1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters to the rulers of Samaria, to the elders of Jezreel, and to the tutors [appointed by] Ahab, saying,2 And now as soon as this letter comes to you{+}, seeing your{+} master's sons are with you{+}, and there are with you{+} chariots and horses, and a fortified city, and armor;3 look{+} for the best and meet of your{+} master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your{+} master's house.4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Look, the two kings didn't stand before him: how then shall we stand?5 And he who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who brought up [the children], sent to Jehu, saying, We are your slaves, and will do all that you will bid us; we will not make any man king: do that which is good in your eyes.6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If you{+} are on my side, and if you{+} will listen to my voice, take{+} the heads of the men your{+} master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him to Jezreel.8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay{+} them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.9 And it came to pass 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 struck all these?10 Now know that nothing will fall to the earth of the word of Yahweh, which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab: for Yahweh has done that which he spoke by his slave Elijah.11 So Jehu struck all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and those who he knew well, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.12 And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are you{+}? And they answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah: and we go down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen.14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither did he leave any of them.15 And when he had departed from there, he found Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him, and said to him, Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. 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 zeal for Yahweh. So they made him ride in his chariot.17 And when he came to Samaria, he struck all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke to Elijah.18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much.19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal; whoever will be wanting, he will not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that didn't come. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.22 And he said to him who was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, Search and look, in case there are here with you{+} any of the slaves of Yahweh, but only the worshipers of Baal themselves [should be here].24 And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings. Now Jehu had appointed himself eighty men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your{+} hands escape, [he who lets him go], his life will be for the life of him.25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they struck them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the citadel of the house of Baal.26 And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.27 And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it an outside latrine, to this day.28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.29 Nevertheless from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin, Jehu didn't depart from after them, [to wit], the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.30 And Yahweh said to Jehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, [and] have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin.32 In those days Yahweh began to cut off from Israel: and Hazael struck them in all the borders of Israel;33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?35 And Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.

1 Ora, viviam em Samaria setenta descendentes de Acabe. Jeú escreveu uma carta e a enviou a Samaria, aos líderes da cidade, às autoridades e aos tutores dos descendentes de Acabe. A carta dizia:2 "Assim que receberem esta carta, vocês que cuidam dos filhos do rei, e que têm carros de guerra e cavalos, uma cidade fortificada e armas,3 escolham o melhor e o mais capaz dos filhos do rei e coloquem-no no trono de seu pai. E lutem pela dinastia de seu senhor".4 Eles, porém, estavam aterrorizados e disseram: "Se dois reis não puderam enfrentá-lo, como poderemos nós? "5 Por isso o administrador do palácio, o governador da cidade, as autoridades e os tutores enviaram esta mensagem a Jeú: "Somos teus servos e faremos tudo o que exigires de nós. Não proclamaremos ninguém como rei. Faze o que achares melhor".6 Então