Jehu Is Anointed as King of Israel
1Elisha the prophet sent for a man from the group of the prophets. Elisha said to him, “Tuck your coat into your belt. Take this bottle of olive oil with you. Go to Ramoth Gilead. 2When you get there, look for Jehu. He’s the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to Jehu. Get him away from his companions. Take him into an inside room. 3Then get the bottle. Pour the oil on his head. Announce to him, ‘The Lord says, “I anoint you as king over Israel.” ’ After that, open the door and run away. Do it quickly!”
4So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. 5When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “Commander, I have a message for you,” he said.
“For which one of us?” asked Jehu.
“For you, commander,” he replied.
6Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head. He announced, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘I am anointing you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7You must destroy the royal house of your master Ahab. I will pay them back for spilling the blood of my servants the prophets. I will also pay them back for the blood of all the Lord’s servants that Jezebel spilled. 8The whole house of Ahab will die out. I will destroy every male in Israel who is related to Ahab. It does not matter whether they are slaves or free. 9I will make Ahab’s royal house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. I will make it like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. 10Dogs will eat up Jezebel on a piece of land at Jezreel. No one will bury her.’ ” Then the prophet opened the door and ran away.
11Jehu went out to where the other officers were. One of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did that crazy man come to you?”
“You know the man. You know the kinds of things he says,” Jehu replied.
12“That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.”
Jehu said, “Here is what he told me. He announced, ‘The Lord says, “I am anointing you as king over Israel.” ’ ”
13The officers quickly grabbed their coats. They spread them out under Jehu on the bare steps of the house. Then they blew a trumpet. They shouted, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
14Jehu was the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Jehu made plans against Joram. During that time Joram and Israel’s whole army had been guarding Ramoth Gilead. They had been guarding it against Hazael, the king of Aram. 15But King Joram had returned to Jezreel. He had gone there to give his wounds time to heal. The soldiers of Aram had wounded him in his battle against Hazael, the king of Aram. Jehu said to his men, “Do you want to make me king? If you do, don’t let anyone sneak out of the city. Don’t let them go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16Then Jehu got into his chariot. He rode off to Jezreel. Joram was resting there. And Ahaziah, the king of Judah, had gone down to see him.
17A lookout was standing on the roof of the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu’s troops approaching. So he called out, “I see some troops coming.”
“Get a horseman,” Joram ordered. “Send him to ride out to them. Have him ask, ‘Are you coming in peace?’ ”
18The horseman rode out to where Jehu was. He said, “The king asks, ‘Are you coming in peace?’ ”
“What do you know about peace?” Jehu answered. “Get in line behind me.”
The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them. But he isn’t coming back.”
19So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them, he said, “The king asks, ‘Are you coming in peace?’ ”
Jehu replied, “What do you know about peace? Get in line behind me.”
20The lookout reported, “The second messenger has reached them. But he isn’t coming back either. The one driving the chariot drives like Jehu, the son of Nimshi. He’s driving like a crazy person.”
21“Get my chariot ready,” King Joram ordered. When it was ready, he rode out. Ahaziah, the king of Judah, rode out with him. Each of them was in his own chariot. They both went to meet Jehu. They met him at the piece of land that had belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. 22When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come here in peace, Jehu?”
“Your mother Jezebel worships statues of gods,” Jehu replied. “She also worships evil powers. The evil things she does have spread everywhere. As long as all of that goes on, how can there be peace?”
23Joram turned around and tried to get away. He called out, “It’s treason, Ahaziah!”
24Then Jehu shot an arrow at Joram. It hit him between the shoulders. It went through his heart. He sank down slowly in his chariot. 25Jehu spoke to Bidkar, his chariot officer. Jehu said, “Pick Joram up. Throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Joram’s father Ahab? It was when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him. The Lord announced, 26‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons. You can be sure that I will make you pay for it on this piece of land.’ So pick Joram up. Throw him on that piece of land. That’s what the Lord said would happen.”
27Ahaziah, the king of Judah, saw what had happened. So he tried to get away. He went up the road toward Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him. He shouted, “Kill him too!” Jehu’s men wounded Ahaziah in his chariot. It happened on the way up to Gur near Ibleam. But Ahaziah escaped to Megiddo. And that’s where he died. 28Ahaziah’s servants took him to Jerusalem in his chariot. They buried him in his family tomb in the City of David. 29Ahaziah had become king of Judah. It was in the 11th year of Joram, the son of Ahab.
Jehu Kills Jezebel
30Jehu went to Jezreel. Jezebel heard about it. So she put makeup on her eyes and fixed her hair. Then she looked out of a window. 31Jehu entered the gate below. Jezebel said to him, “You are just like Zimri. You murdered your master. Have you come here in peace?”
32Jehu looked up at the window. “Who is on my side?” he called out. “Who?” Two or three officials looked down at him. 33“Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down. Some of her blood splashed on the wall. Some of it splashed on Jehu’s chariot horses as they ran over her.
