Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

1Ahab had nowe seuentie sonnes in Samaria; Iehu wrote letters, & sent to Samaria vnto the rulers of Izreel, and to the Elders, and to ye bringers vp of Ahabs children, to this effect, 2Nowe when this letter commeth to you, (for ye haue with you your masters sonnes, yee haue with you both charets and horses, and a defenced citie, and armour) 3Consider therefore which of your masters sonnes is best and most meete, and set him on his fathers throne, and fight for your masters house. 4But they were exceedingly afraid, and saide, Behold two Kings coulde not stande before him, how shall we then stand? 5And he that was gouernour of Ahabs house, and he that ruled the citie, and the Elders, & the bringers vp of the children sent to Iehu, saying, We are thy seruants, and will doe all that thou shalt bid vs: we will make no King: do what seemeth good to thee. 6Then he wrote another letter to them, saying, If ye be mine, & wil obey my voyce, take the heads of ye men that are your masters sonnes, & come to me to Izreel by to morowe this time. (Nowe the Kings sonnes, euen seuentie persons were with the great men of the citie, which brought them vp) 7And when the letter came to them, they tooke the Kings sonnes, and slewe the seuentie persons, and layde their heads in baskets, and sent them vnto him to Izreel. 8Then there came a messenger and tolde him, saying, They haue brought the heads of the Kings sonnes; he sayd, Let them lay them on two heapes at the entring in of the gate vntil the morning. 9And when it was day, he went out, & stood and sayd to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, & slew him: but who slew all these? 10Knowe nowe that there shal fall vnto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lorde hath brought to passe the things that hee spake by his seruant Eliiah. 11So Iehu slew al that remained of the house of Ahab in Izreel, & all that were great with him, and his familiars and his priestes, so that he let none of his remaine.

12And he arose, and departed and came to Samaria. And as Iehu was in the way by an house where the shepheards did shere, 13He met with the brethre of Ahaziah king of Iudah, and sayd, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and goe downe to salute the children of the King and the children of the Queene. 14And he sayde, Take them aliue; they tooke them aliue, & slew them at the well beside the house where the sheepe are shorne, euen two and fourtie men, and he left not one of them.

15And when he was departed thence, hee met with Iehonadab the sonne of Rechab coming to meete him, and he blessed him, and sayde to him, Is thine heart vpright, as mine heart is towarde thine? And Iehonadab answered, Yea, doubtlesse. Then giue me thine hande; when he had giuen him his hande, he tooke him vp to him into the charet. 16And he sayde, Come with me, and see the zeale that I haue for the Lord: so they made him ride in his charet. 17And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained vnto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the worde of the Lord, which he spake to Eliiah.

Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

18Then Iehu assembled all the people, and sayd vnto them, Ahab serued Baal a litle, but Iehu shal serue him much more. 19Now therefore call vnto me all ye prophets of Baal, all his seruants, & all his priests, & let not a man be lacking: for I haue a great sacrifice for Baal: whosoeuer is lacking, he shal not liue. But Iehu did it by a subtiltie to destroy ye seruats of Baal. 20And Iehu sayd, Proclaime a solemne assemblie for Baal; they proclaimed it. 21So Iehu sent vnto all Israel, and all the seruants of Baal came, and there was not a man left that came not; they came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was full from ende to ende. 22Then he said vnto him that had the charge of the vestrie, Bring forth vestments for al the seruants of Baal; he brought the out vestments. 23And when Iehu went, and Iehonadab the sonne of Rechab into the house of Baal, he sayde vnto the seruants of Baal, Searche diligently, and looke, lest there be here with you any of the seruants of the Lord, but the seruants of Baal only. 24And when they went in to make sacrifice and burnt offering, Iehu appoynted foure score men without, and sayd, If any of the men whome I haue brought into your hands, escape, his soule shalbe for his soule.

25And when hee had made an ende of the burnt offring, Iehu sayde to the garde, and to the captaines, Goe in, slay them, let not a man come out; they smote them with the edge of the sworde; the garde, & the captaines cast them out, & went vnto the citie, where was the temple of Baal. 26And they brought out the images of the temple of Baal, and burnt them. 27And they destroyed the image of Baal, and threwe downe the house of Baal, & made a iakes of it vnto this day.

Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins

28So Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

29But fro the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne, Iehu departed not fro them, neither from the golden calues that were in Beth-el and that were in Dan. 30And the Lorde sayde vnto Iehu, Because thou hast diligently executed that which was right in mine eyes, & hast done vnto the house of Ahab according to all things that were in mine heart, therefore shall thy sonnes vnto the fourth generation sit on the throne of Israel. 31But Iehu regarded not to walke in the law of the Lorde God of Israel with all his heart: for hee departed not from the sinnes of Ieroboam, which made Israel to sinne.

32In those dayes the Lorde began to lothe Israel, and Hazael smote them in all the coastes of Israel, 33From Iorden Eastward, euen all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, & them that were of Manasseh, from Aroer (which is by the riuer Arnon) and Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel

34Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehu, and all that he did, and all his valiant deedes, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 35And Iehu slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in Samaria, and Iehoahaz his sonne reigned in his stead. 36And the time that Iehu reigned ouer Israel in Samaria is eight and twentie yeeres.