Bible in 90 Days

Two More Miracles

³⁸ Once, when there was a famine throughout the land, Elisha returned to Gilgal. While he was teaching a group of prophets, he told his servant to put a big pot on the fire and make some stew for them. ³⁹ One of them went out in the fields to get some herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as many gourds as he could carry. He brought them back and sliced them up into the stew, not knowing what they were. ⁴⁰ The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but as soon as they tasted it they exclaimed to Elisha, “It's poisoned!”—and wouldn't eat it. ⁴¹ Elisha asked for some meal, threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour out some more stew for them.” And then there was nothing wrong with it.

⁴² Another time, a man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing Elisha twenty loaves of bread made from the first barley harvested that year, and some freshly-cut heads of grain. Elisha told his servant to feed the group of prophets with this, ⁴³ but he answered, “Do you think this is enough for a hundred men?”

Elisha replied, “Give it to them to eat, because the Lord says that they will eat and still have some left over.” ⁴⁴ So the servant set the food before them, and as the Lord had said, they all ate, and there was still some left over.

Naaman Is Cured

5 ^(A)Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded skin disease. ² In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife. ³ One day she said to her mistress, “I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.” ⁴ When Naaman heard of this, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. ⁵ The king said, “Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him.”

So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. ⁶ The letter that he took read: “This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease.”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God,^[a] with the power of life and death? It's plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!”

⁸ When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: “Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!”

⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease. ¹¹ But Naaman left in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the Lord his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot,^[b] and cure me! ¹² Besides, aren't the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!”

¹³ His servants went up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child. ¹⁵ He returned to Elisha with all his men and said, “Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me.”

¹⁶ Elisha answered, “By the living Lord, whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift.”

Naaman insisted that he accept it, but he would not. ¹⁷ So Naaman said, “If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me,^[c] because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the Lord. ¹⁸ So I hope that the Lord will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the Lord will forgive me!”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said. And Naaman left.

He had gone only a short distance, ²⁰ when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, “My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living Lord I will run after him and get something from him.” ²¹ So he set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

²² “No,” Gehazi answered. “But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes.”

²³ “Please take six thousand pieces of silver,” Naaman replied. He insisted on it, tied up the silver in two bags, gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When they reached the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back. ²⁵ He went back into the house, and Elisha asked him, “Where have you been?”

“Oh, nowhere, sir,” he answered.

²⁶ But Elisha said, “Wasn't I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants! ²⁷ And now Naaman's disease will come upon you, and you and your descendants will have it forever!”

When Gehazi left, he had the disease—his skin was as white as snow.

The Recovery of the Ax Head

6 One day the group of prophets that Elisha was in charge of complained to him, “The place where we live is too small! ² Give us permission to go to the Jordan and cut down some trees, so that we can build a place to live.”

“All right,” Elisha answered.

³ One of them urged him to go with them; he agreed, ⁴ and they set out together. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began to work. ⁵ As one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly his iron ax head fell in the water. “What shall I do, sir?” he exclaimed to Elisha. “It was a borrowed ax!”

⁶ “Where did it fall?” Elisha asked.

The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float. ⁷ “Take it out,” he ordered, and the man reached down and picked it up.

The Syrian Army Is Defeated

⁸ The king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his officers and chose a place to set up his camp. ⁹ But Elisha sent word to the king of Israel, warning him not to go near that place, because the Syrians were waiting in ambush there. ¹⁰ So the king of Israel warned the people who lived in that place, and they were on guard. This happened several times.

¹¹ The Syrian king became greatly upset over this; he called in his officers and asked them, “Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel?”

¹² One of them answered, “No one is, Your Majesty. The prophet Elisha tells the king of Israel what you say even in the privacy of your own room.”

¹³ “Find out where he is,” the king ordered, “and I will capture him.”

When he was told that Elisha was in Dothan, ¹⁴ he sent a large force there with horses and chariots. They reached the town at night and surrounded it. ¹⁵ Early the next morning Elisha's servant got up, went out of the house, and saw the Syrian troops with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. He went back to Elisha and exclaimed, “We are doomed, sir! What shall we do?”

