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Now in the fifth year of ^(C1)Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.

He was ^(C1)thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.

He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for ^(C1)Ahab's daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

However, the LORD did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, ^(C1)since He had ^(F1)promised him to give him a ^(F2)lamp through his sons always.

In his days ^(C1)Edom broke away from the ^(F1)rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves.

Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; ^(C1)but ^(F1)his army fled to their tents.

^(C1)So Edom has broken away from ^(F1)Judah to this day. Then ^(C2)Libnah broke away at the same time.

Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

So Joram ^(F1)lay down with his fathers and ^(C1)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son ^(C2)Ahaziah became king in his place.

^(C1)In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

^(C1)Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

^(C1)He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against ^(C1)Hazael king of Aram at ^(C2)Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans ^(F1)wounded Joram.

So ^(C1)King Joram returned to have himself healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had ^(F1)inflicted on him at ^(C2)Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then ^(C3)Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of ^(C1)the sons of the prophets and said to him, "^(F1)(C2)Get ready and ^(C3)take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to ^(C4)Ramoth-gilead.

"When you arrive there, then look there for ^(C1)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and ^(C2)have him get up from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room.

"Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, and say, 'This is what the LORD says: "^(C1)I have anointed you king over Israel."' Then open the door and flee, and do not wait."

So ^(C1)the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.

When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, "I have a word for you, commander." And Jehu said, "^(F1)For which one of us?" And he said, "For you, commander."

He then got up and went into the house, and the prophet's servant poured the oil on his head and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: '^(C1)I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.

'And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^(C1)so that I may avenge ^(C2)the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, ^(C3)at the hand of Jezebel.

'For the entire house of Ahab shall perish, and ^(C1)I will eliminate from Ahab ^(C2)every male person ^(C3)both ^(F1)slave and free in Israel.

'^(C1)I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^(C2)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

'^(C1)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.'" Then he opened the door and fled.

Now Jehu went out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "^(C1)Is everything well? Why did this ^(C2)crazy fellow come to you?" And he said to them, "You know very well the man and his talk."

And they said, "It is a lie; tell us now." And he said, "Such and such he said to me, saying, 'This is what the LORD says: "I have anointed you king over Israel."'"

Then ^(C1)they hurried, and each man took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and ^(C2)blew the trumpet, saying, "Jehu is king!"

So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^(C1)Now Joram ^(F1)with all Israel was ^(F2)defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,

but ^(C1)King ^(F1)Joram had returned to Jezreel to have himself healed of the wounds which the Arameans had ^(F2)inflicted on him when he fought Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said to the other men, "If this is your ^(F3)intent, then let no ^(F4)one escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel."

Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, since Joram was lying there recovering. ^(C1)And Ahaziah the king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ^(F1)company of Jehu as he came, and he said, "I see a ^(F1)company." And ^(F2)Joram said, "Take a horseman and send him to meet them and have him ^(F3)ask, 'Is your intention peace?'"

So a horseman went to meet him and said, "This is what the king says: 'Is your intention peace?'" But Jehu said, "^(F1)(C1)How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me." And the watchman ^(F2)reported, "The messenger came to them, but he did not return."

Then he sent a second horseman, and he came to them and said, "This is what the king says: 'Is your intention peace?'" And Jehu ^(F1)answered, "^(F2)How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me."

And the watchman ^(F1)reported, "He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^(C1)the ^(F2)driving is like the driving of ^(C2)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously."

Then ^(F1)Joram said, "^(F2)Get ready." And they ^(F3)made his chariot ready. ^(C1)Then ^(F1)Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him on the ^(F4)(C2)property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

When ^(F1)Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is your intention peace, Jehu?" And he ^(F2)answered, "What 'peace,' ^(C1)so long as your mother Jezebel's acts of prostitution and witchcraft are so many?"

So ^(F1)Joram ^(F2)turned back and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, "^(C1)There is treachery, Ahaziah!"

Then ^(C1)Jehu ^(F1)drew his bow with his full strength and ^(F2)shot ^(F3)Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ^(F4)through his heart, and he sank in his chariot.

And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, "Pick him up and ^(C1)throw him on the ^(F1)property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when ^(F2)you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, that the ^(C2)LORD brought this ^(C3)pronouncement against him:

'^(C1)I have certainly seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' declares the LORD, 'and ^(C2)I will repay you on this ^(F1)property,' declares the LORD. Now then, pick him up and throw him on the ^(F1)property, in accordance with the word of the LORD."

^(C1)When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by way of the garden house. But Jehu pursued him and said, "^(F1)Shoot him too, in the chariot." So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at ^(C2)Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there.

^(C1)Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

Now in ^(C1)the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, and ^(C1)she put makeup on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through the window.

As Jehu entered the gate, she said, "^(C1)Is your intention peace, Zimri, his master's murderer?"

Then he raised his face toward the window and said, "Who is with me, who?" And two or three officials looked down at him.

Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot.

When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, "See now to ^(C1)this cursed woman and bury her, for ^(C2)she is a king's daughter."

So they went to bury her, but they found nothing of her except the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands.

Therefore they returned and informed him. And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, '^(C1)On the ^(F1)property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;

and ^(C1)the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung on the face of the field in the ^(F1)property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, "This is Jezebel."'"

Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^(C1)Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying,

"And now, ^(C1)when this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, ^(F1)as well as the chariots and horses, and a fortified city and the weapons,

select the best and most capable of your master's sons and seat him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house."

But they feared greatly and said, "Behold, ^(C1)the two kings did not stand firm before him; how then can we stand?"

And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, "^(C1)We are your servants, and everything that you tell us we will do. We will not appoint any man king; do what is good in your sight."

Then he wrote them a letter a second time, saying, "If you are on my side, and will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel about this time tomorrow." Now the king's sons, seventy men, were with the great people of the city, who were raising them.

When the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and ^(C1)slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel.

When the messenger came and informed him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."

Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, "You are ^(F1)innocent; behold, ^(C1)I conspired against my master and killed him, but ^(C2)who ^(F2)killed all these?

"Know then that ^(C1)nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall ^(F1)fall to the earth, for the LORD has done ^(C2)what He spoke ^(F2)through His servant Elijah."

So Jehu ^(F1)killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^(C1)Jezreel, and all his great men, his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

Then he set out and ^(F1)went to Samaria. On the way while he was at ^(F2)Beth-eked of the shepherds,

^(C1)Jehu ^(F1)encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, "Who are you?" And they ^(F2)answered, "We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother."

Then he said, "Take them alive." So they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

Now when he had gone from there, he ^(F1)encountered ^(C1)Jehonadab the son of ^(C2)Rechab coming to meet him; and he ^(F2)greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?" And Jehonadab ^(F3)answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, ^(C3)give me your hand." And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot.

Then he said, "Come with me and ^(C1)see my zeal for the LORD." So ^(F1)he had him ride in his chariot.

When he came to Samaria, ^(C1)he ^(F1)killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated ^(F2)them, ^(C2)in accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, "^(C1)Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.

"Now, ^(C1)summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one go missing, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu did it in deception, in order to eliminate the worshipers of Baal.

And Jehu said, "^(C1)Proclaim a holy assembly for Baal." And ^(C2)they proclaimed it.

Then Jehu sent word ^(F1)throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered ^(C1)the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

And he said to the one who was ^(F1)in charge of the wardrobe, "Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out the garments for them.

Then Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search carefully and see to it that there is here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but only the worshipers of Baal."

Then they entered to ^(F1)offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, "^(C1)The one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape ^(F2)shall give up his life in exchange."

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