Episode 150: Jehu begins his killings for God

2 Kings 9

God tells Jehu to kill Ahab's descendants

9 ^1-3 Elisha called a child of a prophet and said to him,

Gird up your loins and take this box of oil to Jehu. Carry him to an empty room, pour the oil on his head, and say, “I have anointed you king over Israel.” Then flee.

^4-5 So the child of a prophet poured oil on Jehu's head, while saying

⁶ This is what God says:

I have anointed you king over Israel.

⁷ You must smite Ahab's descendants to avenge Jezebel's murder of the prophets.

⁸ Kill all of them that piss against a wall.

⁹ I'll do to Ahab's descendants what I did to those of Jeroboam and Baasha.

¹⁰ Dogs will eat Jezebel. There won't be anything left of her body to bury.

¹¹ After Jehu heard the message, one of his servants said to him,

What did that madman have to say?

¹² Jehu answered, “He said that God has anointed me king of Israel.”

¹³ Then they all took off their garments, put them on the stairs, blew trumpets, and said, “Jehu is king.”

Jehu kills Joram and Ahaziah

²⁰ Jehu drove his chariot to Jezreel to find Joram. When the watchmen saw him coming, they said,

That guy is driving his chariot like Jehu, for he drives furiously.

²¹ Joram and Ahaziah rode their chariots out to meet Jehu. When Joram saw Jehu, he said,

Is this a peaceful visit?

²² Jehu answered, "Your mother is a whore and a witch. How could I be here in peace?"

²³ Joram said to Ahaziah, “Jehu is up to no good.”

²⁴ Jehu shot an arrow and hit Joram in the chest, and said to his captain,

²⁵ Throw his body in the field of Naboth, according to the word of the Lord.

God said to do this to punish his father Ahab for Naboth's death.

²⁷ When Ahaziah saw what had happened to Joram, he tried to get away.

But Jehu followed after him and killed him too.

Jehu kills Jezebel

³⁰ When Jezebel heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she put make-up on her face, combed her hair, and looked out the window.

³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?," referring to Zimri's murder of king Baasha and his family.

^32-33 Jehu said to the two or three of Jezebel's eunuchs, “Throw her down.”

³⁴ So they threw Jezebel out the window, where her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses as they trampled over her body.

³⁵ There was nothing left from Jezebel's body to bury, except for her skull, feet, and palms of her hands.

³⁶ When Jehu heard about it, he said,

This is all according to God's plan, as he told Elijah,

Dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel.

³⁷ And her body will be like dung. No one will be able to recognize her.