¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu wrote communiqués and sent them to Samaria, to the elder officials of Jezreel, and to the foster parents of Ahab's family, reading as follows: ²“And now, when this communiqué reaches you, your master's sons being with you, and who have got chariots and horses, and a fortified city and weaponry, ³select the best and most eligible of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.” ⁴At this they were very, very afraid, and they said, “Look, two kings didn't withstand him, so how are we to withstand him?” ⁵And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the foster parents, sent word to Jehu and said, “We are your servants, and we will do everything you say to us. We will not appoint anyone king. Do what is right in your sight.” ⁶Then he sent a communiqué a second time, which said, “If you are for me and will comply with me, take the heads of the men who are the sons of your master, and come to me at this time tomorrow in Jezreel.” Now the king's sons were seventy in number, being with high-ranking men of the city who were bringing them up. ⁷And it came to pass, when the communiqué reached them, that they took the king's sons and killed the seventy men, and they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. ⁸And the messenger arrived and reported it to him and said, “We have brought the heads of the king's sons.” And he said, “Leave them in two heaps at the entrance to the gate until morning.” ⁹And it came to pass in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Admittedly, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? ¹⁰Be aware, therefore, that nothing of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke about the house of Ahab will fall to the ground, and that the Lord has done what he said through the intermediacy of his servant Elijah.” ¹¹So Jehu struck down all those of the house of Ahab in Jezreel who remained, and all his high-ranking men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, until no survivor was left to him. ¹²Then Jehu arose and departed, and he went to Samaria. And on the way he was at a shepherd's shearing house. ¹³And Jehu came across the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are Ahaziah's brothers, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen consort.” ¹⁴Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them in the pit at the shearing house – forty-two men – and he didn't leave any of them remaining. ¹⁵Then he departed from there and came across Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming towards him, and he greeted him and said to him, “Are your intentions good, just as I am well-disposed to you?” And Jehonadab said, “They are.” Then Jehu said, “If they are, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he hauled him into the chariot with him. ¹⁶And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they transported him in his chariot. ¹⁷And he arrived in Samaria, and he struck down all those of Ahab's house who remained in Samaria, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Elijah. ¹⁸Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much more. ¹⁹So now, tell all the prophets of Baal, and all his servants, and all his priests, to come to me. No-one must be absent, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who is absent shall not live.” But Jehu did this as a ploy in order to eliminate Baal's servants. ²⁰Then Jehu said, “Announce a solemn assembly to Baal.” So they proclaimed it. ²¹And Jehu sent word throughout all Israel, and all those who served Baal came, and there was no-one left behind who did not come. So they came to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled cheek by jowl. ²²And he said to the outfitter, “Bring out vesture for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out vesture for them. ²³Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal, and he said to the servants of Baal, “Search, and see if there are any of the servants of the Lord with you here, rather than servants of Baal only.” ²⁴Then when they went to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu stationed eighty men outside and said, “For any man who escapes from the men whom I am about to bring into your hands, it will be a life for a life.” ²⁵And it came to pass, when he had finished making the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the infantrymen and the brigadiers, “Go in and strike them down. Let no-one come out.” So they struck them down with the blade of the sword. Then the infantrymen and the brigadiers disposed of them and went down to the citadel of the house of Baal. ²⁶And they brought out the statues of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷And they demolished the statue of Baal, and they demolished the house of Baal, and they made it a cess-pool as it has been up to today. ²⁸So Jehu destroyed Baal in Israel, ²⁹except that Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, from the golden calves which were in Beth-El and in Dan. ³⁰And the Lord said to Jehu, “Since you have acted well in doing what is right in my sight, since you have done to the house of Ahab everything that was in my heart, your descendants of the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹But Jehu did not observe walking in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. ³²In those days the Lord began to chip away at Israel, and Hazael attacked them at every border of Israel, ³³from the Jordan in the east – all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites – from Aroer which is on the Arnon Brook, and Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴And the rest of the affairs of Jehu, and everything he did, and all his bravery, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵And Jehu lay with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶And the days for which Jehu reigned over Israel amounted to twenty-eight years in Samaria.