-Israel-

And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria…until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. And as Joram was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king."

And the king said unto her, "What ails you?" And she answered, "This woman said unto me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, give your son, that we may eat him: and she has hid her son."

And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes…. Then Joram said, "God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha …shall stand on him this day."

But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but before the messenger came to him, Elisha said to the elders, "See …how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" And while Elisha yet talked with them, look, the messenger came down unto him….

Then Elisha said, "Hear…the word of the LORD; ‘This says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’"

Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?"

And Elisha said, "Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it." And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria": For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear a noise of…a great army: and they said one to another, "Lo, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us." Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their donkeys, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And the Israelites went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians.

So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. Joram appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trampled upon the lord in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said….

-Judah-

Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

When Jehoram was raised up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and killed all his brothers with the sword, and various also of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. Furthermore, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah to also. However, the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.

And there came a writing to Jehoram from Elijah* the prophet, saying, "This says the LORD God of David your father, because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers of your father's house, which were better than yourself: Look, with a great plague will the LORD strike your people, and your children, and your wives, and all your goods: And you shall have great sickness by disease of your bowels, until your bowels fall out because of the sickness day by day."

Furthermore the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians: And they came up into Judah, and broke into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

And after all this the LORD struck Jehoram in his bowels with an incurable disease. And it came to pass…after the end of two years, his bowels fell out because of his sickness: so he died of terrible diseases. However, they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place. Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction.

Ahaziah walked also after their counsel, and went with Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead: and the Syrians struck Joram. And Ahaziah returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds, which were given him…when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah…the king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick.

-Israel-

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, "Gird up your loins, and take this box of oil in your hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when you come there, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘This says the LORD, I have anointed you king over Israel.’ Then open the door, and flee, and wait not."

So…the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. And he…went into the house; and he poured the oil on Jehu’s head, and said unto him, "This says the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel." …And he opened the door, and fled.

Then Jehu came out to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, "Is all well?"

And Jehu said, "This…spoke he to me, saying, ‘This says the LORD, I have anointed you king over Israel.’"

Then they hurried, and took every man his garment, and put it under Jehu on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king."

So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company."

…And Joram said, "Make ready." And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?"

And Jehu answered, "What peace, so long as the prostitution of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and stuck Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and Joram sunk down in his chariot.

When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, "Strike him also in the chariot." And they did so at the going up to Gur…. And Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, and died there.

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and put a crown on her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, "Had Zimri peace, which killed his master?"

And Jehu lifted up his face to the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, "Throw her down." So they threw Jezebel down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trampled her under foot.

And when Jehu was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, "Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter." And they went to bury Jezebel: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came again, and told Jehu.

And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as manure upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel’; so that they shall not say, ‘here lies Jezebel.’"

So Jehu killed all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his relatives, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. And when Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed Ahab’s house, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spoke to Elijah.

-Judah-

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were killed, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom.

So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah) hid him from Athaliah, so that she wouldn’t kill him. And Joash was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

-Israel-

And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, "Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much." And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.

And…Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, "Go in, and kill them; let none come forth." And they struck them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains threw them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they broke down the image of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a refuse dump unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

However, from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, even to, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. And the LORD said unto Jehu, "Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, and have done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."

But Jehu refused to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.

*It has been understood this letter was written as prophecy recorded before Elijah was translated.

REFERENCES

2 Kings 6:24-33a; 2 Kings 7:1-2, 18; 2 Kings 7:6-7, 16-17; 2 Chronicles 21:1, 4-6, 11; 2 Chronicles 21:7, 12-19, 20b; 2 Chronicles 22:1a, 3-6; 2 Kings 9:1-4, 6, 10b-11a, 12b-13, 16-17a, 21-22, 24, 27, 30-37; 2 Kings 10:11,17; 2 Chronicles 22:10-12; 2 Kings 10:18, 21, 25-31.

CHAPTER 37