¹⁶ “Don't be afraid,” Elisha answered. “We have more on our side than they have on theirs.” ¹⁷ Then he prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord answered his prayer, and Elisha's servant looked up and saw the hillside covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

¹⁸ When the Syrians attacked, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, strike these men blind!” The Lord answered his prayer and struck them blind. ¹⁹ Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are on the wrong road; this is not the town you are looking for. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are after.” And he led them to Samaria.

²⁰ As soon as they had entered the city, Elisha prayed, “Open their eyes, Lord, and let them see.” The Lord answered his prayer; he restored their sight, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.

²¹ When the king of Israel saw the Syrians, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, sir? Shall I kill them?”

²² “No,” he answered. “Not even soldiers you had captured in combat would you put to death. Give them something to eat and drink, and let them return to their king.” ²³ So the king of Israel provided a great feast for them; and after they had eaten and drunk, he sent them back to the king of Syria. From then on the Syrians stopped raiding the land of Israel.

The Siege of Samaria

²⁴ Some time later King Benhadad of Syria led his entire army against Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria. ²⁵ As a result of the siege the food shortage in the city was so severe that a donkey's head cost eighty pieces of silver, and half a pound of dove's dung^[d] cost five pieces of silver.

²⁶ The king of Israel was walking by on the city wall when a woman cried out, “Help me, Your Majesty!”

²⁷ He replied, “If the Lord won't help you, what help can I provide? Do I have any wheat or wine? ²⁸ What's your trouble?”

She answered, “The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day. ^29 (B)So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!”

³⁰ Hearing this, the king tore his clothes in dismay, and the people who were close to the wall could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. ³¹ He exclaimed, “May God strike me dead if Elisha is not beheaded before the day is over!” ³² And he sent a messenger to get Elisha.

Meanwhile Elisha was at home with some elders who were visiting him. Before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “That murderer is sending someone to kill me! Now, when he gets here, shut the door and don't let him come in. The king himself will be right behind him.” ³³ He had hardly finished saying this, when the king^[e] arrived and said, “It's the Lord who has brought this trouble on us! Why should I wait any longer for him to do something?”

7 Elisha answered, “Listen to what the Lord says! By this time tomorrow you will be able to buy in Samaria ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley for one piece of silver.”

² The personal attendant of the king said to Elisha, “That can't happen—not even if the Lord himself were to send grain^[f] at once!”

“You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food,” Elisha replied.

The Syrian Army Leaves

³ Four men who were suffering from a dreaded skin disease were outside the gates of Samaria, and they said to each other, “Why should we wait here until we die? ⁴ It's no use going into the city, because we would starve to death in there; but if we stay here, we'll die also. So let's go to the Syrian camp; the worst they can do is kill us, but maybe they will spare our lives.” ⁵ So, as it began to get dark, they went to the Syrian camp, but when they reached it, no one was there. ⁶ The Lord had made the Syrians hear what sounded like the advance of a large army with horses and chariots, and the Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings and their armies to attack them. ⁷ So that evening the Syrians had fled for their lives, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys, and leaving the camp just as it was.

⁸ When the four men reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank what was there, grabbed the silver, gold, and clothing they found, and went off and hid them; then they returned, entered another tent, and did the same thing. ⁹ But then they said to each other, “We shouldn't be doing this! We have good news, and we shouldn't keep it to ourselves. If we wait until morning to tell it, we are sure to be punished. Let's go right now and tell the king's officers!” ¹⁰ So they left the Syrian camp, went back to Samaria, and called out to the guards at the gates: “We went to the Syrian camp and didn't see or hear anybody; the horses and donkeys have not been untied, and the tents are just as the Syrians left them.”

¹¹ The guards announced the news, and it was reported in the palace. ¹² It was still night, but the king got out of bed and said to his officials, “I'll tell you what the Syrians are planning! They know about the famine here, so they have left their camp to go and hide in the countryside. They think that we will leave the city to find food, and then they will take us alive and capture the city.”

¹³ One of his officials said, “The people here in the city are doomed anyway, like those that have already died. So let's send some men with five of the horses that are left, so that we can find out what has happened.”^{[g] 14} They chose some men, and the king sent them in two chariots with instructions to go and find out what had happened to the Syrian army. ¹⁵ The men went as far as the Jordan, and all along the road they saw the clothes and equipment that the Syrians had abandoned as they fled. Then they returned and reported to the king. ¹⁶ The people of Samaria rushed out and looted the Syrian camp. And as the Lord had said, ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley were sold for one piece of silver.

