2 Kings 9
The Scriptures (ISR 1998)

1And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Gird your loins and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ.

2“And you shall go there and look there for Yĕhu son of Yehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his brothers, and take him to an inner room,

3“and take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I have anointed you sovereign over Yisra’ĕl.” ’ Then you shall open the door and flee, and do not wait.”

4So the young man – the young man the prophet – went to Ramoth Gil‛aḏ,

5and came in and saw the commanders of the army sitting. And he said, “I have a message for you, O commander.” And Yĕhu said, “For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, commander.”

6And he rose up and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I have anointed you sovereign over the people of יהוה, over Yisra’ĕl.

7‘And you shall smite the house of Aḥaḇ your master, and I shall avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of יהוה, at the hand of Izeḇel.

8‘And all the house of Aḥaḇ shall perish. And I shall cut off from Aḥaḇ all the males in Yisra’ĕl, both those shut up and those left at large.

9‘And I shall give up the house of Aḥaḇ like the house of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, and like the house of Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah.

10‘And the dogs are going to eat Izeḇel in the portion of Yizre‛ĕl, with none to bury her.’ ” Then he opened the door and fled.

11And Yĕhu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is there peace? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his talk.”

12And they said, “A lie! Reveal it to us now.” So he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I have anointed you sovereign over Yisra’ĕl.” ’ ”

13And they hurried, and each one took his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps. And they blew a ram’s horn, saying, “Yĕhu reigns!”

14Thus Yĕhu son of Yehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Yoram – now Yoram had been guarding Ramoth Gil‛aḏ, he and all Yisra’ĕl, against Ḥaza’ĕl sovereign of Aram.

15But Sovereign Yehoram had returned to Yizre‛ĕl to recover from the wounds with which the Arameans had smitten him when he fought with Ḥaza’ĕl sovereign of Aram – Yĕhu now said, “If this is your desire, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and make it known in Yizre‛ĕl!”

16And Yĕhu rode in a chariot and went to Yizre‛ĕl, for Yoram was laid up there. And Aḥazyah sovereign of Yehuḏah had come down to see Yoram.

17And a watchman stood on the tower in Yizre‛ĕl, and he saw the company of Yĕhu as he came, and said, “I see a company of men.” And Yehoram said, “Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is there peace?’ ”

18And the horseman went to meet him, and said, “Thus said the sovereign, ‘Is there peace?’ ” And Yĕhu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.” And the watchman spoke, saying, “The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.”

19Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, “Thus said the sovereign, ‘Is there peace?’ ” And Yĕhu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.”

20And the watchman spoke, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Yĕhu son of Nimshi, for he drives madly!”

21Then Yehoram said, “Hitch up.” And his chariot was hitched up. And Yehoram sovereign of Yisra’ĕl and Aḥazyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah went out, each in his chariot. And they went out to meet Yĕhu, and met him on the portion of Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite.

22And it came to be, when Yehoram saw Yĕhu, that he said, “Is there peace, Yĕhu?” But he answered, “What peace, as long as the whorings of your mother Izeḇel and her witchcraft are so many?”

23Thereupon Yehoram turned his hands around and fled, and said to Aḥazyahu, “Treachery, O Aḥazyah!”

24And Yĕhu drew his bow and shot Yehoram between his arms. And the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.

25And Yĕhu said to Biḏqar his officer, “Take him up, and throw him into the portion of the field of Naḇoth the Yizre‛ĕlite. Remember how you and I were riding together behind Aḥaḇ his father, and יהוה lifted up this pronouncement against him:

26‘Have I not seen the blood of Naḇoth and the blood of his sons last night?’ declares יהוה. ‘And I shall repay you in this portion,’ declares יהוה. And now, take up, throw him on the portion, according to the word of יהוה.”

27And Aḥazyah sovereign of Yehuḏah saw this and fled up the way to Bĕyth Haggan. And Yĕhu pursued him, and said, “Smite him, him too, in the chariot,” at the ascent to Gur, which is by Yiḇle‛am. And he fled to Meg̅iddo, and died there.

28Then his servants conveyed him in the chariot to Yerushalayim, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ.

29And in the eleventh year of Yoram son of Aḥaḇ, Aḥazyah began to reign over Yehuḏah.

30And Yĕhu came to Yizre‛ĕl, and Izeḇel heard of it. And she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.

31And as Yĕhu came to the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, slayer of your master?”

32And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is with me? Who?” And two, three eunuchs looked down to him.

33And he said, “Throw her down.” And they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot.

34And he went in, and he ate and drank, and said, “Go now, see to this cursed one, and bury her, for she was a sovereign’s daughter.”

35So they went to bury her, but all they found of her was the skull and the feet and the palms of the hands.

36And they came back and informed him. And he said, “This is the word of יהוה, which He spoke by His servant Ěliyahu the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the portion of Yizre‛ĕl dogs are going to eat the flesh of Izeḇel,

37and the corpse of Izeḇel shall be as dung on the surface of the field, in the portion of Yizre‛ĕl, so that they do not say, “This is Izeḇel.” ’ ”

2 Kings 8
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