en-v0.1→en-v0.2-dev·#9ed8e298ebd5Contribute to en-v0.2

2 Kings 10:1-36 — Jehu Kills Ahab's Family and Baal Worshipers

2Kgs.10.1-36

¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab's sons, saying: ²"Now when this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons, ³choose the best and most suitable of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house." ⁴But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Look, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” ⁵So the one over the palace, the one over the city, the elders, and the guardians sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and all that you say to us we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.” ⁶Then he wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the king's sons, seventy men, were with the leading men of the city, who were raising them. ⁷And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered seventy men, and they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king's sons.” And he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹And in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. Look, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these?” ¹⁰Know then that not a word of the LORD shall fall to the ground, the word that the LORD spoke against the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what he spoke through his servant Elijah." ¹¹So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, his close friends, and his priests, until he left him no survivor. ¹²Then he arose and went toward Samaria. As he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds on the way, ¹³Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴And he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; he left none of them. ¹⁵And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab said, “It is, it is.” He said, “If it is, give me your hand .” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu drew him up to himself into the chariot. ¹⁶And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.” So he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained of Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to Elijah. ¹⁸Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.” ¹⁹Now therefore summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. Let no one be absent, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is absent shall not live." But Jehu acted with cunning, in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. ²¹Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came. There was not a man who failed to come. And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²²And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. ²³Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab went into the house of Baal, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that there are none here with you from the servants of the LORD, but only worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and he said, “If any of the men whom I am placing in your hands escapes, his life shall be for the life of the one who escaped.” ²⁵And as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and to the officers, “Go in, strike them down; let no one come out.” So they struck them down with the sword, and the guards and the officers threw them out and went into the inner precincts of the house of Baal. ²⁶Then they brought out the pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷And they broke down the pillar of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. ²⁸Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. ²⁹Only, Jehu did not turn away from following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which had caused Israel to sin: the golden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. ³⁰And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which had caused Israel to sin. ³²In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel, and Hazael struck them throughout the territory of Israel, ³³from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. ³⁶And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Translation Notes

4/11/2026

💡 Read the current translation below. If you have suggestions, comment by verse.

📚 Reference Translations

🔬 Exegesis Resources