¹⁷ It so happened that the king of Israel had put the city gate under the command of the officer who was his personal attendant. The officer was trampled to death there by the people and died, as Elisha had predicted when the king went to see him. ¹⁸ Elisha had told the king that by that time the following day ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley would be sold in Samaria for one piece of silver, ¹⁹ to which the officer had answered, “That can't happen—not even if the Lord himself were to send grain^[h] at once!” And Elisha had replied, “You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food.” ²⁰ And that is just what happened to him—he died, trampled to death by the people at the city gate.

The Woman from Shunem Returns

8 ^(C)Now Elisha had told the woman who lived in Shunem, whose son he had brought back to life, that the Lord was sending a famine on the land, which would last for seven years, and that she should leave with her family and go and live somewhere else. ² She had followed his instructions and had gone with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years.

³ At the end of the seven years she returned to Israel and went to the king to ask that her house and her land be restored to her. ⁴ She found the king talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant; the king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles. ⁵ While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life, the woman made her appeal to the king. Gehazi said to him, “Your Majesty, here is the woman and here is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” ⁶ In answer to the king's question, she confirmed Gehazi's story, and so the king called an official and told him to give back to her everything that was hers, including the value of all the crops that her fields had produced during the seven years she had been away.

Elisha and King Benhadad of Syria

⁷ Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there, ⁸ he said to Hazael, one of his officials, “Take a gift to the prophet and ask him to consult the Lord to find out whether or not I am going to get well.” ⁹ So Hazael loaded forty camels with all kinds of the finest products of Damascus and went to Elisha. When Hazael met him, he said, “Your servant King Benhadad has sent me to ask you whether or not he will recover from his sickness.”

¹⁰ Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover.” ¹¹ Then Elisha stared at him with a horrified look on his face until Hazael became ill at ease. Suddenly Elisha burst into tears. ¹² “Why are you crying, sir?” Hazael asked.

“Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel,” Elisha answered. “You will set their fortresses on fire, slaughter their finest young men, batter their children to death, and rip open their pregnant women.”

^13 (D)“How could I ever be that powerful?” Hazael asked. “I'm a nobody!”

“The Lord has shown me that you will be king of Syria,” Elisha replied.

¹⁴ Hazael went back to Benhadad, who asked him, “What did Elisha say?”

“He told me that you would certainly get well,” Hazael answered. ¹⁵ But on the following day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king.

And Hazael succeeded Benhadad as king of Syria.

King Jehoram of Judah^(E)

¹⁶ In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel,^[i] Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah ¹⁷ at the age of thirty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. ¹⁸ His wife was Ahab's daughter, and like the family of Ahab he followed the evil ways of the kings of Israel. He sinned against the Lord, ^19 (F)but the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that his descendants would always continue to rule.

^20 (G)During Jehoram's reign Edom revolted against Judah and became an independent kingdom. ²¹ So Jehoram set out with all his chariots to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded them. During the night he and his chariot commanders managed to break out and escape, and his soldiers scattered to their homes. ²² Edom has been independent of^[j] Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted.

²³ Everything else that Jehoram did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²⁴ Jehoram died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.

King Ahaziah of Judah^(H)

²⁵ In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah ²⁶ at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. ²⁷ Since Ahaziah was related to King Ahab by marriage, he sinned against the Lord, just as Ahab's family did.

²⁸ King Ahaziah joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle. ²⁹ He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.

Jehu Is Anointed King of Israel

9 Meanwhile the prophet Elisha called one of the young prophets and said to him, “Get ready and go to Ramoth in Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you, ² and when you get there look for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Take him to a private room away from his companions, ³ pour this olive oil on his head, and say, ‘The Lord proclaims that he anoints you king of Israel.’ Then leave there as fast as you can.”

⁴ So the young prophet went to Ramoth, ⁵ where he found the army officers in a conference. He said, “Sir, I have a message for you.”

Jehu asked, “Which one of us are you speaking to?”

