Jehu Anointed as Israel’s King

1The prophet Elisha called one of the sons of the prophetsa and said, “Tuck your mantleb under your belt, take this flask of oilc with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead.d 2When you get there, look for Jehua son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room. 3Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I anoint you king over Israel.” ’a Open the door and escape. Don’t wait.” 4So the young prophetA went to Ramoth-gilead.

5When he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there, so he said, “I have a message for you, commander.”

Jehu asked, “For which one of us? ”

He answered, “For you, commander.”

6So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. 7You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel — the blood of my servants the prophets and of all the servants of the Lord.a 8The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,A both slave and free,B in Israel.a 9I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.a 10The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel — no one will bury her.’ ”a Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.

11When Jehu came out to his master’s servants, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this crazy persona come to you? ”

Then he said to them, “You know the sort and their ranting.”

12But they replied, “That’s a lie! Tell us! ”

So Jehu said, “He talked to me about this and that and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ ”

13Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps.a a They blew the ram’s hornb and proclaimed, “Jehu is king! ”c

14Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.a Joram and all Israel had been at Ramoth-gilead on guard against King Hazael of Aram. 15But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael. Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king,A then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

16Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel since Joram was laid up there and King Ahaziah of Judah had gone down to visit Joram. 17Now the watchmana was standing on the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu’s mob approaching and shouted, “I see a mob! ”

Joram responded, “Choose a rider and send him to meet them and have him ask, ‘Do you come in peace? ’ ”b

18So a horseman went to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace? ’ ”

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

The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them but hasn’t started back.”

19So he sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace? ’ ”

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

20Again the watchman reported, “He reached them but hasn’t started back. Also, the driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshia — he drives like a madman.”

21“Get the chariot ready! ” Joram shouted, and they got it ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu at the plot of land of Naboth the Jezreelite.a 22When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Do you come in peace, Jehu? ”

He answered, “What peace can there be as long as there is so much prostitution and sorcery from your mother Jezebel? ”a

23Joram turned around and fled, shouting to Ahaziah, “It’s treachery,a Ahaziah! ”

24Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.a 25Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite.a For remember when you and I were riding side by side behind his father Ahab, and the Lord uttered this pronouncement against him: 26‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘so will I repay you on this plot of land’ — this is the Lord’s declaration. So now, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”a

27When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too! ” So they shot him in his chariotA at Gur Pass near Ibleam,a but he fled to Megiddob and died there.c 28Then his servants carried him to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in his ancestors’ tomb in the city of David.a 29It was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah had become king over Judah.a

Jehu Kills Jezebel

30When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, so she painted her eyes,a fixed her hair,A and looked down from the window. 31As Jehu entered the city gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri,a killer of your master? ”

32He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who? ” Two or three eunuchsa looked down at him, 33and he said, “Throw her down! ” So they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and Jehu rode over her.a

34Then he went in, ate and drank, and said, “Take care of this curseda woman and bury her, since she’s a king’s daughter.”b 35But when they went out to bury her, they did not find anything but the skull, the feet, and the hands. 36So they went back and told him, and he said, “This fulfills the Lord’s word that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, the dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh.a 37Jezebel’s corpse will be like manurea on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.’ ”