The Daily Audio Bible

¹⁴ So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram had been defending Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, against King Hazael of Aram. ¹⁵ But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought with King Hazael of Aram. Then Jehu said, “If this is your wish, then let no one escape and go out of the city to go to tell the news in Jezreel.”

¹⁶ So Jehu mounted a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. Meanwhile, King Ahaziah of Judah came down to see Joram. ¹⁷ Now the watchman stationed on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troop approaching and said, “I am seeing a troop.”

Then Joram said, “Take a horseman and dispatch him to meet them, and let him ask: ‘Is it peace?’” ¹⁸ So the horse rider went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’” But Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn behind me.”

So the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but didn’t come back.” ¹⁹ Then he dispatched out another horseman, who went to them and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’” But Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn behind me.”

²⁰ So the watchman reported, saying, “He reached them, but didn’t come back—and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for he is driving on like a maniac!”

²¹ Then Joram ordered, “Hitch up the chariot!” So he hitched up his chariot. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out each in his chariot to meet Jehu, and found him at the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² Now when Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is it peace, Jehu?”

So he answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

²³ So Joram turned his horses around and fled, crying out to Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!”

²⁴ But Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out through his heart, and he collapsed in his chariot. ²⁵ Then he said to Bidkar his aide, “Pick him up and throw him on the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, when Adonai took up this burden against him: ²⁶ ‘As surely as I have seen the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday—it is a declaration of Adonai—I will repay you on this property—it is a declaration of Adonai.’ So now pick him up and throw him onto the property, just as in the word of Adonai.”

²⁷ When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. But Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him too!” They shot him in the chariot at Gur Pass near Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, but he died there. ²⁸ Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. ²⁹ (Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab.)

³⁰ Now when Jehu arrived at Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. So she painted her eyes and dressed her hair, and looked out the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, your master’s assassin?” ³² Then he lifted up his face to the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down toward him. ³³ Then he said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down—then her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her.

³⁴ Then he went inside, ate and drank. Then he said, “Attend now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ So they came back and told him. He said, “This is the word of Adonai, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying: ‘In the field of Jezreel will the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel, ³⁷ and the carcass of Jezebel will be as dung upon the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so that they will not say, “This was Jezebel.” ’”

Jehu Destroys Ahab’s Sons and Baal Worshippers

10 Now Ahab had 70 sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons, saying: ² “Now as soon as this letter reaches you—since your master’s sons are with you, and you also have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons— ³ choose the best and the most worthy of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

⁴ But they were very terrified and said, “Look, two kings couldn’t stand before him, how then can we?” ⁵ So the steward of the palace, the governor of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent word to Jehu saying, “We are your servants, and will do whatever you tell us to. We won’t make any man king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.”

⁶ Then he wrote a second letter to them saying, “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel at this time tomorrow.”

Now the king’s sons, 70 people, were with the city’s prominent men. ⁷ When it came to pass that the letter reached them, they took the king’s 70 sons and slaughtered them, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When a messenger came and told him saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

⁹ It came to pass in the morning that he went out and stood and addressed all the people, “You are innocent. Behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know then that not a word of Adonai will fall to the earth—which Adonai spoke about the house of Ahab—for Adonai has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel—all his nobles, his acquaintances, his priests—until he left him not a survivor.

¹² Then he arose and went on his way to Samaria. As he was at Shearing House^[a] of the Shepherds along the way, ¹³ Jehu met with the kinsmen of King Ahaziah of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”

“We are the kinsmen of Ahaziah,” they replied, “We’ve come down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen mother.”

¹⁴ “Take them alive!” he said. So they took them alive, then struck them down at the pit of Shearing House, 42 men—he spared not a single one of them.

¹⁵ Now when he left from there, he met Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. So he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right as my heart is with your heart?”

“It is,” Jehonadab replied.

“If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for Adonai.” So he let him ride in his chariot.

¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained from Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of Adonai spoken to Elijah.

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much! ¹⁹ Now therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests, let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal—whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu did it in cunning, in order to destroy the worshippers of Baal.

²⁰ Then Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent throughout Israel and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. When they went into the temple of Baal, the temple of Baal was filled from one end to another.

²² Then he said to the one over the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshippers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them. ²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and he said to the worshippers of Baal, “Search and look that there is here with you none of the servants of Adonai—only servants of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had already stationed 80 of his men outside and said, “If any of the men whom I am bringing into your hands escapes, your life will be for his life.” ²⁵ Then it came to pass, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in, strike them down—let none get out.” So they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and the guard and the captains threw them out. Then they proceeded to the inner room of the temple of Baal, ²⁶ brought out the pillars of the temple of Baal, and burned them. ²⁷ Then they demolished the pillar of Baal, tore down the temple of Baal and turned it into latrines—as it is to this day.

²⁸ Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. ²⁹ However, from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit, from these Jehu did not turn away—the golden calves in Bethel and in Dan. ³⁰ Now Adonai had said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.”

³¹ Yet Jehu was not careful to walk in the Torah of Adonai, God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit.

Synagogue Responses Vary

17 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² As was his custom, Paul went to the Jewish people; and for three Shabbatot, he debated the Scriptures with them. ³ He opened them and gave evidence that Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, saying, “This Yeshua, whom I declare to you, is the Messiah.” ⁴ Some of them were convinced and became attached to Paul and Silas, as were a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and no small number of the leading women.

⁵ But some of the Jewish people became jealous. Taking some wicked fellows of the marketplace and gathering a crowd, they stirred the city into an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, trying to bring Paul and Silas out to the mob. ⁶ When they did not find them, they instead began dragging Jason and some of the brethren before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here too, ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them! They are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Yeshua.” ⁸ Hearing these things, the crowd and the city officials were confused. ⁹ But after receiving bail from Jason and the rest, they released them.

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. Upon arrival, they made their way to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, because they received the message with goodwill, searching the Scriptures each day to see whether these things were true. ¹² Therefore many of them believed, as well as quite a few prominent Greek women and men.

¹³ But when the Jewish people of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea, they came there too, agitating and inciting the people. ¹⁴ Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Those escorting Paul brought him as far as Athens. After receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.

An Unknown God in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was aroused within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was debating in the synagogue with the Jewish people and the God-fearers, as well as in the marketplace every day with all who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What’s this babbler trying to say?” while others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities”—because he was proclaiming the Good News of Yeshua and the resurrection. ¹⁹ So they took Paul to the Aereopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are talking about? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears, so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and foreigners visiting there used to pass their time doing nothing but telling or hearing something new.

²² So Paul stood in the middle of the Aereopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in all ways you are very religious. ²³ For while I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth,^[a] does not live in temples made by hands. ^{[b] 25} Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything,^[c] since He Himself gives to everyone life and breath and all things. ^{[d] 26} From one He made every nation of men to live on the face of the earth, having set appointed times and the boundaries of their territory. ^{[e] 27} They were to search for Him, and perhaps grope around for Him and find Him. Yet He is not far from each one of us, ^{[f] 28} for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’

As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’ ^{[g] 29} Since we are His offspring, we ought not to suppose the Deity is like gold or silver or stone, an engraved image of human art and imagination. ^{[h] 30} Although God overlooked the periods of ignorance, now He commands everyone everywhere to repent. ³¹ For He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness, through a Man whom He has appointed.^[i] He has brought forth evidence of this to all men, by raising Him from the dead.” ³² Now when they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began scoffing. But others said, “We will hear from you again about this.” ³³ So Paul left from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined with him and believed—among them Dionysius (a member of the council of the Aereopagus), a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Rescue from Battle

Psalm 144