“To you, sir,” he replied. ^6 (I)Then the two of them went indoors, and the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu's head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of my people Israel. ⁷ You are to kill your master the king, that son of Ahab, so that I may punish Jezebel for murdering my prophets and my other servants. ⁸ All of Ahab's family and descendants are to die; I will get rid of every male in his family, young and old alike. ⁹ I will treat his family as I did the families of King Jeroboam of Israel and of King Baasha of Israel. ^10 (J)Jezebel will not be buried; her body will be eaten by dogs in the territory of Jezreel.’” After saying this, the young prophet left the room and fled.

¹¹ Jehu went back to his fellow officers, who asked him, “Is everything all right? What did that crazy fellow want with you?”

“You know what he wanted,” Jehu answered.

¹² “No we don't!” they replied. “Tell us what he said!”

“He told me that the Lord proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of Israel.’”

¹³ At once Jehu's fellow officers spread their cloaks at the top of the steps for Jehu to stand on, blew trumpets, and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

King Joram of Israel Is Killed

^14-15 Then Jehu plotted against King Joram, who was in Jezreel, where he had gone to recover from the wounds which he had received in the battle at Ramoth against King Hazael of Syria. So Jehu said to his fellow officers, “If you are with me, make sure that no one slips out of Ramoth to go and warn the people in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then he got into his chariot and set off for Jezreel. Joram had still not recovered, and King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting him.

¹⁷ A guard on duty in the watchtower at Jezreel saw Jehu and his men approaching. “I see some men riding up!” he called out.

Joram replied, “Send a rider to find out if they are friends or enemies.”

¹⁸ The messenger rode out to Jehu and said to him, “The king wants to know if you come as a friend.”

“That's none of your business!” Jehu answered. “Fall in behind me.”

The guard on the watchtower reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning. ¹⁹ Another messenger was sent out, who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu answered, “That's none of your business! Fall in behind me.”

²⁰ Once more the guard reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning. And he added, “The leader of the group is driving his chariot like a madman, just like Jehu!”

²¹ “Get my chariot ready,” King Joram ordered. It was done, and he and King Ahaziah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the field which had belonged to Naboth. ²² “Are you coming in peace?” Joram asked him.

“How can there be peace,” Jehu answered, “when we still have all the witchcraft and idolatry that your mother Jezebel started?”

²³ “It's treason, Ahaziah!” Joram cried out, as he turned his chariot around and fled. ²⁴ Jehu drew his bow, and with all his strength shot an arrow that struck Joram in the back and pierced his heart. Joram fell dead in his chariot, ²⁵ and Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, “Get his body and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth. Remember that when you and I were riding together behind King Joram's father Ahab, the Lord spoke these words against Ahab: ^26 (K)‘I saw the murder of Naboth and his sons yesterday. And I promise that I will punish you here in this same field.’ So take Joram's body,” Jehu ordered his aide, “and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth, so as to fulfill the Lord's promise.”

King Ahaziah of Judah Is Killed

²⁷ King Ahaziah saw what happened, so he fled in his chariot toward the town of Beth Haggan, pursued by Jehu. “Kill him too!” Jehu ordered his men, and they wounded him^[k] as he drove his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the town of Ibleam. But he managed to keep on going until he reached the city of Megiddo, where he died. ²⁸ His officials took his body back to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in the royal tombs in David's City.

²⁹ Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year that Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel.

Queen Jezebel Is Killed

³⁰ Jehu arrived in Jezreel. Jezebel, having heard what had happened, put on eye shadow, arranged her hair, and stood looking down at the street from a window in the palace. ³¹ As Jehu came through the gate, she called out, “You Zimri!^[l] You assassin! Why are you here?”

³² Jehu looked up and shouted, “Who is on my side?” Two or three palace officials looked down at him from a window, ³³ and Jehu said to them, “Throw her down!” They threw her down, and her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses. Jehu drove his horses and chariot over her body, ³⁴ entered the palace, and had a meal. Only then did he say, “Take that cursed woman and bury her; after all, she is a king's daughter.” ³⁵ But the men who went out to bury her found nothing except her skull and the bones of her hands and feet. ^36 (L)When they reported this to Jehu, he said, “This is what the Lord said would happen, when he spoke through his servant Elijah: ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel's body in the territory of Jezreel. ³⁷ Her remains will be scattered there like dung, so that no one will be able to identify them.’”

The Descendants of Ahab Are Killed

10 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city,^[m] to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab's descendants. The letter read: ² “You are in charge of the king's descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities. So then, as soon as you receive this letter, ³ you are to choose the best qualified of the king's descendants, make him king, and fight to defend him.”

