Chapter 9

And Elisha the prophet called¹ one of the children of the prophets, and said⁴ unto him, Gird up³ thy loins, and take³ this box of oil in thine hand, and go³ to Ramothgilead: ¹⁵⁶⁸

And when thou comest¹ thither, look out³ there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in,¹ and make him arise up⁵² from among his brethren, and carry⁵² him to an inner chamber;

Then take¹ the box of oil, and pour¹ [it] on his head, and say,¹ Thus saith¹ the LORD, I have anointed¹ thee king over Israel. Then open¹ the door, and flee,¹ and tarry¹⁷ not.

So the young man, [even] the young man the prophet, went⁴ to Ramothgilead. ¹⁵⁶⁸

And when he came,⁴ behold, the captains of the host [were] sitting;⁶ and he said,⁴ I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said,⁴ Unto which of all us? And he said,⁴ To thee, O captain.

And he arose,⁴ and went⁴ into the house; and he poured⁴ the oil on his head, and said⁴ unto him, Thus saith¹ the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed¹ thee king over the people of the LORD, [even] over Israel.

And thou shalt smite⁵² the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge¹⁴ the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

For the whole house of Ahab shall perish:¹ and I will cut off⁵² from Ahab him that pisseth⁵⁶ against the wall, and him that is shut up⁷ and left⁷ in Israel:

And I will make¹ the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

And the dogs shall eat⁴ Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and [there shall be] none to bury⁶ [her]. And he opened⁴ the door, and fled.⁴

Then Jehu came forth¹ to the servants of his lord: and [one] said⁴ unto him, [Is] all well? wherefore came¹ this mad³⁰ [fellow] to thee? And he said⁴ unto them, Ye know¹ the man, and his communication.

And they said,⁴ [It is] false; tell⁵⁴ us now. And he said,⁴ Thus and thus spake¹ he to me, saying,² Thus saith¹ the LORD, I have anointed¹ thee king over Israel.

Then they hasted,¹⁷ and took⁴ every man his garment, and put⁴ [it] under him on the top of the stairs, and blew⁴ with trumpets, saying,⁴ Jehu is king.¹

So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired¹⁰¹ against Joram. (Now Joram had kept⁶ Ramothgilead, ¹⁵⁶⁸ he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

But king Joram was returned⁴ to be healed⁹⁹ in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given⁵⁵ him, when he fought⁹ with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said,⁴ If it be your minds, [then] let none go forth⁴ [nor] escape out of the city to go² to tell⁵³ [it] in Jezreel.

So Jehu rode⁴ in a chariot, and went⁴ to Jezreel; for Joram lay⁶ there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down¹ to see² Joram.

And there stood⁶ a watchman⁶ on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied⁴ the company of Jehu as he came,² and said,⁴ I see⁶ a company. And Joram said,⁴ Take³ an horseman, and send³ to meet² them, and let him say,⁴ [Is it] peace?

So there went⁴ one on horseback^{6 5483} to meet² him, and said,⁴ Thus saith¹ the king, [Is it] peace? And Jehu said,⁴ What hast thou to do with peace? turn³ thee behind me. And the watchman⁶ told,⁵⁵ saying,² The messenger came¹ to them, but he cometh not again.¹

Then he sent⁴ out a second on horseback,^{6 5483} which came⁴ to them, and said,⁴ Thus saith¹ the king, [Is it] peace? And Jehu answered,⁴ What hast thou to do with peace? turn³ thee behind me.

And the watchman⁶ told,⁵⁵ saying,² He came¹ even unto them, and cometh not again:¹ and the driving [is] like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth⁴ furiously.

And Joram said,⁴ Make ready.³ And his chariot was made ready.⁴ And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out,⁴ each in his chariot, and they went out⁴ against² Jehu, and met⁴ him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.

And it came to pass, when Joram saw² Jehu, that he said,⁴ [Is it] peace, Jehu? And he answered,⁴ What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts [are so] many?

And Joram turned⁴ his hands, and fled,⁴ and said⁴ to Ahaziah, [There is] treachery, O Ahaziah.

And Jehu drew a bow with his full^{14 3027} strength, and smote⁵⁵ Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out⁴ at his heart, and he sunk down⁴ in his chariot.

Then said⁴ [Jehu] to Bidkar his captain, Take up,³ [and] cast⁵⁴ him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember³ how that, when I and thou rode⁶ together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid¹ this burden upon him;

Surely I have seen¹ yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith⁷ the LORD; and I will requite¹⁴ thee in this plat, saith⁷ the LORD. Now therefore take³ [and] cast⁵⁴ him into the plat [of ground], according to the word of the LORD.

But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw¹ [this], he fled⁴ by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed⁴ after him, and said,⁴ Smite⁵⁴ him also in the chariot. [And they did so] at the going up to Gur, which [is] by Ibleam. And he fled⁴ to Megiddo, and died⁴ there.

And his servants carried⁵⁵ him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried⁴ him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.

And in the eleventh ⁶²⁴⁰ year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign¹ over Judah.

And when Jehu was come⁴ to Jezreel, Jezebel heard¹ [of it]; and she painted^{4 6320} her face, and tired⁵⁵ her head, and looked out⁵⁵ at a window.

And as Jehu entered in¹ at the gate, she said,⁴ [Had] Zimri peace, who slew⁶ his master?

And he lifted up⁴ his face to the window, and said,⁴ Who [is] on my side? who? And there looked out⁵⁵ to him two [or] three eunuchs.

And he said,⁴ Throw her down.³ So they threw her down:⁴ and [some] of her blood was sprinkled⁴ on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode⁴ her under foot.

And when he was come in,⁴ he did eat⁴ and drink,⁴ and said,⁴ Go,³ see now this cursed⁷ [woman], and bury³ her: for she [is] a king's daughter.

And they went⁴ to bury² her: but they found¹ no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of [her] hands.

Wherefore they came again,⁴ and told⁵⁵ him. And he said,⁴ This [is] the word of the LORD, which he spake¹⁴ by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying,² In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat⁴ the flesh of Jezebel:

And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; [so] that they shall not say,⁴ This [is] Jezebel.