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1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying,

2 Now as soon 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 even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall 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 servants, 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 mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, 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 up.

7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to 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 ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.

9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?

10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which he spake 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 as he was at the shearing house in the way,

13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.

14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.

15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot.

17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah.

18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.

19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.

20 And Jehu said, Proclaim 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 came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.

22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.

23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers 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 men 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 in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge 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 images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.

27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.

30 And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

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?

35 And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.

36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.

<html><b>And to the custodian of Achov’s children.</b> Those who brought up his children.¹<i class=“footnote”>The literal translation is, “and to those who raised Achov.”</i></html>

<html><b>And with you are the chariot[s] and the horses.</b> And they have strength to wage war.</html>

<html><b>Two kings.</b> Yorom and Achazyohu.</html>

<html><b>The sons of the king [number] seventy men, and the great men of the city, etc.</b> All this was written in the letter, “And I know their count, seventy men, and they are with the elders of the city who are raising them.²<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “now the kings sons, etc.” until the end of the verse was not written in the letter. Rather, it is a comment by [Yirmiyahu] the author of the Book of Kings.—Radak</i></html>

<html><b>In pots.</b> [In] pots.³<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “in baskets” which were loosely woven so the heads would be visible from the outside.—Ralbag</i></html>

<html><b>Piles.</b> Mounds. [And Targum Yonoson rendered] דְּגוּרִין [=mounds],⁴<i class=“footnote”>See Targum in Shemos 8:10 who renders דְּגוֹרִין for חֳמָרִים [=piles].</i> <i>moncels</i>, in O.F.</html>

<html><b>“You are righteous.”</b> In your eyes you are all righteous, and you consider me as being wicked because I killed the king. But look, now I revolted against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? I did not kill them. But from these you will know then that it is a decree of the King upon them, and whoever kills them is righteous and fulfills the commandment of the Omnipresent.</html>

<html><b>The gathering place of the shepherds.</b> [Targum Yonoson] renders בֵּית כְּנִישַׁת רָעֲיָא [=the house where shepherds gather]. <b>Gathering.</b> An expression of binding, the place where shepherds gather.⁵<i class=“footnote”>I.e., the shepherds come together at one place. Alternatively, בֵּית עֶקֶד is the shearing place for sheep, because shepherds tie [=עוֹקֵד] the sheep prior to shearing them.—Radak</i></html>

<html><b>And the queen’s sons.</b> Ezevel.⁶<i class=“footnote”>They were unaware that Yeihu killed Yehorom, otherwise they would have fled.—Radak</i></html>

<html><b>And said to him.</b> [I.e.,] Yeihu [said to him]. <b>“Is your heart upright.”</b> Wholehearted in what I am doing, as I am wholeheartedly with your heart? <b>And Yehonodov said, “It sure is, give me your hand.”</b> And hold it and take me up to you, to the chariot.⁷<i class=“footnote”>I.e., to Yeihu’s chariot. Alternatively, “Give me your hand” was spoken by Yeihu who then pulled Yehonodov up into his chariot.—Radak Or, he asked for a handshake as a gesture to confirm their amicable relationship.—Metzudas Dovid</i></html>

<html><b>With cunning.</b> With guile, an expression of “וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי [=he beguiled me].”⁸<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 27:36.</i></html>

<html><b>“Sanctify an assembly.”</b> [I.e.,] announce an assembly,⁹<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “Announce a cessation of work [= עֲצָרָה].” See Rashi in Bamidbar 29:35.</i> that they assemble in the temple of the Baal.</html>

<html><b>Of the wardrobe.</b> [Targum] Yonoson rendered, “לְדִמְמָנָא עַל קוֹמַטְרַיָּא [=to the one appointed over the wardrobe],” chests and boxes in which they wrap and store the ceremonial garments of the Baal worshipers.</html>

<html><b>You will forfeit your life for his life.</b> The life of the guard shall be [forfeit] for the life of the one who escapes.¹⁰<i class=“footnote”>Because of his negligence.—Metzudas Dovid</i></html>

<html><b>Threw them out.</b> [Targum Yonoson] (renders), “וְרָמוּ רָהֲטַיָּא וְגַבְרַיָּא קְטִילִין [=and the couriers and the mighty warriors cast cadavers],” they cast down the cadavers of the Baal worshipers.</html>

<html><b>Into an outhouse.</b> An expression meaning a privy, and similarly [it states], “to eat their excrement [=חוראיהם].”¹¹<i class=“footnote”>Yeshayahu 36:12.</i></html>

<html><b>However, from the sins of Yerovom, etc.</b> Out of fear, that the kingdom return to the House of Dovid, as Yerovom had feared.</html>

<html><b>Adonoy said to Yeihu.</b> Through Yonah. <b>Four generations of your sons.</b> Four generations¹²<i class=“footnote”>The four generations of Yeihu’s descendants are: Yehoachaz, Yehoash, Yorovom and Zecharyoh.</i> [as reward] for your having destroyed the house of Achov, which reigned for four generations: Omri, Achov, Achazyoh, and Yehorom.</html>

<html><b>To show His disgust.</b> As in, “קַצְתִּי בְּחַיָּי [=I am disgusted with my life].”¹³<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 27:46.</i>¹⁴<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “began to cut [=לְקַצוֹת] into Yisroel” as in Devorim 25:12, “you shall cut off [=וְקַצוֹתָ].”—Metzudas Tzion Or, “began to strike at those living at the border [=קָצֶה],” i.e., those living in the eastern part of Eiver Hayardein. </i></html>