Old Testament · History

2 Kings chapter 9

Elisha the called one of the young and said to him, “Get yourself ready for travel. Take this and go to .”“When you get there, find son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his fellow officers, and bring him to a back room.”“Then take the flask of oil, , and say, ‘This is what says: I am you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run — don’t wait around!”So the young prophet headed out to Ramoth-gilead.When he arrived, the army officers were sitting together. He said, “I have a message for you, .” Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” He said, “For you, commander.”Jehu got up and went inside. The young prophet poured the oil over his head and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am anointing you king over .’”“‘You are to destroy the your master, so that I can the blood of my servants the prophets — the blood of everyone loyal to Yahweh that shed.’”“‘The entire house of Ahab will be wiped out. I will cut off from Ahab in Israel — .’”“‘I will make the house of Ahab like the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.’”“‘As for Jezebel — flesh on the plot of ground at , and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and ran.When Jehu came back out to his master’s officers, they asked him, “Everything okay? What did that want with you?” He said to them, “.”They said, “. Come on, tell us.” So he told them, “This is exactly what he said to me: ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am anointing you king over Israel.’”They immediately grabbed their cloaks and on the bare steps, blew the , and shouted, “Jehu is king!”So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi led a against . (Now Joram had been holding Ramoth-gilead — he and all Israel — against King .But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle against King Hazael of Aram.) Jehu said, “If this is really what you want, then don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go report this in Jezreel.”Then Jehu got in his chariot and drove to Jezreel, because Joram was lying there recovering. And King had come down to visit Joram.The watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel spotted Jehu’s company approaching and called out, “I see a group of riders!” Joram said, “Send a horseman to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in ?’”The horseman rode out to meet him and said, “The king asks: ‘Do you come in peace?’” Jehu said, “ .” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”So he sent out a second horseman. When he reached them, he said, “The king asks: ‘Do you come in peace?’” Jehu answered, “What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me.”The watchman reported, “He reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. And the driving — it’s like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi. He !”Joram said, “Hitch up my chariot.” When his chariot was ready, King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah each rode out in his own chariot to meet Jehu. They met him at of Jezreel.When Joram saw Jehu, he called out, “Is it peace, Jehu?” Jehu answered, “How can there be peace as long as the and of your mother Jezebel keep going strong?”Joram wheeled his chariot around to flee, shouting to Ahaziah, “, Ahaziah!”Jehu and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.Jehu said to his officer , “Pick him up and throw him on the plot of land belonging to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember how you and I were riding side by side behind his father Ahab when Yahweh made this against him:”“‘I saw the and the blood of his sons yesterday — — and I will make you pay for it on this very plot of ground.’ So pick him up and throw him on that plot, just as Yahweh said.”When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled along the road toward . Jehu chased after him and said, “Get him too!” They struck him in his chariot on the ascent of Gur, near Ibleam, and he fled to and died there.His servants carried him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the .(Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.)When Jehu arrived at Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She , , and looked down from a window.As Jehu entered through the gate, she called down, “Is it peace, — you ?”Jehu looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three looked down at him.He said, “.” So they threw her down. Some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot.Then he went inside, ate and drank, and said, “Take care of and bury her — she was, after all, .”But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing left of her except her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands.They came back and told him. He said, “This is exactly what Yahweh spoke through his servant : ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh.’”“‘Jezebel’s remains will be spread on the surface of a field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, “This is Jezebel’s grave.”’”