2 Kings 10:12

THE MESSAGE

That done, he brushed himself off and set out for Samaria. Along the way, at Beth Eked (Binding House) of the Shepherds, he met up with some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said, "Who are you?" They said, "We're relatives of Ahaziah and we've come down to a reunion of the royal family."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

Hebrew Names Version
He arose and departed, and went to Shomron. As he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

King James Version
And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,

English Standard Version
Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

New Century Version
Then Jehu left and went to Samaria by way of the road to Beth Eked of the Shepherds.

New English Translation
Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds,

Amplified Bible
And he set out and went to Samaria. On the way as he was at the place of the sand heaps [meeting place] for the shepherds,

New American Standard Bible
Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he arose, and departed and came to Samaria. And as Iehu was in the way by an house where the shepheards did shere,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he arose and came out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds,

Contemporary English Version
Jehu left for Samaria, and along the way, he met some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah at a place where shepherds meet. He asked, "Who are you?" "We are relatives of Ahaziah," they answered. "We're going to visit his family."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then he set out and went to Shomron. On the way he reached a shearing shed for shepherds,

Darby Translation
And he rose up and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shepherds' meeting-place on the way,

Easy-to-Read Version
Jehu left Jezreel and went to Samaria. On the way, he stopped at a place called Shepherd's Camp.

George Lamsa Translation
And he arose and departed and came to Samaria. And on the way he destroyed the houses of idols.

Good News Translation
Jehu left Jezreel to go to Samaria. On the way, at a place called "Shepherds' Camp,"

Lexham English Bible
Then he arose and went and came to Samaria. On the way, he was at Beth-Eked of the shepherds,

Literal Translation
And he rose up and came in, and went to Samaria. He was at the shepherds' shearing house in the way.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he gat him vp, wente his waye, and came to Samaria. By the waye there was a shepherdes house,

American Standard Version
And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

Bible in Basic English
Then he got up and came to Samaria. And he was at the meeting-place of the keepers of sheep, by the way,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he arose, & departed, and came to Samaria: And when Iehu was in the way of the house where the sheepheardes dyd sheare their sheepe,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

King James Version (1611)
And hee arose, and departed, and came to Samaria: And as he was at the shearing house in the way,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he arose and went to Samaria, and he was in the house of sheep-shearing in the way.

English Revised Version
And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house of the shepherds in the way,

Berean Standard Bible
Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he roos, and cam in to Samarie; and whanne he hadde come to the chaumbir of schepherdis in the weie,

Young's Literal Translation
And he riseth, and cometh in and goeth to Samaria; he [is] at the shepherds' shearing-house in the way,

Update Bible Version
And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

Webster's Bible Translation
And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. [And] as he [was] at the shearing-house in the way,

World English Bible
He arose and departed, and went to Samaria. As he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,

New King James Version
And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked [fn] of the Shepherds,

New Living Translation
Then Jehu set out for Samaria. Along the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

New Life Bible
Then Jehu left and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds,

New Revised Standard
Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then arose he, and came in, and departed for Samaria, - the sheep-shearing house itself being on the road;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he arose, and went to Samaria: and when he was come to the shepherds’ cabin in the way,

Revised Standard Version
Then he set out and went to Sama'ria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds,