⁴ The rulers of Samaria were terrified. “How can we oppose Jehu,” they said, “when neither King Joram nor King Ahaziah could?” ⁵ So the officer in charge of the palace and the official in charge of the city, together with the leading citizens and the guardians, sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we are ready to do anything you say. But we will not make anyone king; do whatever you think best.”

⁶ Jehu wrote them another letter: “If you are with me and are ready to follow my orders, bring the heads of King Ahab's descendants to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

The seventy descendants of King Ahab were under the care of the leading citizens of Samaria, who were bringing them up. ⁷ When Jehu's letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

⁸ When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab's descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning. ⁹ In the morning he went out to the gate and said to the people who were there, “I was the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him; you are not responsible for that. But who killed all these? ¹⁰ This proves that everything that the Lord said about the descendants of Ahab will come true. The Lord has done what he promised through his prophet Elijah.” ^11 (M)Then Jehu put to death all the other relatives of Ahab living in Jezreel, and all his officers, close friends, and priests; not one of them was left alive.

The Relatives of King Ahaziah Are Killed

¹² Jehu left Jezreel to go to Samaria. On the way, at a place called “Shepherds' Camp,” ¹³ he met some relatives of the late King Ahaziah of Judah and asked them, “Who are you?”

“Ahaziah's relatives,” they answered. “We are going to Jezreel to pay our respects to the children of Queen Jezebel and to the rest of the royal family.” ¹⁴ Jehu ordered his men, “Take them alive!” They seized them, and he put them to death near a pit there. There were forty-two people in all, and not one of them was left alive.

All Remaining Relatives of Ahab Are Killed

¹⁵ Jehu started out again, and on his way he was met by Jonadab son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said, “You and I think alike. Will you support me?”

“I will,” Jonadab answered.

“Give me your hand, then,” Jehu replied. They clasped hands, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot, ¹⁶ saying, “Come with me and see for yourself how devoted I am to the Lord.” And they rode on together to Samaria. ¹⁷ When they arrived there, Jehu killed all of Ahab's relatives, not sparing even one. This is what the Lord had told Elijah would happen.

The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed

¹⁸ Jehu called the people of Samaria together and said, “King Ahab served the god Baal a little, but I will serve him much more. ¹⁹ Call together all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. No one is excused; I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and whoever is not present will be put to death.” (This was a trick on the part of Jehu by which he meant to kill all the worshipers of Baal.) ²⁰ Then Jehu ordered, “Proclaim a day of worship in honor of Baal!” The proclamation was made, ²¹ and Jehu sent word throughout all the land of Israel. All who worshiped Baal came; not one of them failed to come. They all went into the temple of Baal, filling it from one end to the other. ²² Then Jehu ordered the priest in charge of the sacred robes to bring the robes out and give them to the worshipers. ²³ After that, Jehu himself went into the temple with Jonadab son of Rechab and said to the people there, “Make sure that only worshipers of Baal are present and that no worshiper of the Lord has come in.” ²⁴ Then he and Jonadab went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. He had stationed eighty men outside the temple and had instructed them: “You are to kill all these people; anyone who lets one of them escape will pay for it with his life!”

²⁵ As soon as Jehu had presented the offerings, he said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them all; don't let anyone escape!” They went in with drawn swords, killed them all, and dragged the bodies outside. Then they went on into the inner sanctuary of the temple, ²⁶ brought out the sacred pillar that was there, and burned it. ²⁷ So they destroyed the sacred pillar and the temple, and turned the temple into a latrine—which it still is today.

²⁸ That was how Jehu wiped out the worship of Baal in Israel. ^29 (N)But he imitated the sin of King Jeroboam, who led Israel into the sin of worshiping the gold bull-calves he set up in Bethel and in Dan. ³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done to Ahab's descendants everything I wanted you to do. So I promise you that your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu did not obey with all his heart the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel; instead, he followed the example of Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.

The Death of Jehu

³² At that time the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territory ³³ east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River—this included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.

³⁴ Everything else that Jehu did, including his brave deeds, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵ He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king. ³⁶ Jehu had ruled in Samaria as king of Israel for twenty-eight years.

