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses, and he treads her down.

And he comes in, and eats, and drinks, and says, “Now look after this cursed one and bury her, for she [is] a king’s daughter.”

And they go to bury her, and have not found [anything] of her except the skull, and the feet, and the palms of the hands.

And they turn back, and declare [it] to him, and he says, “It [is] the word of YHWH that He spoke by the hand of this servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel,

and the carcass of Jezebel has been as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, that they do not say, This [is] Jezebel.”

Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Put your belt on your waist, take this vial of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.

When you come there, find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room.

Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘The LORD says, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door, flee, and don’t wait.”

So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.

When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. Then he said, “I have a message for you, captain.” Jehu said, “To which one of us?” He said, “To you, O captain.”

He arose, and went into the house. Then he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.

You must strike your master Ahab’s house, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

For the whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall,(a) both him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.

I will make Ahab’s house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

The dogs will eat Jezebel on the plot of ground of Jezreel, and there shall be no one to bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

When Jehu came out to the servants of his lord and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” He said to them, “You know the man and how he talks.”

They said, “That is a lie. Tell us now.” He said, “He said to me, ‘The LORD says, I have anointed you king over Israel.’”

Then they hurried, and each man took his cloak, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king.”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

(2 Chronicles 22:8–9)

So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria;

but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) Jehu said, “If this is your thinking, then let no one escape and go out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.”

So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’”

So one went on horseback to meet him, and said, “the king says, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me!” The watchman said, “The messenger came to them, but he isn’t coming back.”

Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them and said, “The king says, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me!”

The watchman said, “He came to them, and isn’t coming back. The driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

Joram said, “Get ready!” They got his chariot ready. Then 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 Naboth the Jezreelite’s land.

When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace, so long as the prostitution of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft abound?”

Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “This is treason, Ahaziah!”

Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and struck Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him in the plot of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how, when you and I rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden on him:

‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD; ‘and I will repay you in this plot of ground,’ says the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him onto the plot of ground, according to the LORD’s word.”

But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. Jehu followed after him, and said, “Strike him also in the chariot!” They struck him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo, and died there.

His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in David’s city.

In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.

Jezebel’s Violent Death

When Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out at the window.

As Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?”

He lifted up his face to the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.

He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses. Then he trampled her under foot.

When he had come in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.”

They went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands.

Therefore they came back, and told him. He said, “This is the LORD’s word, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘The dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel on the plot of Jezreel,

and the body of Jezebel will be as dung on the surface of the field on Jezreel’s land, so that they won’t say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

Footnotes

(a)9:8 or, male