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| RF KI2 10:1 | (B.C. 884.) Murder of Ahab's sons in Shomeron.
There were seventy sons of Ahab in Shomeron, therefore Jehu wrote letters and sent to Shomeron as if from the nobles of Jezreel, and the councilors and nobles of Ahab, to say:— |
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| RF KI2 10:2 | "When this letter comes to you, you possess the sons of your Prince, and chariots and horses, and a fortified city, and an arsenal, |
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| RF KI2 10:3 | therefore choose the best and handsomest among the sons of your Prince, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for the House of your Prince." |
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| RF KI2 10:4 | But they were very much afraid and said, "Two kings could not stand against him, so we cannot resist him." |
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| RF KI2 10:5 | Therefore the governor of the palace, and the Governor of the city, and the Councilors, and the Guardians sent to Jehu to say, "We are your servants and we will do all you order us. You must make the best man in your own opinion king over us." |
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| RF KI2 10:6 | He consequently wrote a second letter to them to say, "If you are on my side, and will listen to my word, take the heads of those men, the sons of your Prince, and come to me at this time to-morrow at Jezreel." The sons of the king were with the nobles of the city who had educated them. |
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| RF KI2 10:7 | When this letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered the seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel, |
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| RF KI2 10:8 | and a messenger came and reported to him, "They have brought the heads of the sons of the king." When he replied, "Put them in two heaps opposite the gate until morning." |
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| RF KI2 10:9 | When it was morning he went out, and stood and addressed the people, and said:—You are all honorable men! You know I conspired against my master and killed him? But who assailed all these? |
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| RF KI2 10:10 | So you can learn now that not a word of the EVER-LIVING will fall to the earth of all that the EVER-LIVING spoke against the House of Ahab; but the EVER-LIVING will do what He threatened by means of His servant Elijah." |
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| RF KI2 10:11 | Then Jehu executed the whole of the nobles of the House of Ahab, in Jezreel, and all his great men, and all his friends, and his priests, until not a remnant was left. |
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| RF KI2 10:12 | (B.C. 884) Jehu advances against Shomeron, and Murders Akhaziah's Brothers on the way.
He afterwards arose and advanced and marched to Shomeron. When he reached the Shepherds' shearing house, on the way, |
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| RF KI2 10:13 | Jehu met the brothers of Akhaziah king of Judah, and asked, "Who are you?" And they answered, "We are the brothers of Akhaziah, and we are descending to visit the king's son, and the sons of the nobles." |
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| RF KI2 10:14 | But he commanded, "Seize them alive!" So they seized them alive, and slaughtered at the pit of the Shearing-house forty-two persons, and spared not a single one of them. |
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| RF KI2 10:15 | As he marched from there, he met Jehonadab-ben-Rekab coming to meet him, and he addressed him, and asked, "Is your heart right with me, as my heart is with your heart? "
When Jehonadab replied, It is."
"If it is, give me your hand."
So he gave his hand and mounted to him on the chariot, |
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| RF KI2 10:16 | when he said, "Go with me and see my zeal for the EVER-LIVING!" And he rode with him in the chariot. |
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| RF KI2 10:17 | When he reached Shomeron he assailed all the Princes of Akhab in Shomeron, until he had destroyed them, according to the sentence of the EVER-LIVING that He pronounced by Eliah. |
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| RF KI2 10:18 | Jehu deceives and Slaughters the priests of Baal
Jehu afterwards assembled the people and said to them:—"Ahab served Bal a little—Jehu will serve him much! |
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| RF KI2 10:19 | Therefore, now, all you Preachers of Bal, all you servants of him, and all his priests, come to me, every man in his station, to make with me a big sacrifice to Bal! Everyone who is not in his station will offer an insult to Jehu." But Jehu did it cunningly to destroy those servants of Bal. |
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| RF KI2 10:20 | "Therefore," Jehu said, "proclaim an Assembly to Bal!" They accordingly proclaimed one, |
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| RF KI2 10:21 | and Jehu sent through all Israel, and all the servants of Bal came—there was not a single one who did not come—and went to the Temple of Bal and filled the Temple of Bal all over. |
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| RF KI2 10:22 | He then said to the Superintendent of the Wardrobe, "Bring out uniforms for all the ministers of Bal." And he brought the uniforms out. |
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| RF KI2 10:23 | Then Jehu and Jehonadab-ben-Rekab came to the Temple of Bal, and he said to the ministers of Bal, Search and examine, for fear there should be among you any ministers of Jehovah; for I will expel all, except the ministers of Bal." |
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| RF KI2 10:24 | Then they entered and made sacrifices, and burnt-offerings; but Jehu had chosen for himself outside eighty men and said:—"The man who allows one of these fellows, whom I have prepared for your hands, to escape, his life shall be for his!" |
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| RF KI2 10:25 | So when they had finished making the burnt-offering, Jehu commanded the infantry and their officers, "Advance! Charge! Let not a man come out!" Then the infantry and their officers charged with the sword, and went to the sanctuary of the Temple of Bal, |
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| RF KI2 10:26 | and they brought out the columns of the Temple of Bal, and fired them, |
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| RF KI2 10:27 | and threw down the Temple of Bal, and turned it into a dunghill to this day. |
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| RF KI2 10:28 | Thus Jehu swept Bal from Israel. |
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| RF KI2 10:29 | (B.C. 884.) Jehu continues the sins of Jerabam-ben-Nabat.
However, Jehu did not turn from the sins of Jerabam-ben-Nebat, who caused Israel to sin—from the worship of the calves of gold that were at Bethel and at Dan; |
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| RF KI2 10:30 | consequently the EVER-LIVING said to Jehu:—"Because you have done well and right in My sight, according to all that it was in My heart that you should do to the House of Ahab, four of your descendants shall sit upon the throne of Israel." |
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| RF KI2 10:31 | Jehu, however, did not continue to walk in the laws of the EVER-LIVING GOD of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jerabam, who made Israel sin. |
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| RF KI2 10:32 | In his days the EVER-LIVING lessened the boundaries of Israel, and Hazaal conquered from them upon all the borders of Israel, |
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| RF KI2 10:33 | from the Jordan eastward towards the sun, all the country of Gilad, the Gadites, and Reubenites, and Manassites, from Aroar upon the river Arnon, with Gilad and Bashan. |
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| RF KI2 10:34 | The rest of the affairs of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his achievements, they are recorded in the history of the events of the times of the Kings of Israel. |
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| RF KI2 10:35 | When Jehu slept with his fathers they buried him in Shomeron, and Jhoakhaz his son reigned in his place. |
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| RF KI2 10:36 | The period that Jehu was King over Israel was twenty-eight years in Shomeron. |