Queen Athaliah of Judah^(O)

11 As soon as King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah learned of her son's murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family to be killed. ² Only Ahaziah's son Joash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's half sister. She took him and his nurse into a bedroom in the Temple and hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ³ For six years Jehosheba took care of the boy and kept him hidden in the Temple, while Athaliah ruled as queen.

⁴ But in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest sent for the officers in charge of the royal bodyguard and of the palace guards, and told them to come to the Temple, where he made them agree under oath to what he planned to do. He showed them King Ahaziah's son Joash ⁵ and gave them the following orders: “When you come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of you are to guard the palace; ⁶ another third are to stand guard at the Sur Gate, and the other third are to stand guard at the gate behind the other guards.^{[n] 7} The two groups that go off duty on the Sabbath are to stand guard at the Temple to protect the king. ⁸ You are to guard King Joash with drawn swords and stay with him wherever he goes. Anyone who comes near you is to be killed.”

⁹ The officers obeyed Jehoiada's instructions and brought their men to him—those going off duty on the Sabbath and those going on duty. ¹⁰ He gave the officers the spears^[o] and shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple, ¹¹ and he stationed the men with drawn swords all around the front of the Temple, to protect the king. ¹² Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. Then Joash was anointed and proclaimed king. The people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹³ Queen Athaliah heard the noise being made by the guards and the people, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered. ^14 (P)There she saw the new king standing by the column at the entrance of the Temple, as was the custom. He was surrounded by the officers and the trumpeters, and the people were all shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes in distress and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

¹⁵ Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area, so he ordered the army officers: “Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.” ¹⁶ They seized her, took her to the palace, and there at the Horse Gate they killed her.

Jehoiada's Reforms^(Q)

¹⁷ The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people make a covenant with the Lord that they would be the Lord's people; he also made a covenant between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Then the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down; they smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple, ¹⁹ and then he, the officers, the royal bodyguard, and the palace guards escorted the king from the Temple to the palace, followed by all the people. Joash entered by the Guard Gate and took his place on the throne. ²⁰ All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed in the palace.

²¹ Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven.

King Joash of Judah^(R)

12 In the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel, Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba. ² Throughout his life he did what pleased the Lord, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ However, the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

^4 (S)Joash called the priests and ordered them to save up the money paid in connection with the sacrifices in the Temple, both the dues paid for the regular sacrifices and the money given as freewill gifts. ⁵ Each priest was to be responsible for the money brought by those he served, and the money was to be used to repair the Temple, as needed.

⁶ But by the twenty-third year of Joash's reign the priests still had not made any repairs in the Temple. ⁷ So he called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren't you repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive; you must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made.” ⁸ The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple.

⁹ Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshipers. ¹⁰ Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it.^{[p] 11} After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple, and these would pay the carpenters, the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stone cutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses. ¹³ None of the money, however, was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold. ¹⁴ It was all used to pay the workers and to buy the materials used in the repairs. ^15 (T)The men in charge of the work were thoroughly honest, so there was no need to require them to account for the funds. ^16 (U)The money given for the repayment offerings and for the offerings for sin was not deposited in the box; it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it; then he decided to attack Jerusalem. ¹⁸ King Joash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to the Lord, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Everything else that King Joash did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

^20-21 King Joash's officials plotted against him, and two of them, Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, killed him at the house built on the land that was filled in on the east side of Jerusalem, on the road that goes down to Silla. Joash was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

King Jehoahaz of Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years. ² Like King Jeroboam before him, he sinned against the Lord and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways. ³ So the Lord was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time. ⁴ Then Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord, and the Lord, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer. ⁵ The Lord sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before. ⁶ But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept on^[q] committing them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.

⁷ Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty cavalry troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.

⁸ Everything else that Jehoahaz did and all his brave deeds are recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ⁹ He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash succeeded him as king.

King Jehoash of Israel

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for sixteen years. ¹¹ He too sinned against the Lord and followed the evil example of King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin. ¹² Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

¹³ Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

The Death of Elisha

^14 (V)The prophet Elisha was sick with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying, King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. “My father, my father!” he exclaimed as he wept. “You have been the mighty defender of Israel!”

¹⁵ “Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha ordered him. Jehoash got them, ¹⁶ and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands. ¹⁷ Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the Lord's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.”

