(KJV) 2 Kings 101

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⥃Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

[1] And Ahab had seventy sons2 in Samaria3. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers4 of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them5 that brought up Ahab’s [children], saying, [2] Now as soon6 as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons [are] with you, and [there are] with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour; [3] Look even7 out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set [him] on his father’s throne, and fight for8 your master’s house. [4] But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold9, two kings stood not before him: how then shall10 we stand? [5] And he that [was] over the house, and he that [was] over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up [of the children], sent to Jehu, saying, We [are] thy servants11, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou [that which is] good in thine eyes. [6] Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye [be] mine12, and [if] ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye13 the heads of the men your master’s sons14, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, [being] seventy persons, [were] with the great men of the city, which brought them up15.16 [7] And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy17 persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him [them] to Jezreel.

[8] [¶]And there came18 a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them19 in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning20. [9] And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye [be] righteous21: behold, I conspired22 against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? [10] Know now that there shall fall unto the earth23 nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done24 [that] which he spake by25 his servant Elijah. [11] So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and26 all his great men, and his kinsfolks27, and his priests28, until he left29 him none remaining.

[12] [¶]And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. [And] as he [was] at the shearing house30 in the way, [13] Jehu met with31 the brethren32 of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who [are] ye? And they answered, We [are] the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute33 the children of the king and the children of the queen. [14] And he said, Take them alive34. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, [even] two and forty men; neither left35 he any of them.

[15] And when he was departed thence, he lighted on36 Jehonadab37 the son of Rechab38 [coming] to meet him: and he saluted39 him, and said to him, Is thine heart right40, as my heart [is] with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give [me41] thine hand. And he gave [him] his hand; and he took him42 up to him into the chariot. [16] And he said, Come with me43, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. [17] And when he came to Samaria, he slew44 all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according45 to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah.

⥃Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal

[18] [¶]And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal46 a little; [but] Jehu47 shall serve him much. [19] Now therefore call unto me all the prophets48 of Baal, all his servants49, and all his priests50; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu51 did [it] in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. [20] And Jehu said, Proclaim52 a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed [it]. [21] And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came53 into the house of Baal54; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another55. [22] And he said unto him that [was] over the vestry, Bring forth vestments56 for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. [23] And Jehu went, and Jehonadab57 the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers58 of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only. [24] And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, [If] any of the men59 whom I have brought into your hands escape, [he that letteth him go], his life [shall be] for the life of him. [25] And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in60, [and] slay them; let61 none come forth. And they smote them with the edge62 of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast [them] out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. [26] And they brought forth the images63 out of the house of Baal, and burned them64. [27] And they brake down the image65 of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house66 unto this day.

⥃Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins

[28] Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

[29] Howbeit [from] the sins67 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel68 to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, [to wit], the golden calves69 that [were] in Beth–el70, and that [were] in Dan.71 [30] And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast72 done well in executing [that which is] right in mine eyes, [and] hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that73 [was] in mine heart, thy children74 of the fourth [generation] shall sit on the throne of Israel. [31] But Jehu took no heed75 to walk76 in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed77 not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

[32] [¶]In those days the Lord began to cut78 Israel short: and Hazael79 smote them in all the coasts of Israel; [33] From Jordan eastward80, all the land of Gilead81, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which [is] by the river Arnon, even82 Gilead and Bashan.

⥃Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel

[34] Now 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?8384 [35] And Jehu slept85 with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz86 his son reigned in his stead.87 [36] And the time88 that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria [was] twenty and eight years.

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  1. 2Kgs 10:1, Jehu, by his letters, causes seventy of Ahab’s children to be beheaded; 2Kgs 10:8, He excuses the fact by the prophecy of Elijah; 2Kgs 10:12, At the shearing house he slays two and forty of Ahaziah’s brethren; 2Kgs 10:15, He takes Jehonadab into his company; 2Kgs 10:18, By subtilty he destroys all the worshippers of Baal; 2Kgs 10:29, Jehu follows Jeroboam’s sins; 2Kgs 10:32, Hazael oppresses Israel; 2Kgs 10:34, Jehoahaz succeeds Jehu. ↩

  2. Judg 8:30, Judg 10:4, Judg 12:14 ↩

  3. 2Kgs 5:3; 1Kgs 13:32, 1Kgs 16:28; 2Chr 22:9 ↩

  4. Deut 16:18; 1Kgs 21:8-14 ↩

  5. Heb. nourishers ↩

  6. 2Kgs 5:6 ↩

  7. Deut 17:14-15; 1Sam 10:24, 1Sam 11:15; 2Sam 2:8-9; 1Kgs 1:24-25, 1Kgs 12:20 ↩

  8. 2Sam 2:12-17; 1Kgs 12:21; John 18:36 ↩

  9. 2Kgs 9:24, 2Kgs 9:27 ↩

  10. Isa 27:4; Jer 49:19; Nah 1:6; Luke 14:31 ↩

  11. 2Kgs 18:14; Josh 9:11, Josh 9:24-25; 1Kgs 20:4, 1Kgs 20:32; Jer 27:7-8, Jer 27:17; John 12:26 ↩

