1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab's sons. They said:
2 "Your master's sons are with you, and you have the chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. So as soon as this letter reaches you,
3 pick out the best and most upright of your master's sons, put him on his father's throne and fight for your master's house."
4 But they were terrified. "If two kings could not stand up to him," they said, "how can we?"
5 So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do what seems best to you."
6 He wrote them a second letter: "If you are with me and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." The seventy sons of the king were with the leading men of the city, who were bringing them up.
7 As soon as the letter arrived, they took the king's sons and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
8 A messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
9 In the morning he went out, stood there and told all the people, "You are blameless. It was I who plotted against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these?
10 Understand, then, that not one word of the LORD that the LORD spoke against Ahab's house will fall to the ground. The LORD has done what he said through his servant Elijah."
11 Then Jehu struck down everyone in Jezreel who was left of Ahab's house, all his leading men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him not a single survivor.
12 Jehu then set out for Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds, on the way,
13 he came upon the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?" They said, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother."
14 "Take them alive!" he ordered. They took them alive and slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked, forty-two men. He did not leave a single one of them.
15 Going on from there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was on his way to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, "Is your heart right with mine, as my heart is with yours?" "It is," Jehonadab answered. "If so," said Jehu, "give me your hand." He gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot beside him.
16 "Come along with me," he said, "and see my zeal for the LORD." And they had him ride along in his chariot.
17 On arriving in Samaria, Jehu struck down all who were left of Ahab's family in Samaria until he had destroyed them, as the LORD had told Elijah.
18 Then Jehu assembled all the people and told them, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him a great deal.
19 Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests to me. Do not let anyone be absent, because I am holding a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who is absent will not live." But Jehu was acting deceptively, in order to wipe out the worshipers of Baal.
20 Jehu said, "Consecrate a solemn assembly for Baal." And they announced it.
21 Jehu sent word through all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; not one of them stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from end to end.
22 Jehu told the keeper of the wardrobe, "Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal." And he brought robes out for them.
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and Jehu told the worshipers of Baal, "Look around and make sure there are no servants of the LORD here with you, only worshipers of Baal."
24 They went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: "If anyone lets one of the men I am handing over to you escape, it will be his life for that man's life."
25 As soon as Jehu had finished offering the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers, "Go in and kill them! Let no one get out!" They cut them down with the sword, and the guards and officers threw the bodies out and went on into the inner city of the temple of Baal.
26 They brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.
27 They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal, demolished the temple of Baal and turned it into a latrine, as it remains to this day.
28 So Jehu rooted Baal out of Israel.
29 Yet Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin: the golden calves at Bethel and at Dan.
30 The LORD told Jehu, "Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight, and have done to Ahab's house all that I had in mind, your descendants to the fourth generation will sit on Israel's throne."
31 But Jehu took no care to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with his whole heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he caused Israel to sin.
32 In those days the LORD began to cut pieces off Israel. Hazael defeated them all along Israel's borders,
33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead and Bashan.
34 As for the rest of the deeds of Jehu and all he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
35 Jehu lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz became king in his place.
36 Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.