¹⁸ Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped. ¹⁹ This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died and was buried.

Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel. ²¹ One time during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha's tomb and ran off.^[r] As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.

War between Israel and Syria

²² King Hazael of Syria oppressed the Israelites during all of Jehoahaz' reign, ²³ but the Lord was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.

²⁴ At the death of King Hazael of Syria his son Benhadad became king. ²⁵ Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.

King Amaziah of Judah^(W)

14 In the second year of the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz as king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah ² at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was pleasing to the Lord, but he was not like his ancestor King David; instead, he did what his father Joash had done. ⁴ He did not tear down the pagan places of worship, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵ As soon as Amaziah was firmly in power, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the king. ^6 (X)However, he did not kill their children but followed what the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses: “Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for a crime they themselves have committed.”

⁷ Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers in Salt Valley; he captured the city of Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, the name it still has.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, challenging him to fight.^{[s] 9} But King Jehoash sent back the following reply: “Once a thorn bush on the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down. ¹⁰ Now Amaziah, you have defeated the Edomites, and you are filled with pride. Be satisfied with your fame and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?”

¹¹ But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash marched out with his men and fought against him at Beth Shemesh in Judah. ¹² Amaziah's army was defeated, and all his soldiers fled to their homes. ¹³ Jehoash took Amaziah prisoner, advanced on Jerusalem, and tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards. ¹⁴ He took all the silver and gold he could find, all the Temple equipment and all the palace treasures, and carried them back to Samaria. He also took hostages with him.

¹⁵ Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶ Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

The Death of King Amaziah of Judah^(Y)

¹⁷ King Amaziah of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel. ¹⁸ Everything else that Amaziah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

¹⁹ There was a plot in Jerusalem to assassinate Amaziah, so he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him. ²⁰ His body was carried back to Jerusalem on a horse and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City. ²¹ The people of Judah then crowned his sixteen-year-old son Uzziah as king. ²² Uzziah reconquered and rebuilt Elath after his father's death.

King Jeroboam II of Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash as king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for forty-one years. ²⁴ He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of his predecessor King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ^25 (Z)He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.

²⁶ The Lord saw the terrible^[t] suffering of the Israelites; there was no one at all to help them. ²⁷ But it was not the Lord's purpose to destroy Israel completely and forever, so he rescued them through King Jeroboam II.

²⁸ Everything else that Jeroboam II did, his brave battles, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Israel,^[u] are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ²⁹ Jeroboam died and was buried in the royal tombs, and his son Zechariah succeeded him as king.

King Uzziah of Judah^(AA)

15 In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah ² at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. ³ Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the Lord. ⁴ But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. ⁵ The Lord struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a separate house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

⁶ Everything else that Uzziah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. ^7 (AB)Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground in David's City, and his son Jotham succeeded him as king.

King Zechariah of Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He, like his predecessors, sinned against the Lord. He followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against King Zechariah, assassinated him at Ibleam,^[v] and succeeded him as king.

¹¹ Everything else that Zechariah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

^12 (AC)So the promise was fulfilled which the Lord had made to King Jehu: “Your descendants down to the fourth generation^[w] will be kings of Israel.”

King Shallum of Israel

¹³ In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for one month.

¹⁴ Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah to Samaria, assassinated Shallum, and succeeded him as king. ¹⁵ Everything else that Shallum did, including an account of his conspiracy, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶ As Menahem was on his way from Tirzah, he completely destroyed the city of Tappuah,^[x] its inhabitants, and the surrounding territory, because the city did not surrender to him. He even ripped open the bellies of all the pregnant women.

King Menahem of Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for ten years. ¹⁸ He sinned against the Lord, for until the day of his death he followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ¹⁹ Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Israel, and Menahem gave him thirty-eight tons of silver to gain his support in strengthening Menahem's power over the country. ²⁰ Menahem got the money from the rich men of Israel by forcing each one to contribute fifty pieces of silver. So Tiglath Pileser went back to his own country.

²¹ Everything else that Menahem did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ²² He died and was buried, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.

King Pekahiah of Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years. ²⁴ He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ²⁵ An officer of Pekahiah's forces, Pekah son of Remaliah, plotted with fifty men from Gilead, assassinated Pekahiah in the palace's inner fortress^[y] in Samaria, and succeeded him as king.

²⁶ Everything else that Pekahiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.