Day 118, 2 Kings 10-12

Jehu Slaughters Ahab’s Descendants

Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, so Jehu wrote letters and sent them to the rulers of the city, the elders, and the guardians of the sons of Ahab. Basically the correspondence resulted in the rulers of the city being on Jehu’s side and agreed to kill Ahab’s sons.

They sent the heads of all seventy of Ahab’s sons to Jehu in Jezreel. When they arrived, Jehu told his messenger to lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.

Then he struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until there were none left. Then he set out and went to Samaria.

On the way, he came across some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah. He ended up killing them too, forty-two persons. He spared none of them.

When he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab. He greeted him and asked if his heart was true like is. Then he took his hand and took him up into his chariot. They rode together to Samaria.

When he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained of Ahab, until he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Strikes Down the Prophets of Baal

Jehu assembled all the people and said that Ahab had worshiped Baal a little, but he served him much. He asked for all the prophets of Baal to be brought to him, and all his worshipers and priests. None could be missing, for he had a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. He was being very tricky here.

All the worshipers of Baal came and entered the house of Baal until the whole place was packed. Then Jehu went into the house of Baal and told everyone to make sure that there were only worshipers of Baal there; there could not be any servants of the Lord. Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and ordered them that no man could pass by or they would forfeit their own lives. Jehu waited until the end of the burnt offering, then ordered the men to go in and strike them down, without letting anyone escape.

After they had struck them all down, they went into the inner room of the house of Baal, and brought out the pillar and burned it. They demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine.

Jehu Reigns in Israel

Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin–that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.

The Lord said to Jehu that because he had done well in carrying out what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and did to the house of Ahab according to all that was in the Lord’s heart; Jehu’s sons of the fourth generation would sit on the throne of Israel.

But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel.

Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz reigned in his place. Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead she arose and destroyed all the royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death.

Thus they hid from Athaliah so they would not be put to death. And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Anointed King in Judah

Jehoiada the priest commanded all the guards to keep watch over the house of the Lord and the king inside. All of his whereabouts were to be protected. Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony.

They proclaimed him king and anointed him. They clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. She saw the king standing there and shouted, “Treason!”

The priest Jehoiada commanded the captains who were set over the army, to bring her and anyone who followed her out to between the ranks; for she could not be put to death in the house of the Lord. They took her outside and there she was killed.

Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people. Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They broke the altars and images into pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

They put guards over the house of the Lord, and protected the king going down to the king’s house. He took his seat on the throne of the kings. All the people of the land rejoiced. The city was quiet after Athaliah was put to death with the sword at the king’s house.

Jehoash Reigns in Judah

Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, and the people continued to sacrifice and maker offerings on the high place.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

Jehoash told the priests that any money that was brought into the house of the Lord would be used to repair the house wherever any need of repairs were discovered. But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house.

The king told the priests that they were not to take any more money from the donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house. They agreed that they would take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house.

Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the Lord. The priests that guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.

Whenever they saw that it was getting full, they called the king’s secretary and the high priest to come and count and bag the money. Then they would take the money and hand it out to the workmen, carpenters, builders, masons, stonecutters, and for timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the Lord, and for any outlay for the repairs of the house.

At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. Then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. But Jehoash king of Judah sent him gifts, gold, silver, etc. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

The Death of Joash

Joash’s servants rose up against him and made a conspiracy to strike him down so that he died. He was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.