1And Elisha, the prophet, called a member of the group of the prophets, and told him, “Gird up your loins (tuck your cloak into your belt) and take this flask of olive oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2And when you get there, find Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and take him into an inner room, from among his friends; 3Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door, and run, and do not delay.” 4So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead. 5And when he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting; and he said, “I have a message.” And Jehu said, “For which of us?” And he said to Jehu, “For you, captain.” 6And he arose, and went into the house; and poured the oil on his head, and told Jehu, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the LORD’s people, over all Israel. 7And you are to destroy the house of Ahab, your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, who have died at the hand of Jezebel. 8The whole family of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond and free, in Israel. 9And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah. 10And the dogs shall eat Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, in Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door, and ran. 11Then Jehu returned to the officers of the king; and one asked him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he replied, “You know the man, and the things he says.” 12And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And so he said, “Here is what he said to me, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” 13Then they quickly took their cloaks, and put them under Jehu on the top of the stairs, blew trumpets, and declared, “Jehu is king.” 14So Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, led a conspiracy against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth-gilead, against Hazael, king of Syria. 15But Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Syrians had given him in the battle with Hazael, king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you want to make me king, make sure no one leaves this city to report this in Jezreel.” 16So Jehu rode his chariot to Jezreel; where Joram was laid up. And Ahaziah, king of Judah, had come down to visit Joram. 17And a watchman on the tower in Jezreel spotted Jehu and his men as they approached, and reported, “I see troops coming.” And Joram said, “Send a horseman to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’” 18So a rider went to meet them, and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Do you come in peace?’” And Jehu said, “What do you know about peace? Rein in behind me.” And the watchman reported, “The messenger came to them, but he is not returning.” 19Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Do you come in peace?’” And again, Jehu said, “What do you know about peace? Rein in behind me.” 20And the watchman reported, “He also came to them, and is not returning; and the driving of the chariot is like the driving of Jehu, son of Nimshi; for he drives furiously.” 21And Joram said, “Hitch up my chariot.” And his chariot was made ready. And Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, rode out, each in his chariot, to meet Jehu and met him on the plot of Naboth, the Jezreelite. 22And when Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” And Jehu replied, “How can there be peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother, Jezebel, and her witchcrafts abound?” 23Then Joram turned his chariot around, and fled, and called out to Ahaziah, “There is treachery, Ahaziah.” 24And Jehu drew a bow and shot Joram (Jehoram) between his shoulders, and the arrow pierced his heart, and he collapsed in his chariot. 25Then Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, “Pick him up, and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth, the Jezreelite; for I remember when you and I were riding behind his father, Ahab, and the LORD uttered this prophecy against him: 26‘As surely as I have seen the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons yesterday’, says the LORD; ‘I will repay him on this very same plot.’ Now, then, throw him onto that plot of ground, just as the word of the LORD said.” 27But when Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw all this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him, too.” And they shot and wounded him in his chariot at the ascent of Gur, near Ibleam. And Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, where he died. 28And his servants brought him by chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him with his ancestors in the city of David. 29And Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year of Joram, son of Ahab. 30And then Jehu went to Jezreel. And when Jezebel heard about it, she put on makeup, and arranged her hair, and looked out through a window. 31And as Jehu entered the gate, she shouted at him, “Did Zimri have peace, after he killed his master?” (1Kings 16:9-20) 32Then he looked up to the window, and shouted, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials looked out at him. 33And Jehu said, “Throw her down.” So they threw Jezebel down. And some of her blood was splattered on the wall, and on the horses; and Jehu trampled her body under his horse’s hooves. 34And when Jehu came into the palace, he ate and drank, and said, “Go, now, and see to that cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king's daughter.” 35And they went out to bury her; but they found nothing more of her than her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 36So they returned, and told Jehu. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant, Elijah, the Tishbite, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel, shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37And the carcass of Jezebel shall be like refuse upon the plot of Jezreel; so that no one will be able to recognize her to say, “This is Jezebel.”’” Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |