1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying, 2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour; 3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand? 5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes. 6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up. 7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning. 9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? 10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah. 11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way, 13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. 19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. 21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. 22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. 23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only. 24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. 25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. 27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
32 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; 33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. 36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
1 亚哈有七十个儿子在撒玛利亚。耶户写了一批信, 送到撒玛利亚, 对耶斯列的首领、长老和亚哈众子的导师说:
2 "你们主人的儿子都在你们那里, 你们也有战车、马匹、设防城和武器, 那么这封信到达你们那里的时候,
3 你们就要看看在你们主人的儿子中, 哪一个是最好最合适的, 把他立在父亲的宝座上; 你们又要为你们主人的家作战。"
4 他们就十分害怕, 说: "看哪, 两个王尚且不能在他面前站立得住, 我们又怎能站得住呢?"
5 于是内务长、市长、长老和亚哈众子的导师送信给耶户说: "我们是你的仆人, 你吩咐我们的, 我们都必照办; 我们也不会立什么人作王; 你看怎样好, 我们就怎样作。"
6 于是耶户写第二封信给他们说: "如果你们是归从我, 听我的话的, 就要把你们主人的儿子们的头颅取下, 明天大约这个时候, 带来耶斯列给我。"那时, 王的七十个儿子是住在抚养他们的城中的大臣那里。
7 这信到达他们那里的时候, 他们就拿住王的众子, 把这七十人杀了, 然后把他们的头放在盘子里, 送到耶斯列耶户那里。
8 有使者来告诉耶户说: "王的众子的头送到了。"他说: "把它们分作两堆放在城门口, 直到早上。"
9 第二天早上的时候, 耶户出来, 站着对众民说: "你们都是无罪的, 看哪, 是我自己背叛了我的主人, 把他杀了, 但这所有的人又是谁击杀的呢?
10 你们要知道耶和华的话, 就是耶和华所说攻击亚哈家的话, 一句也没有落空; 耶和华借着他的仆人以利亚所说的话, 他都作成了。"
11 于是耶户击杀了亚哈家在耶斯列剩下的人, 还有他所有的大臣、有关的人、祭司, 没有一个给他存留。
12 耶户动身, 往撒玛利亚去。在路上, 他经过牧羊人的伯艾吉那里。
13 他遇见了犹大王亚哈谢的兄弟们。他说: "你们是谁?"他们说: "我们是亚哈谢的兄弟。我们下来要向王的众子和太后的众子请安。"
14 他说: "活捉他们! "他的手下就活捉了他们, 在伯艾吉的坑边杀了他们; 一共是四十二个人, 没有留下一人。
15 他又从那里往前行, 看见利甲的儿子约拿达来迎接他。耶户向他请安, 然后说: "你的心对我忠诚, 就像我的心对你的心一样吗?"约拿达说: "是的。"耶户说: "如果是的话, 伸出你的手来。"他伸出他的手, 耶户就把他拉上他的战车。
16 耶户说: "你和我一起去, 看看我对耶和华的热诚。"于是用自己的战车载他同去。
17 他来到撒玛利亚, 就击杀亚哈家所有在撒玛利亚剩下的人, 把他们完全消灭, 正如耶和华对以利亚所说的话。
18 耶户集合众民, 对他们说: "从前亚哈信奉巴力还算是少, 耶户要信奉更多。
19 现在, 所有的巴力先知、所有信奉他的和他所有的祭司都要给我召来, 不要走漏一人; 因为我要向巴力献一个极大的祭, 缺席的必不得活。"耶户用诡计这样行, 是要除灭所有信奉巴力的人。
20 耶户又说: "要为巴力召开一个严肃会。"于是众人宣告召开大会。
21 耶户派人走遍以色列各地, 所有信奉巴力的人都来了, 没有一个不来的。他们都进了巴力庙, 以致巴力庙从这边到那边都塞满了人。
22 耶户对掌管衣橱的说: "把礼服拿出来, 给所有拜巴力的人穿。"他就把礼服拿出来给他们穿上。
23 耶户和利甲的儿子约拿达来到巴力的庙中。他对信奉巴力的人说: "搜查看看, 这里不要有信奉耶和华的人和你们同在一起, 只可以有信奉巴力的人。"
24 他们进去献祭和献燔祭。耶户布置了八十个人在外面, 说: "如果我带来交在你们手中的人, 有一个从他们中间逃脱了, 你们就要以命抵命。"
25 耶户献完了燔祭, 就对卫兵和军长说: "你们进去, 杀死他们, 一个也不让他们出来。"卫兵和军长于是用刀击杀他们, 又把他们的尸体拋出去, 然后往巴力的城去了。
26 他们又把巴力庙内的神柱搬出去烧了。
27 他们毁坏了巴力的神柱, 又拆毁了巴力庙, 作为厕所, 直到今日。
28 这样, 耶户从以色列中消灭了巴力。
29 只是耶户没有离弃尼八的儿子耶罗波安的罪, 就是他使以色列人陷于罪中的那些罪, 敬拜在伯特利和但的金牛犊。
30 耶和华对耶户说: "因为你办好了我看为正的事, 照我的一切心意对付亚哈家, 你的子孙要坐在以色列的王位上, 直到第四代。"
31 可是耶户没有尽心遵行耶和华以色列 神的律法, 离弃耶罗波安使以色列人陷于罪中的那些罪。
32 在那些日子, 耶和华开始削弱以色列, 哈薛在以色列各处的边境攻击他们:
33 从约旦河以东, 基列的全地, 迦得人、流本人和玛拿西人之地, 从靠近亚嫩河的亚罗珥起, 至基列和巴珊。
34 耶户其余的事迹和他所行的一切, 以及他的一切英雄事迹, 不是都写在以色列诸王的年代志上吗?
35 耶户和他的祖先同享安息, 葬在撒玛利亚, 他儿子约哈斯接续他作王。
36 耶户在撒玛利亚作王统治以色列共二十八年。