  12. Heb. If ye be for me, 2Kgs 9:32; Matt 12:30; Luke 9:50 ↩

  13. Num 25:4 ↩

  14. Deut 5:9; Josh 7:24-25; Job 21:19; Isa 14:21-22; Rev 2:20-23 ↩

  15. "The rich," says Mr. Morier, "hire a dedeh, or wet nurse for their children. If a boy, the father appoints a steady man from the age of two years to be his laleh, who, I conjecture, must stand in the same capacity as the bringers up of children mentioned in the catastrophe of Ahab's sons. But if it be a daughter, she has a gees sefeed, or white head, attached to her for the same purpose as the laleh." ↩

  16. 1Kgs 21:8-11 ↩

  17. 2Kgs 10:9, 2Kgs 11:1; Judg 9:5-57; 1Kgs 21:21; 2Chr 21:4; Matt 14:8-11 ↩

  18. 2Sam 11:18-21; 1Kgs 21:14; Mark 6:28 ↩

  19. Such barbarities are by no means uncommon in the East. "It has been know to occur," says Mr. Morier, "after the combat was over, that prisoners have been put to death in cold blood, in order that the heads, which are immediately despatched to the king, and deposited in heaps at the place gates, might make a more considerable shew." ↩

  20. Deut 21:23 ↩

  21. 1Sam 12:3; Isa 5:3 ↩

  22. 2Kgs 9:14-24; Hos 1:4 ↩

  23. 1Sam 3:19, 1Sam 15:29; Jer 44:28-29; Zech 1:6; Mark 13:31 ↩

  24. 2Kgs 9:7-10; 1Kgs 21:19, 1Kgs 21:21-24, 1Kgs 21:29 ↩

  25. Heb. by the hand of, 2Kgs 9:36 *marg. ↩

  26. Ps 125:5; Prov 13:20 ↩

  27. or, acquaintance ↩

  28. 2Kgs 23:20; 1Kgs 18:19, 1Kgs 18:40, 1Kgs 22:6; Rev 19:20, Rev 20:10 ↩

  29. Josh 10:30, Josh 11:8; 1Kgs 14:10, 1Kgs 15:29, 1Kgs 16:11, 1Kgs 21:22; Job 18:19; Ps 109:13; Isa 14:21-22 ↩

  30. Heb. house of shepherds binding sheep, 2Kgs 10:12 ↩

  31. Heb. found ↩

  32. 2Kgs 8:24, 2Kgs 8:29, 2Kgs 9:21-27; 2Chr 21:17, 2Chr 22:1-10 ↩

  33. Heb. the peace of, etc ↩

  34. 2Kgs 10:6, 2Kgs 10:10-11; 1Kgs 20:18 ↩

  35. 2Kgs 8:18, 2Kgs 11:1; 2Chr 22:8, 2Chr 22:10 ↩

  36. Heb. found, 2Kgs 10:13, 2Kgs 9:21 *marg. ↩

  37. Jer 35:6, Jer 35:8, Jer 35:14-19, Jonadab ↩

  38. 1Chr 2:55 ↩

  39. Heb. blessed, Gen 31:55, Gen 47:7, Gen 47:10 ↩

  40. 1Chr 12:17-18; John 21:15-17; Gal 4:12 ↩

  41. Ezra 10:19; Ezek 17:18; Gal 2:9 ↩

  42. Jehu asked for the hand of Jehonadab not merely for the purpose of assisting him into the chariot, but that he might give him an assurance that he would assist him in the prosecution of his desires; for giving the hand is considered as a pledge of friendship and fidelity, or a form of entering into a contract, among all nations. Mr. Bruce relates, that when he intreated the protection of a sheikh, the great people who were assembled came, "and after joining hands, repeated a kind of prayer, of about two minutes long; by which they declared themselves and their children accursed, if ever they lifted their hands against me in the tell, (or field) in the desert, or on the river; or, in case that I, or mine, should fly to them for refuge, if they did not protect us at the risk of their lives, their families, and their fortunes, or, as they emphatically expressed it, to the death of the last male child among them." Another striking instance occurs in Ockley's History of the Saracens. Telha, just before he died, asked one of Ali's men if he belonged to the emperor of the faithful; and being informed that he did, "Give me then," said he, "your hand, that I may put mine in it, and by this action renew the oath of fidelity which I have already made to Ali." Acts 8:31 ↩