34Jehu went inside. He ate and drank. “The Lord put a curse on that woman,” he said. “Take proper care of her body. Bury her. After all, she was a king’s daughter.” 35So they went out to bury her. But all they found was her head, feet and hands. 36They went back and reported it to Jehu. He told them, “That’s what the Lord said would happen. He announced it through his servant Elijah, who was from Tishbe. He said, ‘On a piece of land at Jezreel, dogs will eat up Jezebel’s body. 37Her body will end up as garbage on that piece of land. So no one will be able to say, “Here’s where Jezebel is buried.” ’ ”
耶户被立为以色列王
1以利沙先知叫来一个先知，吩咐他：“你要束上腰带，拿着这瓶膏油去基列的拉末。 2到了以后，你去找宁示的孙子、约沙法的儿子耶户，带他离开同僚，进入密室， 3把这瓶膏油倒在他头上，告诉他，‘耶和华说，我膏立你为以色列王。’然后，你要马上开门逃走，不可迟延。”
4于是，那位年轻的先知启程前往基列的拉末。 5到了那里，他看见众将领正坐在一起，便说：“将军，我有话对你说。”耶户说：“你想对我们哪一个说话？”他说：“将军啊，我有话对你说。” 6耶户便站起来，随他进入屋里。他将膏油倒在耶户头上，说：“以色列的上帝耶和华说，‘我膏立你做我以色列子民的王。 7你要杀你主人亚哈的全家，这样我就可以为我的仆人——众先知以及其他仆人报仇，他们被耶洗别杀害。 8亚哈全家必灭亡，我要从以色列铲除他家中所有的男子——不论奴隶还是自由人， 9使他家像尼八的儿子耶罗波安家和亚希雅的儿子巴沙家一样。 10耶洗别的尸体必在耶斯列的田间被狗吃，无人埋葬。’”说完这话，那位年轻的先知便开门逃跑了。
11耶户出来回到同僚那里，一个人问他：“没事吧？那疯子为什么来找你？”耶户答道：“你们认得他，也知道他会说什么。” 12他们说：“我们不知道，你告诉我们吧！”耶户说：“他告诉我，耶和华说膏立我做以色列王。” 13他们连忙将自己的衣服铺在耶户脚下的台阶上，吹响号角，高喊：“耶户做王了！”
以色列王约兰被杀
14宁示的孙子、约沙法的儿子耶户背叛了约兰。当时，约兰率领全体以色列人在基列的拉末防御亚兰王哈薛， 15他与哈薛交战受伤后，回到耶斯列养伤。耶户对属下说：“如果你们要我做王，就不要让任何人逃出城去耶斯列报信。” 16于是，耶户驾车去了耶斯列，因为约兰在耶斯列养伤，犹大王亚哈谢也在那里探望他。
17耶斯列城楼上的哨兵看见耶户的人马朝耶斯列奔来，就报信说：“我见到一队人马！”约兰下令：“派一个骑兵去看看他们是否为平安而来。” 18骑兵出去迎接耶户，对他说：“王问你是否为平安而来。”耶户说：“这与你何干？你跟在我后面。”哨兵禀告说：“骑兵到了那里，却没有回来。” 19王又派一个骑兵到耶户那里，对他说：“王问你是否为平安而来。”耶户说：“这与你何干？你跟在我后面。” 20哨兵又禀告说：“他到了那里，也没有回来。那人驾车很猛，一定是宁示的孙子耶户。”
21约兰下令备车。以色列王约兰和犹大王亚哈谢各乘自己的战车去见耶户。他们和耶户在耶斯列人拿伯的田里相遇。 22约兰问他：“耶户，你为平安而来吗？”耶户答道：“国中到处都是你母亲耶洗别的偶像和邪术，怎能平安呢？” 23约兰调转车头逃跑，向亚哈谢大喊：“亚哈谢，他反了！” 24耶户张弓搭箭，射中约兰的后背，箭穿透他的心脏，他倒毙在车上。 25耶户对将领毕甲说：“你去把他丢在耶斯列人拿伯的田里。还记得吗？你我一起驾车跟随他父亲亚哈的时候，耶和华曾预言亚哈的事说， 26‘我昨天看见拿伯和他儿子们被杀，我必使你在这块田里受到报应，这是耶和华说的。’现在你照耶和华的话，把他丢在这块田里吧。”
27犹大王亚哈谢见状，就沿着通往伯哈干的道路逃跑。耶户在后面追，并大喊：“射死他！”他们在以伯莲附近的姑珥坡射伤了亚哈谢。他逃到米吉多后，伤重身亡。 28他的臣仆用车把他的尸体运回耶路撒冷，安葬在大卫城他的祖坟里。
29在以色列王亚哈的儿子约兰执政第十一年，亚哈谢登基做犹大王。
耶洗别被杀
30耶户去了耶斯列。耶洗别闻讯，便梳头描眉，向窗外眺望。 31耶户进城时，耶洗别高声喊道：“谋杀主人的心利啊，平安吗？” 32耶户抬头望着窗口，喊道：“谁拥护我？谁？”有两三个太监从窗口往外看他。 33耶户说：“把她扔下来！”那几个太监便把耶洗别扔下去，血溅在墙壁上和马匹身上。耶户驾车轧过她的身体， 34进入王宫，大吃大喝，然后吩咐部下说：“把那受咒诅的妇人埋了，她毕竟是王的女儿。” 35他们出去埋葬她，却只找到她的头骨、手掌和脚， 36便回去禀告耶户。耶户说：“这正应验耶和华借祂仆人提斯比人以利亚说的话，‘狗必在耶斯列的田间吃耶洗别的肉， 37耶洗别的尸体必像耶斯列田间的粪便，无人能认出那是耶洗别。’”
