New Revised Standard NRS
Common English Bible CEB
1 Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, "Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
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The prophet Elisha called to a member of the group of prophets, "Get ready, take this jug of oil with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber.
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When you arrive there, look for Jehu, Jehoshaphat's son and Nimshi's grandson. Go to him, then pull him away from his associates, taking him to a private room.
3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, "Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and flee; do not linger."
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Take the jug of oil and pour it on his head. Then say, ‘This is what the LORD has said: I anoint you king of Israel.' Then open the door, and run out of there without stopping."
4 So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
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So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead.
5 He arrived while the commanders of the army were in council, and he announced, "I have a message for you, commander." "For which one of us?" asked Jehu. "For you, commander."
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He came in, and the military commanders were sitting right there. He said, "Commander, I have a word for you." "For which one of us?" Jehu asked. The young prophet said, "For you, Commander."
6 So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, "Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
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So Jehu got up and went inside. The prophet then poured oil on his head and said to him, "This is what the LORD, Israel's God, says: I anoint you king over the LORD's people, over Israel.
7 You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
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You will strike down your master Ahab's family. In this way I will take revenge for the violence done by Jezebel to my servants the prophets and to all the LORD's servants.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
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Ahab's whole family will die. I will eliminate from Ahab everyone who urinates on a wall, whether slave or free, in Israel.
9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.
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I will make Ahab's dynasty like the dynasty of Jeroboam, Nebat's son, and like the dynasty of Baasha, Ahijah's son.
10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her." Then he opened the door and fled.
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And as for Jezebel: The dogs will devour her in the area of Jezreel. No one will bury her." Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.
11 When Jehu came back to his master's officers, they said to him, "Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?" He answered them, "You know the sort and how they babble."
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Jehu went out to his master's officers. They said to him, "Is everything okay? Why did this fanatic come to you?" Jehu said to them, "You know the man and the nonsense he talks."
12 They said, "Liar! Come on, tell us!" So he said, "This is just what he said to me: "Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.' "
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"That's a lie!" they said. "Come on, tell us!" Jehu replied, "This is what he said to me: ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king of Israel.'"
13 Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, "Jehu is king."
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Then each man quickly took his cloak and put it beneath Jehu on the paved steps. They blew a trumpet and said, "Jehu has become king!"
14 Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram;
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Then Jehu, Jehoshaphat's son and Nimshi's grandson, plotted against Joram. Now Joram along with all of Israel had been guarding Ramoth-gilead against Aram's King Hazael,
15 but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, "If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel."
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but King Joram had gone back to Jezreel to recover from wounds that the Arameans had given him when he fought Hazael. So Jehu said, "If this is the way you feel, then don't let anyone escape from the city to talk about it in Jezreel."
16 Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
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Then Jehu got on a chariot and drove to Jezreel because Joram was resting there. Judah's King Ahaziah had also come to visit Joram.
17 In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied the company of Jehu arriving, and said, "I see a company." Joram said, "Take a horseman; send him to meet them, and let him say, "Is it peace?' "
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The guard standing on the tower at Jezreel saw a crowd of people coming with Jehu. He said, "I see a crowd of people." Joram said, "Take a chariot driver. Send him out to meet them to ask, ‘Do you come in peace?'"
18 So the horseman went to meet him; he said, "Thus says the king, "Is it peace?' " Jehu responded, "What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me." The sentinel reported, saying, "The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back."
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So the driver went to meet him and said, "The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?'" Jehu replied, "What do you care about peace? Come around and follow me." Meanwhile, the tower guard reported, "The messenger met them, but he isn't returning."
19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, "Thus says the king, "Is it peace?' " Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
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The king sent a second driver. He came to them and said, "The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?'" Jehu said, "What do you care about peace? Come around and follow me."
20 Again the sentinel reported, "He reached them, but he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac."
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The tower guard reported, "The messenger met them, but he isn't returning. And the style of chariot driving is like Jehu, Nimshi's son. Jehu drives like a madman."
21 Joram said, "Get ready." And they got his chariot ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu; they met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
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Joram said, "Hitch up the chariot!" So they hitched up his chariot. Then Israel's King Joram and Judah's King Ahaziah—each in his own chariot—went out to meet Jehu. They happened to meet him at the plot of ground that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" He answered, "What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?"
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When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Do you come in peace, Jehu?" He said, "How can there be peace as long as the immoralities of your mother Jezebel and her many acts of sorcery continue?"
23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, "Treason, Ahaziah!"
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Then Joram turned his chariot around and fled. He shouted to Ahaziah, "It's a trap, Ahaziah!"
24 Jehu drew his bow with all his strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart; and he sank in his chariot.
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Jehu took his bow and shot Joram in the back. The arrow went through his heart, and he fell down in his chariot.
25 Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, "Lift him out, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind his father Ahab how the Lord uttered this oracle against him:
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Jehu said to Bidkar his chariot officer, "Pick him up, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were driving chariot teams behind his father Ahab when the LORD spoke this prophecy about him:
26 "For the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his children that I saw yesterday, says the Lord, I swear I will repay you on this very plot of ground.' Now therefore lift him out and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord."
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Yesterday I saw Naboth's blood and his sons' blood, declares the LORD. I swear that I will pay you back on this very plot of ground, declares the LORD. Now pick him up, and throw him on that plot of ground, in agreement with the LORD's word."
27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, saying, "Shoot him also!" And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent to Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
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Judah's King Ahaziah saw this and fled on the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu chased after him. "Do the same to him!" he commanded. They shot him in his chariot on the way up to Gur, near Ibleam. Ahaziah fled to Megiddo and died there.
28 His officers carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David.
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His servants carried him back in a chariot to Jerusalem. He was buried in his tomb with his ancestors in David's City.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
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Ahaziah had become Judah's king in the eleventh year of Ahab's son Joram.
30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window.
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Jehu then went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard of it, she put on her eye shadow and arranged her hair. She looked down out of the window.
31 As Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?"
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When Jehu came through the gate, she said, "Do you come in peace, Zimri, you master murderer?"
32 He looked up to the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
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Jehu looked up to the window and said, "Who's on my side? Anyone?" Two or three high officials looked down at him.
33 He said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down; some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, which trampled on her.
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Then he said, "Throw her out!" So they threw her out of the window. Some of her blood splattered against the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her.
34 Then he went in and ate and drank; he said, "See to that cursed woman and bury her; for she is a king's daughter."
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Jehu then went in to eat and drink. He said, "Deal with this cursed woman and bury her. She was, after all, a king's daughter."
35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
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They went to bury her, but they couldn't find her body. Only her skull was left, along with her hands and feet.
36 When they came back and told him, he said, "This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, "In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;
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They went back and reported this to Jehu. He said, "This is the LORD's word spoken through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: Dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh in the area of Jezreel.
37 the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung on the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.' "
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Jezebel's corpse will be like dung spread out in a field in that plot of land in Jezreel, so no one will be able to say, This was Jezebel."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible