34Then he went inside and ate and drank. And he said, “Attend to that cursed woman and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35So they went to bury her; but all they found of her were the skull, the feet, and the hands. 36They came back and reported to him; and he said, “It is just as the LORD spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: The dogs shall devour the flesh of Jezebel in the field of Jezreel; 37and the carcass of Jezebel shall be like dung on the ground, in the field of Jezreel, so that none will be able to say: ‘This was Jezebel.’ ”
10 Ahab had seventy descendants in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the elders and officials of Jezreela and to the guardians of [the children] of Ahab, as follows: 2“Now, when this letter reaches you—since your master’s sons are with you and you also have chariots and horses, and a fortified city and weapons—3select the best and the most suitable of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” 4But they were overcome by fear, for they thought, “If the two kings could not stand up to him, how can we?” 5The steward of the palace and the governor of the city and the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: “We are your subjects, and we shall do whatever you tell us to. We shall not proclaim anyone king; do whatever you like.”
6He wrote them a second time: “If you are on my side and are ready to obey me, take the heads of the attendants of your master’s sons and comeb to me in Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the princes, seventy in number, were with the notables of the town, who were rearing them. 7But when the letter reached them, they took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them; they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 8A messenger came and reported to him: “They have brought the heads of the princes.” He said, “Pile them up in two heaps at the entrance of the gate before morning.” 9In the morning he went out and stood there; and he said to all the people, “Are you blameless?c True, I conspired against my master and killed him; but who struck down all of these? 10Know, then, that nothing that the LORD has spoken concerning the House of Ahab shall remain unfulfilled, for the LORD has done what he announced through His servant Elijah.” 11And Jehu struck down all that were left of the House of Ahab in Jezreel—and all his notables, intimates, and priests—till he left him no survivor.
12He then set out for Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13Jehu came upon the kinsmen of King Ahaziah of Judah. “Who are you?” he asked. They replied, “We are the kinsmen of Ahaziah, and we have come to pay our respects to the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14“Take them alive!” he said. They took them alive and then slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two of them; he did not spare a single one.
15He went on from there, and he met Jehonadab son of Rechab coming toward him. He greeted him and said to him, “Are you as wholehearted with me as I am with you?” “I am,” Jehonadab replied. “If so,” [said Jehu,] “give me your hand.” He gave him his hand and [Jehu] helped him into the chariot. 16“Come with me,” he said, “and see my zeal for the LORD.” And he was taken along in the chariot. 17Arriving in Samaria, [Jehu] struck down all the survivors of [the House of] Ahab in Samaria, until he wiped it out, fulfilling the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.
18Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal little; Jehu shall serve him much! 19Therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests: let no one fail to come, for I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever fails to come shall forfeit his life.” Jehu was acting with guile in order to exterminate the worshipers of Baal. 20Jehu gave orders to convoke a solemn assembly for Baal, and one was proclaimed. 21Jehu sent word throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, not a single one remained behind. They came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was filled from end to end. 22He said to the man in charge of the wardrobe,d “Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal”; and he brought vestments out for them. 23Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab came into the temple of Baal, and they said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and make sure that there are no worshipers of the LORD among you, but only worshipers of Baal.” 24So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. But Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside and had said, “Whoever permits the escape of a single one of the men I commit to your charge shall forfeit life for life.”
25When Jehu had finished presenting the burnt offering, he said to the guards and to the officers, “Come in and strike them down; let no man get away!” The guards and the officers struck them down with the sword and left them lying where they were; then they proceeded to the interiore of the temple of Baal. 26They brought out the pillarsf of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27They destroyed the pillarg of Baal, and they tore down the temple of Baal and turned it into latrines, as is still the case. 28Thus Jehu eradicated the Baal from Israel. 29However, Jehu did not turn away from the sinful objects by which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin, namely, the golden calves at Bethel and at Dan.
30The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have acted well and done what was pleasing to Me, having carried out all that I desired upon the House of Ahab, four generations of your descendants shall occupy the throne of Israel.” 31But Jehu was not careful to follow the Teaching 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 Israel; and Hazael harassed them throughout the territory of Israel 33cast of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer, by the Wadi Arnon, up to Gilead and Bashan.
34The other events of Jehu’s reign, and all his actions, and all his exploits, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 35Jehu slept with his fathers and he was buried in Samaria; he was succeeded as king by his son Jehoahaz. 36Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.
11 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was dead, she promptly killed off all who were of royal stock. 2But Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, secretly took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from among the princes who were being slain, and [put]a him and his nurse in a bedroom. And theyb kept him hidden from Athaliah so that he was not put to death. 3He stayed with her for six years, hidden in the House of the LORD,c while Athaliah reigned over the land.
4In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the chiefs of the hundreds of the Caritesd and of the guards, and had them come to him in the House of the LORD. He made a pact with them, exacting an oath from them in the House of the LORD, and he showed them the king’s son. 5He instructed them: “This is what you must do: One-third of those who are on duty for the week e-shall maintain guard-e over the royal palace; 6another third shall be [stationed] at the f-Sur Gate;-f and the other third shall be at the gate behind g-the guards; you shall keep guard over the House on every side.-g 7The two divisions of yours who are off duty this week shall keep guard over the House of the LORD for the protection of the king. 8You shall surround the king on every side, every man with his weapons at the ready; and whoever breaks through the ranks shall be killed. Stay close to the king in his comings and goings.”
9The chiefs of hundreds did just as Jehoiada ordered: Each took his men—those who were on duty that week and those who were off duty that week—and they presented themselves to Jehoiada the priest. 10The priest gave the chiefs of hundreds King David’s spearsh and quivers that were kept in the House of the LORD. 11The guards, each with his weapons at the ready, stationed themselves—from the south end of the House to the north end of the House, at the altar and the House—to guard the king on every side. 12[Jehoiada] then brought out the king’s son, and placed upon him the crown and the insignia.g They anointed him and proclaimed him king; they clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”
13When Athaliah heard the shouting of the guards [and] the people, she came out to the people in the House of the LORD. 14She