  43. 2Kgs 10:31, 2Kgs 9:7-9; Num 23:4, Num 24:13-16; 1Kgs 19:10, 1Kgs 19:14, 1Kgs 19:17; Prov 27:2; Ezek 33:31; Matt 6:2, Matt 6:5; Rom 10:2 ↩

  44. 2Kgs 10:11, 2Kgs 9:8; 2Chr 22:8; Ps 109:8-9; Mal 4:1 ↩

  45. 2Kgs 10:10, 2Kgs 9:25-26; 1Kgs 21:21 ↩

  46. 2Kgs 3:2; 1Kgs 16:31-32, 1Kgs 18:19, 1Kgs 18:22, 1Kgs 18:40 ↩

  47. Job 13:7; Rom 3:8; Phil 4:8 ↩

  48. 2Kgs 3:13; 1Kgs 22:6 ↩

  49. 2Kgs 10:21 ↩

  50. 2Kgs 10:11 ↩

  51. 2Kgs 10:18; Job 13:7; Prov 29:5; 2Cor 4:2, 2Cor 11:3, 2Cor 11:13-15, 2Cor 12:16-18; 1Thess 2:3 ↩

  52. Heb. Sanctify, 1Kgs 18:19-20, 1Kgs 21:12; Joel 1:14 ↩

  53. Joel 3:2, Joel 3:11-14; Rev 16:16 ↩

  54. 1Kgs 16:32 ↩

  55. or, so full that they stood mouth to mouth, Judg 16:27 ↩

  56. Exod 28:2; Matt 22:11-12 ↩

  57. 2Kgs 10:15 ↩

  58. Matt 13:30, Matt 13:41, Matt 25:32-33 ↩

  59. 1Kgs 20:30-42 ↩

  60. Exod 32:27; Deut 13:6-11; Ezek 9:5-7 ↩

  61. Ezek 22:21-22; Rev 16:6-7 ↩

  62. Heb. mouth ↩

  63. Heb. statues, 1Kgs 14:23 *marg. ↩

  64. 2Kgs 19:18; 2Sam 5:21 ↩

  65. 2Kgs 18:4, 2Kgs 23:7-14; Lev 26:30; Deut 7:5, Deut 7:25; 1Kgs 16:32; 2Chr 34:3-7 ↩

  66. This was an ancient mode of degradation, which still continues in the East; and we are informed, that Abbas the Great, king of Persia, having conquered Bagdad, treated the tomb of Hanifah, one of the fathers of the church among the Turks, in a similar manner. Ezra 6:11; Dan 2:5, Dan 3:29 ↩

  67. 2Kgs 13:2, 2Kgs 13:11, 2Kgs 14:24, 2Kgs 15:9, 2Kgs 15:18, 2Kgs 15:24, 2Kgs 15:28, 2Kgs 17:22; 1Kgs 12:28-30, 1Kgs 13:33-34, 1Kgs 14:16 ↩

  68. Gen 20:9; Exod 32:21; 1Sam 2:24; Mark 6:24-26; 1Cor 8:9-13; Gal 2:12-13 ↩

  69. Exod 32:4; Hos 8:5-6, Hos 10:5, Hos 13:2 ↩

  70. 1Kgs 12:29 ↩

  71. am 3120-3148, bc 884-856 ↩

  72. 1Kgs 21:29; Ezek 29:18-20; Hos 1:4 ↩

  73. 1Sam 15:18-24; 1Kgs 20:42, 1Kgs 21:22 ↩

  74. 2Kgs 10:35, 2Kgs 13:1, 2Kgs 13:10, 2Kgs 14:23, 2Kgs 15:8-12 ↩

  75. Heb. observed not, Deut 4:15, Deut 4:23; 1Kgs 2:4; Ps 39:1, Ps 119:9; Prov 4:23; Heb 2:1, Heb 12:15 ↩

  76. Deut 5:33, Deut 10:12-13; 2Chr 6:16; Neh 10:29; Ps 78:10; Ezek 36:27; Dan 9:10 ↩

  77. 2Kgs 10:29, 2Kgs 3:3; 1Kgs 14:16 ↩

  78. Heb. cut off the ends of ↩

  79. 2Kgs 8:12, 2Kgs 13:22; 1Kgs 19:17 ↩

  80. Heb. toward the rising of the sun ↩

  81. Num 32:33-42; Deut 3:12-17; Josh 13:9-12 ↩

  82. or, even to, Amos 1:3-4 ↩

  83. 2Kgs 12:19, 2Kgs 13:8 ↩

  84. 1Kgs 11:41, 1Kgs 14:19, 1Kgs 14:29 ↩

  85. 2Sam 7:12; 1Kgs 1:21, 1Kgs 2:10, 1Kgs 14:20, 1Kgs 14:31 ↩

  86. 2Kgs 13:1, 2Kgs 13:7-8 ↩

  87. am 3148, bc 856 ↩

  88. Heb. the days were, 2Kgs 10:36 ↩