1And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them who brought up Ahab's children, saying, 2Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified {fenced} city also, and armor, 3Select the best and most fit of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. 4But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him; how then shall we stand? 5And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and the guardians {bringers up} of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us. We will not make any king. Do thou that which is good in thine eyes. 6Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.

7And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel. 8And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance {entering in} of the gate until the morning. 9And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are {be} righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him. But who slew all these? 10Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD hath done that which He spoke by His servant, Elijah. 11So Jehu slew all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends {kinsfolk}, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

12And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way, 13Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to greet {salute} the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.

15And when he was departed from there {thence}, he came upon {lighted on} Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted {saluted} him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he slew all who remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which He spoke to Elijah.

18And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. 19Now, therefore, call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be missing {wanting}; for I have a great sacrifice to offer {do} to Baal. Whosoever shall be missing {wanting}, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. 21And Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. 22And he said unto him who was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. 23And Jehu went, and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only. 24And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he who letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. 25And it came to pass, as soon as he had ceased {made an end of} offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. 27And they broke down the image of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine {draught house} unto this day.

28Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29Howbeit, from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. 30And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in Mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 31But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.

32In those days the LORD began to cut off a part of Israel {short}, and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel; 33From the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river, Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

34Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and 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 stead. 36And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.