Parallel Bible results for "2 kings 10"

2 Kings 10

New Century Version NCV

1 Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officers and older leaders of Jezreel and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab. Jehu said,

2 "You have your master's sons with you, and you have chariots, horses, a city with strong walls, and weapons. When you get this letter,

3 choose the best and most worthy person among your master's sons, and make him king. Then fight for your master's family."

4 But the officers and leaders of Jezreel were frightened. They said, "Two kings could not stand up to Jehu, so how can we?"

5 The palace manager, the city governor, the leaders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu. "We are your servants," they said. "We will do everything you tell us to do. We won't make any man king, so do whatever you think is best."

6 Then Jehu wrote a second letter, saying, "If you are on my side and will obey me, cut off the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time." Now the seventy sons of the king's family were with the leading men of the city who were their guardians.

7 When the leaders received the letter, they took the king's sons and killed all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

8 The messenger came to Jehu and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." Then Jehu said, "Lay the heads in two piles at the city gate until morning."

9 In the morning, Jehu went out and stood before the people and said to them, "You are innocent. Look, I made plans against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?

10 You should know that everything the Lord said about Ahab's family will come true. The Lord has spoken through his servant Elijah, and the Lord has done what he said."

11 So Jehu killed everyone of Ahab's family in Jezreel who was still alive. He also killed all Ahab's leading men, close friends, and priests. No one who had helped Ahab was left alive.

12 Then Jehu left and went to Samaria by way of the road to Beth Eked of the Shepherds.

13 There Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu asked, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are relatives of Ahaziah. We have come down to get revenge for the families of the king and the king's mother."

14 Then Jehu said, "Take them alive!" So they captured Ahaziah's relatives alive and killed them at the well near Beth Eked -- forty-two of them. Jehu did not leave anyone alive.

15 After Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab son of Recab, who was also on his way to meet Jehu. Jehu greeted him and said, "Are you as good a friend to me as I am to you?" Jehonadab answered, "Yes, I am." Jehu said, "If you are, then give me your hand." So Jehonadab gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him into the chariot.

16 "Come with me," Jehu said. "You can see how strong my feelings are for the Lord." So Jehu had Jehonadab ride in his chariot.

17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all of Ahab's family in Samaria. He destroyed all those who were left, just as the Lord had told Elijah it would happen.

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve Baal much.

19 Now call for me all Baal's prophets and priests and all the people who worship Baal. Don't let anyone miss this meeting, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who is not there will not live." But Jehu was tricking them so he could destroy the worshipers of Baal.

20 He said, "Prepare a holy meeting for Baal." So they announced the meeting.

21 Then Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; not one stayed home. They came into the temple of Baal, and the temple was filled from one side to the other.

22 Jehu said to the man who kept the robes, "Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal." After he brought out robes for them,

23 Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, "Look around, and make sure there are no servants of the Lord with you. Be sure there are only worshipers of Baal."

24 Then the worshipers of Baal went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jehu had eighty men waiting outside. He had told them, "Don't let anyone escape. If you do, you must pay with your own life."

25 As soon as Jehu finished offering the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and the captains, "Go in and kill the worshipers of Baal. Don't let anyone come out." So the guards and captains killed the worshipers of Baal with the sword and threw their bodies out. Then they went to the inner rooms of the temple

26 and brought out the pillars of the temple of Baal and burned them.

27 They tore down the stone pillar of Baal, as well as the temple of Baal. And they made it into a sewage pit, as it is today.

28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel,

29 but he did not stop doing the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had done. Jeroboam had led Israel to sin by worshiping the golden calves in Bethel and Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, "You have done well in obeying what I said was right. You have done to the family of Ahab as I wanted. Because of this, your descendants as far as your great-great-grandchildren will be kings of Israel."

31 But Jehu was not careful to follow the teachings of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not stop doing the same sins Jeroboam had done, by which he had led Israel to sin.

32 At that time the Lord began to make Israel smaller. Hazael defeated the Israelites in all the land of Israel,

33 taking all the land of the Jordan known as the land of Gilead. (It was the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh.) He took land from Aroer by the Arnon Ravine through Gilead to Bashan.

34 The other things Jehu did -- everything he did and all his victories -- are recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.

35 Jehu died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz became king in his place.

36 Jehu was king over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 There were seventy descendants of Ach'av in Shomron. Yehu wrote letters and sent them to Shomron to the rulers of Yizre'el, to the leaders, and to the guardians of Ach'av's sons. The letters said,

2 "You have with you your master's sons, also chariots and horses, as well as fortified cities and armor. So, as soon as this letter reaches you,

3 choose the best and most suitable of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne and fight for your master's dynasty."