Contextual Overview

¹Ahab had seventy sons still living in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters addressed to the officers of Jezreel, the city elders, and those in charge of Ahab's sons, and posted them to Samaria. The letters read: This letter is fair warning. You're in charge of your master's children, chariots, horses, fortifications, and weapons. Pick the best and most capable of your master's sons and put him on the throne. Prepare to fight for your master's position. They were absolutely terrified at the letter. They said, "Two kings have already been wiped out by him; what hope do we have?" So they sent the warden of the palace, the mayor of the city, the elders, and the guardians to Jehu with this message: "We are your servants. Whatever you say, we'll do. We're not making anyone king here. You're in charge—do what you think best." Then Jehu wrote a second letter: If you are on my side and are willing to follow my orders, here's what you do: Decapitate the sons of your master and bring the heads to me by this time tomorrow in Jezreel. The king's sons numbered seventy. The leaders of the city had taken responsibility for them. When they got the letter, they took the king's sons and killed all seventy. Then they put the heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. A messenger reported to Jehu: "They've delivered the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Stack them in two piles at the city gate until morning." In the morning Jehu came out, stood before the people, and addressed them formally: "Do you realize that this very day you are participants in God 's righteous workings? True, I am the one who conspired against my master and assassinated him. But who, do you suppose, is responsible for this pile of skulls? Know this for certain: Not a single syllable that God spoke in judgment on the family of Ahab is canceled; you're seeing it with your own eyes— God doing what, through Elijah, he said he'd do." Then Jehu proceeded to kill everyone who had anything to do with Ahab's family in Jezreel—leaders, friends, priests. He wiped out the entire lot. That done, he brushed himself off and set out for Samaria. Along the way, at Beth Eked (Binding House) of the Shepherds, he met up with some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said, "Who are you?" They said, "We're relatives of Ahaziah and we've come down to a reunion of the royal family." "Grab them!" ordered Jehu. They were taken and then massacred at the well of Beth Eked. Forty-two of them—no survivors. He went on from there and came upon Jehonadab the Recabite who was on his way to meet him. Greeting him, he said, "Are we together and of one mind in this?" Jehonadab said, "We are—count on me." "Then give me your hand," said Jehu. They shook hands on it and Jehonadab stepped up into the chariot with Jehu. "Come along with me," said Jehu, "and witness my zeal for God ."Together they proceeded in the chariot. When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu massacred everyone left in Samaria who was in any way connected with Ahab—a mass execution, just as God had told Elijah. Next, Jehu got all the people together and addressed them: Ahab served Baal small-time; Jehu will serve him big-time. "Get all the prophets of Baal here—everyone who served him, all his priests. Get everyone here; don't leave anyone out. I have a great sacrifice to offer Baal. If you don't show up, you won't live to tell about it." (Jehu was lying, of course. He planned to destroy all the worshipers of Baal.) Jehu ordered, "Make preparation for a holy convocation for Baal." They did and posted the date. Jehu then summoned everyone in Israel. They came in droves—every worshiper of Baal in the country. Nobody stayed home. They came and packed the temple of Baal to capacity. Jehu directed the keeper of the wardrobe, "Get robes for all the servants of Baal." He brought out their robes. Jehu and Jehonadab the Recabite now entered the temple of Baal and said, "Double-check and make sure that there are no worshipers of God in here; only Baal-worshipers are allowed." Then they launched the worship, making the sacrifices and burnt offerings. Meanwhile, Jehu had stationed eighty men outside with orders: "Don't let a single person escape; if you do, it's your life for his life." When Jehu had finished with the sacrificial solemnities, he signaled to the officers and guards, "Enter and kill! No survivors!" And the bloody slaughter began. The officers and guards threw the corpses outside and cleared the way to enter the inner shrine of Baal. They hauled out the sacred phallic stone from the temple of Baal and pulverized it. They smashed the Baal altars and tore down the Baal temple. It's been a public toilet ever since. And that's the story of Jehu's wasting of Baal in Israel. But for all that, Jehu didn't turn back from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the sins that had dragged Israel into a life of sin—the golden calves in Bethel and Dan stayed. ³ God commended Jehu: "You did well to do what I saw was best. You did what I ordered against the family of Ahab. As reward, your sons will occupy the throne of Israel for four generations." Even then, though, Jehu wasn't careful to walk in God 's ways and honor the God of Israel from an undivided heart. He didn't turn back from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into a life of sin. It was about this time that God began to shrink Israel. Hazael hacked away at the borders of Israel from the Jordan to the east—all the territory of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh from Aroer near the Brook Arnon. In effect, all Gilead and Bashan. The rest of the life and times of Jehu, his accomplishments and fame, are written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Jehu died and was buried in the family plot in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz was the next king. Jehu ruled Israel from Samaria for twenty-eight years. ⁴ They were absolutely terrified at the letter. They said, "Two kings have already been wiped out by him; what hope do we have?" ⁵ So they sent the warden of the palace, the mayor of the city, the elders, and the guardians to Jehu with this message: "We are your servants. Whatever you say, we'll do. We're not making anyone king here. You're in charge—do what you think best." ⁶Then Jehu wrote a second letter: If you are on my side and are willing to follow my orders, here's what you do: Decapitate the sons of your master and bring the heads to me by this time tomorrow in Jezreel. The king's sons numbered seventy. The leaders of the city had taken responsibility for them. When they got the letter, they took the king's sons and killed all seventy. Then they put the heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. ⁸ A messenger reported to Jehu: "They've delivered the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Stack them in two piles at the city gate until morning." ⁹In the morning Jehu came out, stood before the people, and addressed them formally: "Do you realize that this very day you are participants in God 's righteous workings? True, I am the one who conspired against my master and assassinated him. But who, do you suppose, is responsible for this pile of skulls? Know this for certain: Not a single syllable that God spoke in judgment on the family of Ahab is canceled; you're seeing it with your own eyes— God doing what, through Elijah, he said he'd do." ¹¹ Then Jehu proceeded to kill everyone who had anything to do with Ahab's family in Jezreel—leaders, friends, priests. He wiped out the entire lot. ¹²That done, he brushed himself off and set out for Samaria. Along the way, at Beth Eked (Binding House) of the Shepherds, he met up with some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said, "Who are you?" They said, "We're relatives of Ahaziah and we've come down to a reunion of the royal family." ¹⁴ "Grab them!" ordered Jehu. They were taken and then massacred at the well of Beth Eked. Forty-two of them—no survivors.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shearing house: Heb. house of shepherds binding sheep, 2 Kings 10:12

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria,.... To make a clear riddance there of all that belonged to Ahab, as at Jezreel, and abolish idolatry there:

and as he was at the shearing house in the way; or, "the house of the binding of the shepherds", who, in shearing their sheep, bind their legs together; the Targum is,

"the house of the gathering of the shepherds;''

where they used to meet and converse together; with some it is the proper name of a place, Betheked, a country village between Jezreel and Samaria. Jerom speaks q of a village of this name, situated in a large plain, about fifteen miles from a place called Legion, which village he takes to be this here.

q De loc. Heb. fol. 89. K.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The shearing-house - literally, as in margin. Perhaps already a proper name, Beth-eked, identical with the Beth-akad of Jerome, which is described as between Jezreel and Samaria; but not yet identified.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 10:12. The shearing house — Probably the place where the shepherds met for the annual sheep shearing.