1 And Aḥaḇ had seventy sons in Shomeron. And Yĕhu wrote letters and sent to Shomeron, to the rulers of Yizre‛ĕl, to the elders, and to the guardians of Aḥaḇ, saying,
2 And now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, and a walled city, and weapons,
3 choose the best and most upright of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
4 And they were greatly afraid, and said, “Look, two sovereigns have not stood before him, how do we stand, we?”
5 And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and the guardians, sent to Yĕhu, saying, “We are your servants, and all that you say to us we do. We do not set up anyone to reign. Do what is good in your eyes.”
6 And he wrote a second letter to them, saying, If you are for me, and if you obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Yizre‛ĕl by this time tomorrow. Now the sovereign’s sons, seventy beings, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
7 And it came to be, when the letter came to them, that they took the sovereign’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Yizre‛ĕl.
8 Then a messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the sovereign’s sons.” And he said, “Make them two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 And it came to be, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Look, I conspired against my master and slew him, but who smote all these?
10 “Know now that not one word of יהוה which יהוה spoke concerning the house of Aḥaḇ does fall to the ground, for יהוה has done what He spoke by His servant Ěliyahu.”
11 And Yĕhu smote all those left of the house of Aḥaḇ in Yizre‛ĕl, and all his great men and his friends and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.
12 And he rose up to go, and went to Shomeron. On the way, at Bĕyth Ěqeḏ of the Shepherds,
13 Yĕhu met the brothers of Aḥazyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah, and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are brothers of Aḥazyahu, and we have come down to greet the sons of the sovereign and the sons of the sovereigness mother.”
14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and slew them at the well of Bĕyth Ěqeḏ, forty-two men, and he left none of them.
15 And he left there and met Yehonaḏaḇ son of Rĕḵaḇ, coming to meet him, and blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?” And Yehonaḏaḇ answered, “It is.” Yĕhu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, “Come with me, and see my ardour for יהוה.” And they made him ride in his chariot.
17 And he came to Shomeron, and smote all those left of Aḥaḇ in Shomeron, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of יהוה which He spoke to Ěliyahu.
18 And Yĕhu gathered all the people and said to them, “Aḥaḇ served Ba‛al a little; Yĕhu serves him much.
19 “And now, call to me all the prophets of Ba‛al, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great slaughtering to make to Ba‛al. Anyone who is lacking shall not live!” But Yĕhu did this deceptively, in order to destroy the servants of Ba‛al.
20 And Yĕhu said, “Set apart an assembly for Ba‛al.” So they proclaimed it.
21 And Yĕhu sent throughout all Yisra’ĕl, and all the servants of Ba‛al came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they came into the house of Ba‛al, and the house of Ba‛al was filled from end to end.
22 And he said to him who was over the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Ba‛al.” And he brought out garments for them.
23 And Yĕhu and Yehonaḏaḇ son of Rĕḵaḇ went into the house of Ba‛al, and said to the servants of Ba‛al, “Search and see that no servants of יהוה are here with you, but only the servants of Ba‛al.”
24 So they went in to make offerings and burnt offerings. Now Yĕhu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “The man who lets escape any of the men whom I have brought into your hands – his life for his life!”
25 And it came to be, when he had finished making the burnt offering, Yĕhu said to the guard and to the officers, “Go in, smite them, let no one come out!” And they smote them with the edge of the sword, and the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the house of Ba‛al,
26 and brought out the pillars of the house of Ba‛al and burned them,
27 and broke down the statue of Ba‛al, and broke down the house of Ba‛al and made it a latrine to this day.
28 Thus Yĕhu destroyed Ba‛al out of Yisra’ĕl.
29 However, Yĕhu did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin, from the golden calves that were at Bĕyth Ěl and Dan.
30 And יהוה said to Yĕhu, “Because you have done well by doing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Aḥaḇ all that was in My heart, your sons are going to sit on the throne of Yisra’ĕl to the fourth generation.”
31 But Yĕhu did not guard to walk in the Torah of יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl with all his heart. For he did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇ‛am, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin.
32 In those days יהוה began to cut off some in Yisra’ĕl. And Ḥaza’ĕl smote them throughout all the border of Yisra’ĕl,
33 from the Yardĕn to the sun-rising: all the land of Gil‛aḏ – the Gaḏites, and the Re’uḇĕnites, and the Menashshehites – from Aro‛ĕr, which is by the wadi Arnon, including Gil‛aḏ and Bashan.
34 And the rest of the acts of Yĕhu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
35 So Yĕhu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Shomeron. And Yeho’aḥaz his son reigned in his place.
36 And the days that Yĕhu reigned over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron were twenty-eight years.