4 They were panic-stricken and said, "If the other two kings couldn't withstand him, how will we?"

5 So the administrator of the palace, the governor of the city, the leaders and the children's guardians sent this message to Yehu: "We are your servants. We will do everything you ask us to; we won't appoint anyone king. Do as you see fit."

6 He wrote a second letter to them, which said, "If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey my orders, then bring the heads of your master's sons to me in Yizre'el by this time tomorrow." Now the seventy sons of the king were with the prominent men who had raised them.

7 When the letter reached them, they seized the king's sons and killed them, all seventy of them, put their heads in baskets and sent them to Yehu in Yizre'el.

8 A messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Leave them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning."

9 When morning came, he went out, stood before the people and said, "You are not responsible [for the deaths of these men]. Yes, I conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these?

10 Understand, then, that no part of ADONAI's word which ADONAI spoke concerning the dynasty of Ach'av falls to the ground; because ADONAI has done what he said through his servant Eliyahu."

11 So Yehu killed everyone who remained from the house of Ach'av in Yizre'el, all his leading men, his close friends and his cohanim, until not one of them was left alive.

12 Then he set out and went to Shomron. On the way he reached a shearing shed for shepherds,

13 where he encountered relatives of Achazyah king of Y'hudah. "Who are you?" he asked. "We're relatives of Achazyah," they answered, "and we're going down to pay our respects to the families of the king and of the queen mother."

14 "Take them alive," said Yehu. They took them alive, forty-two men, slaughtered them and threw them into the shearing shed's pit; he spared not one of them.

15 On leaving there, he happened upon Y'honadav the son of Rekhav coming toward him. He greeted him and said to him, "Are you wholeheartedly with me, as I am with you?" "Yes," answered Y'honadav. "If so, give me your hand." He gave him his hand, and Yehu took him up into the chariot.

16 He said, "Come with me, and see how zealous I am for ADONAI." So they had him ride in his chariot.

17 On arriving in Shomron he put to death everyone that Ach'av still had in Shomron, until he had destroyed him, in keeping with the word of ADONAI which he had spoken to Eliyahu.

18 Next, Yehu assembled all the people and said to them, "Ach'av served Ba'al in limited measure, but Yehu will serve him with full zeal.

19 Therefore summon all the prophets of Ba'al to me, all his worshippers and all his priests. None of them is to be missing, because I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Ba'al; whoever is missing will not remain alive." But Yehu was setting a trap, in order to destroy the worshippers of Ba'al.

20 Yehu said, "Proclaim a solemn assembly for Ba'al," and they did so.

21 Yehu sent throughout all Isra'el, and all the worshippers of Ba'al came, so that there was not one man left that didn't come. They entered the temple of Ba'al, and the temple of Ba'al was filled from one end to the other.

22 To the man in charge of the wardrobe he said, "Bring out robes for all the worshippers of Ba'al"; and he brought them clothes.

23 Yehu and Y'honadav the son of Rekhav entered the house of Ba'al and said to the worshippers of Ba'al, "Search to see that none of the servants of ADONAI is here with you, only worshippers of Ba'al."

24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. But Yehu had chosen eighty men to remain outside. He said, "If any of the men I am about to put in your hands escapes, it will be your life for his."

25 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Yehu said to the guards and officers, "Go in, and kill them; don't let one of them get out." So they killed them with the sword; then, after the guards and officers had thrown their bodies outside, they went into the temple of Ba'al's inner shrine,

26 brought out the pillars in the temple of Ba'al and burned them.

27 Finally, they broke down Ba'al's standing-stone and demolished the temple of Ba'al, converting it into a latrine, which it still is today.

28 Thus Yehu rid Isra'el of Ba'al.

29 However, Yehu did not turn away from the sins of Yarov'am the son of N'vat, with which he had led Isra'el into sin, the gold calves that were in Beit-El and Dan.

30 ADONAI said to Yehu, "Because you did well in accomplishing what is right from my perspective, and have done to the house of Ach'av everything that was in my heart, your descendants down to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Isra'el."

31 But Yehu made no effort to live wholeheartedly according to the Torah of ADONAI the God of Isra'el and did not turn away from the sins of Yarov'am, with which he had led Isra'el into sin.

32 It was during that period that ADONAI began to dismember Isra'el. Haza'el attacked them throughout the territory of Isra'el

33 east of the Yarden - all the land of Gil'ad, the Gadi, Re'uveni and M'nashi, from 'Aro'er by the Arnon River, including Gil'ad and Bashan.

34 Other activities of Yehu, all his accomplishments and all his power are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el.

35 Yehu slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in Shomron. Then Y'ho'achaz his son became king in his place.

36 Yehu ruled over Isra'el in Shomron for twenty-eight years.