1Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and to those who brought up the sons of Ahab, saying, 2And now as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor; 3look out the best and most fitting 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, the two kings did not stand before him: how then shall we stand? 5And he who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants, and will do all that you tell us; we will not make any man king: you do that which is good in your eyes. 6Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up. 7And it happened, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and killed them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezreel. 8And a messenger came, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning. 9And it happened in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, You are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and killed him; but who struck down all these? 10Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of Yehovah, which Yehovah spoke concerning the house of Ahab: for Yehovah has done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah. 11So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. 12And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way, 13Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah: and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing-house, forty-two men; nor did he leave any of them. 15And when he had departed from there, he came upon Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him, Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it is, give me your 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 Yehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of Yehovah, which he spoke to Elijah. 18And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much. 19Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests; let none be missing: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whoever is missing, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in cunning, in order that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20And Jehu said, Sanctify 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 did not come. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another. 22And he said to him who was over the wardrobe, 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 he said to the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there are none here with you of the servants of Yehovah, but the worshippers of Baal only. 24And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he who lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him. 25And it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and kill them; let none come forth. And they struck them down 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 pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them. 27And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine, to this day. 28Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. 29However, from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, Jehu did not depart, that is, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 30And Yehovah said to Jehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 31But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Yehovah, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel sin. 32In those days Yehovah began to cut off from Israel: and Hazael struck 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 valley of the 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 place. 36And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.