Jehu Anointed King of Israel

1Elisha called one of the members of thea Guild of Prophets and told him, “Get ready to run,b take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2As soon as you get there, go find Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu, the grandson of Nimshi. When you do,c go in, tell him to get up and go apart with you away from his brothers. Lead him into a private chamber, 3take the flask of oil, and pour it out on his head. Then tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: I’m anointing you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and leave. Don’t linger there!”

4So the young man, who was an attendant to the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5When he arrived, the army commanders were seated, so he said, “I have a message for you, captain!”

Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”

“For you, captain!” he answered.

6So Jehud got up and went inside the house, and the young mane told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD—that is, over Israel. 7You are to attack the household of your master Ahab, so I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, as well as the blood of all of the servants of the LORD that has been spilledf at Jezebel’s orders.g 8The entire household of Ahab will die, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person in Israel, whether imprisoned or surviving.h 9I will make the household of Ahab like the household of Nebat’s son Jeroboam and the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha. 10Furthermore, the dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel. There will be no burial for her.’” Then he opened the door and left.

11As Jehu was coming out to his master’s attendants, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac visit you?”

“You know the man and how he speculates,” Jehu replied.

12“That’s a lie!” they said. “Tell us what’s going on!”

“He said ‘This and that’ to me,” he responded. “‘This is what the LORD says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’”

13At this, each man quickly grabbed his own garment, placed it under him at the top of the stairs,i sounded a trumpet, and announced, “Jehu is king!”

Joram (Also Known as Jehoram) is Assassinated

(2 Chronicles 22:7-9)

14Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu, the grandson of Nimshi, had been conspiring against Joram while Joram and all the army ofj Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael from Aram. 15King Jehoram had returned to Jezreel to recover from wounds he had sustained from the Arameans when he had fought against King Hazael from Aram. So Jehu concluded, “Since this is what you’ve decided,k then let no one get away, leave the city, and go report to Jezreel!” 16Then Jehu rode by chariot to Jezreel, since Joram was recoveringl there. King Ahaziah from Judah had come to visit Joram.

17While the watchman was standing guard in the tower at Jezreel, he watched Jehu’s entourage arrive. So he called out, “I see a group arriving.”

Joram ordered, “Take a horseman, send him out to meet them, and have him ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”m

18So a horseman went out, greeted Jehu and said, “This is what the king said: ‘Have you come in peace?’”

But Jehu responded, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

The watchman reported, “The messenger arrived there, but he hasn’t returned.”

19Then Joram sent out a second horseman, who went out to them and said, “This is what the king said: ‘Have you come in peace?’”

Jehu responded, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

20The watchman reported to Joram, “He arrived there, but he hasn’t returned. Also, he drives like Nimshi’s son Jehu drives—irrationally!”

21Joram replied, “Let’s begin our attack!” As soon as his chariot was prepared, both King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out, each in his own chariot, to fight against Jehu. They met together in the property that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.n

22As soon as Joram noticed Jehu, he cried out, “Peace, Jehu?”

Jehuo replied, “What peace, givenp your mother Jezebel’s prostitution and all ofq her witchcraft?”r

23Joram reined his horses around to flee and cried out to Ahaziah, “Ahaziah! Treachery!” 24But Jehu drew his bow with all of his strength, shooting Joram between his shoulder blades.t The arrow pierced his heart, and he collapsed in his chariot.

25After this, Jehu called out to Bidkar, his third in command, “Pick up Joram’s body and throw it in the field, the property that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, because you and I remember how when we were riding together in pursuit of his father Ahab, that the LORD pronounced this oracleu against him:

26‘This is what the LORD says, “I have certainly observed the blood of Naboth and his sons, and I will repay you on this property,” declares the LORD.’

“Therefore take the body and throw it in the field, just as the LORD said.”

King Ahaziah is Also Killed

(2 Chronicles 22:7-9)

27As soon as King Ahaziah of Judah observed this, he attempted to flee by the garden house road, but Jehu pursued him. At the ascent toward Gur which is near Ibleam, he ordered, “Shoot him in the chariot, too!”

Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, where he died. 28Ahaziah’s servants transported the king’s bodyv by chariot to Jerusalem and buried it in his own sepulcher near his ancestors in the City of David. 29Ahaziah had begun to reign over Judah in the eleventh year of the reign ofw Ahab’s son Joram.

Jezebel is Executed

30As soon as Jehu arrived at Jezreel, Jezebel adorned her eyes, arranged her hair, and peered out a window. 31When Jehu had entered through the gate, she asked, “Was Zimri, who murdered his master,x received well?”

32Jehuy looked up toward the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” When two or three eunuchs looked out at him, 33he ordered, “Throw her down!”

So they did, and her blood splashed against the wall and on the horses, while Jehu trampled her underfoot. 34Later on, after he had come in to eat and drink, he ordered, “Go and see to this cursed woman, and bury her, because she was a king’s daughter.” 35But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing left of her except her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 36So they returned and reported to Jehu,z and he responded, “This fulfillsaa this message from the LORD that he spoke through his servant Elijah the foreigner,bb who said:

‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh on the property of Jezreel, 37and her corpse will lie like dung on the surface of the field on the property in Jezreel, but no one will say, “This is Jezebel.”’”