2 Kings Chapter 9

Jehu is anointed king of Israel

1 The prophet Elisha called one of the fellow prophets, and said to him, ¡°Prepare to go to the city of Ra moth in Gilead taking this bottle of oil.

2 Look there for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Make him leave his companions, and lead him to a place apart from them.

3 There you shall take the bottle and pour the oil on his head, saying: Yahweh has anointed you king of Israel. Then open the door and flee without delay.¡±

4 So the young man went to Ramoth.

5 When he arrived, the commanders of the army were seated together, and he said, ¡°I have to talk with you, commander.¡± Jehu asked, ¡°To which of us?¡± He answered, ¡°To you, comman der.¡± 6 So Jehu arose and went into the house.

6 Then the young man poured the oil on Jehu¡¯s head, and said to him, ¡°Yahweh, the God of Israel, has consecrated you king of the people of Israel. Thus says Yahweh:

7 You shall overthrow the kings of the family of Ahab, that I may avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, whom Jeze bel has mur dered.

8 I shall destroy the family of Ahab and all their men shall perish.

9 The family of Ahab shall be like the family of Jeroboam and the family of Ba asha.

10 And regarding Jezebel, no one shall bury her, for the dogs shall devour her in the field of Jezreel.¡± Then the young man opened the door and fled.

11 Jehu came out to join the officers of the king. They said to him, ¡°What hap pened? Why did that fool call you?¡± Jehu answered, ¡°You know that fellow and you also know why he came.¡±

12 They said, ¡°We do not know anything. Tell us what he said to you.¡± He answered, ¡°These are his exact words: Yahweh has consecrated you king of Israel.¡±

13 Then all the commanders, the com panions of Jehu, took their cloaks and put them on a wooden platform in the shape of a throne. And with blast of trumpets, they proclaimed, ¡°Jehu is king!¡±

14 Thus Jehu, son of Jeho sha phat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. At that time, Joram was with the Israelites defending the city of Ramoth in Gilead against Hazael, king of Aram,

15 but Joram had re treated to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received in battle.
Jehu said, ¡°If it seems good to you, let no one leave the city, lest they go and tell the news to the king in Jezreel.¡±

16 Jehu then mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram lay sick, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, had gone to visit him.

17 The watchman at the tower in Jez reel saw the retinue of Jehu coming and said, ¡°I see a company.¡± Joram said, ¡°Take your horse and run to meet them, and ask them if they have any news.¡±

18 So the man went out to meet them and said, ¡°The king sent me to ask if you have any news.¡± Jehu answered, ¡°Do not worry about the news. Turn around and follow me.¡± And the watchman immediately reported, ¡°The messenger reached them, but he has not returned.¡±

19 They sent another messenger who came to them and said, ¡°The king wants to know if you bring any news.¡± And Jehu again answered, ¡°Do not worry about the news, turn around and ride behind me.¡±

20 Again the watchman reported, ¡°He has reached them, but has not returned. The way of driving of him who comes resembles that of Jehu, son of Nim shi, for he drives like a mad man.¡±

21 Joram then said, ¡°Harness the horses of my chariot.¡± And Joram, the king of Israel, went out with Ahaziah, the king of Judah, each in his chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him in the field of Naboth of Jezreel.


Jehu murders Joram

22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, ¡°Do you bring peace, Jehu?¡± Jehu answered, ¡°Why do you ask for peace when the prostitution of your mother, Jezebel, and her many sorceries still con tinue?¡±

23 So Joram turned his chariot around and fled, saying to Ahaziah, ¡°Trea chery, Ahaziah!¡±

24 Jehu then drew his bow with all his strength and shot Joram in the back, so that the arrow pierced his heart. And Joram fell dead in his chariot.

25 Jehu said to his shield bearer Bidkar, ¡°Take the body and throw it in the field of Na both of Jezreel; for remember, when we served together in the cavalry of his father, Ahab, Yah weh pronounced this sentence against him:

26 I swear that in this field, I shall take vengeance on you, for the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his sons which I saw you shed yesterday. So take his body and throw it into the field according to the word of Yahweh.¡±

27 As for Ahaziah, the king of Judah, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, crying out, ¡°Kill him, too!¡± And they shot him in his chariot at the slope of Gur near Ib leam. He reached Megiddo, took refuge there and died.

28 His servants carried his body in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.

29 Ahaziah had begun his reign in Judah in the eleventh year of Joram, son of Ahab.


Jezebel is killed

30 Jehu entered the city of Jezreel. When Jezebel learned this, she painted her eyes, adorned her neck, and looked out of the window.

31 As Jehu entered the gates, she said to him, ¡°Do you bring peace? Will you not have Zimri¡¯s fate after murdering your master?¡±

32 Jehu looked up to the window and cried out, ¡°Who is on my side?¡± Two or three eunuchs looked down at him.

33 He ordered them, ¡°Throw her down.¡± They threw her down through the window, and her blood splashed on the walls and on the horses, and Jehu in his chariot ran over her.

34 Jehu entered Jezreel. After he had eaten and drunk, he gave these orders, ¡°Take care of that cursed woman and bury her, for she was a king¡¯s daugh ter.¡±

35 They went to bury her, but they found no more than her hands and feet with the skull.

36 When they told Jehu about it, he said, ¡°This is what Elijah of Tishbe said in the name of Yahweh: In the field of Jezreel, the dogs shall eat Jezebel.

37 Her body shall be as dung on the land, so that no one can say: This was Jezebel.¡±

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Comments 2 Kings, Chapter 9

• 9.1 While the descendants of David continue to rule in Judah, in Israel there is one ¡°coup¡± after another. Elisha is the one who had Jehu anointed, namely, consecrated with oil.

• 30. Jehu will only be a good soldier. It seems that he was not even successful in his wars and lost the province to the east of the Jordan, the land of Gilead.

However, he was dedicated to the faith (see 10:22) and to the service of Yahweh and the prophets expected that he would suppress all the influence of the foreign religions introduced by Jezebel, which he did.

Jezebel dies: she will be considered in the Bible as an example of a godless woman and a murderess of the servants of Yahweh (see Rev 2:20).