2 Kings 10:1-13 ▼

1 AND Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And they were brought up by the nobles of the city. And Jehu wrote a letter and sent it to Samaria, to the princes of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who brought up Ahab's children, saying,

2 Now as soon as this letter reaches you, seeing your master's sons are with you and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons;

3 Whichever seems to you good and best of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne and fight for your master's house.

4 But when they heard the letter, they were exceedingly afraid and said, Behold, two kings could not stand before Jehu; how then shall we stand before him?

5 So the overseer of the royal household, the governor of the city, the elders, and those who brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all that you shall bid us; we will not make any man king over us; do whatever is good in your eyes.

6 Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, If you are mine, and if you will hearken to my voice, then take the heads of your master's sons and bring them to me to Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king's sons were seventy persons, and the nobles of the city brought them up.

7 And as soon as the letter reached them, they took the king's sons and slew them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel.

8 And there came a messenger, 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 morning.

9 And in the morning, he went out and said to all the people, You are righteous; I conspired against my master and slew him; but who slew all these?

10 Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, of all which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah.

11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his kinsfolks and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

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

13 Then Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said to them, Who are you? And they answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah; and we have come down to salute the sons of the king and the sons of the queen.