Jeú escreveu-lhes uma segunda carta que dizia: "Se vocês estão do meu lado e estão dispostos a obedecer-me, tragam-me as cabeças dos descendentes de seu senhor a Jezreel, amanhã a esta hora". Os setenta descendentes de Acabe estavam sendo criados pelas autoridades da cidade.7 Logo que receberam a carta, pegaram todos os setenta, os decapitaram, colocaram as cabeças em cestos e as enviaram a Jeú, em Jezreel.8 Ao ser informado de que tinham trazido as cabeças, Jeú ordenou: "Façam com elas dois montes junto à porta da cidade, para que fiquem expostas lá até amanhã".9 Na manhã seguinte Jeú saiu e, diante de todo o povo, declarou: "Vocês são inocentes! Fui eu que conspirei contra meu senhor e o matei, mas quem matou todos estes?10 Saibam, então, que não deixará de se cumprir uma só palavra que o Senhor falou contra a família de Acabe. O Senhor fez o que prometeu por meio de seu servo Elias".11 Então Jeú matou todos os que restavam da família de Acabe em Jezreel, bem como todos os seus aliados influentes, os seus amigos pessoais e os seus sacerdotes, não lhe deixando sobrevivente algum.12 Depois Jeú partiu para Samaria. Em Bete-Equede dos Pastores13 encontrou alguns parentes de Acazias, rei de Judá, e perguntou: "Quem são vocês? " Eles responderam: "Somos parentes de Acazias e estamos indo visitar as famílias do rei e da rainha-mãe".14 Então Jeú ordenou aos seus soldados: "Peguem-nos vivos! " Então os pegaram vivos e os mataram junto ao poço de Bete-Equede. Eram quarenta e dois homens, e nenhum deles foi deixado vivo.15 Saindo dali, Jeú encontrou Jonadabe, filho de Recabe, que tinha ido falar com ele. Depois de saudá-lo Jeú perguntou: "Você está de acordo com o que estou fazendo? " Jonadabe respondeu: "Estou". E disse Jeú: "Então, dê-me a mão". Jonadabe estendeu-lhe a mão, e Jeú o ajudou a subir no carro16 e disse-lhe: "Venha comigo e veja o meu zelo pelo Senhor". Então ele o levou em seu carro.17 Quando Jeú chegou a Samaria, matou todos os que restavam da família de Acabe na cidade; ele os exterminou, conforme a palavra que o Senhor tinha dito a Elias.18 Jeú reuniu todo o povo e declarou: "Acabe não cultuou ao deus Baal o bastante; eu, Jeú, o cultuarei muito mais.19 Por isso convoquem todos os profetas de Baal, todos os seus ministros e todos os seus sacerdotes. Ninguém deverá faltar, pois oferecerei um grande sacrifício a Baal. Quem não vier, morrerá". Mas Jeú estava agindo traiçoeiramente, a fim de exterminar os ministros de Baal.20 Então Jeú ordenou: "Convoquem uma assembléia em honra de Baal". Foi feita a proclamação21 e ele enviou mensageiros por todo o Israel. Todos os ministros de Baal vieram; nem um deles faltou. Eles se reuniram no templo de Baal, que ficou completamente lotado.22 E Jeú disse ao encarregado das vestes cultuais: "Traga os mantos para todos os ministros de Baal". E ele os trouxe.23 Depois Jeú entrou no templo com Jonadabe, filho de Recabe, e disse aos ministros de Baal: "Olhem em volta e certifiquem-se de que nenhum servo do Senhor está aqui com vocês, mas somente ministros de Baal".24 E eles se aproximaram para oferecer sacrifícios e holocaustos. Jeú havia posto oitenta homens do lado de fora, fazendo-lhes esta advertência: "Se um de vocês deixar escapar um só dos homens que estou entregando a vocês, será a sua vida pela dele".25 Logo que Jeú terminou de oferecer o holocausto, ordenou aos guardas e oficiais: "Entrem e matem a todos! Não deixem ninguém escapar! " E eles os mataram ao fio da espada, jogaram os corpos para fora e depois entraram no santuário interno do templo de Baal.26 Levaram a coluna sagrada para fora do templo de Baal e a queimaram.27 Assim destruíram a coluna sagrada de Baal e demoliram o seu templo, e até hoje o local tem sido usado como latrina.28 Assim, Jeú eliminou a adoração de Baal em Israel.29 No entanto, não se afastou dos pecados de Jeroboão, filho de Nebate, pois levou Israel a cometer o pecado de adorar os bezerros de ouro em Betel e em Dã.30 E o Senhor disse a Jeú: "Como você executou corretamente o que eu aprovo, fazendo com a família de Acabe tudo o que eu queria, seus descendentes ocuparão o trono de Israel até a quarta geração".31 Entretanto, Jeú não se preocupou em obedecer de todo o coração à lei do Senhor, Deus de Israel, nem se afastou dos pecados que Jeroboão levou Israel a cometer.32 Naqueles dias, o Senhor começou a reduzir o tamanho de Israel. O rei Hazael conquistou todo o território israelita33 a leste do Jordão, incluindo toda a terra de Gileade. Conquistou desde Aroer, junto à garganta do Arnom, até Basã, passando por Gileade, terras das tribos de Gade, de Rúben e de Manassés.34 Os demais acontecimentos do reinado de Jeú, tudo o que fez e todas as suas realizações, estão escritos nos registros históricos dos reis de Israel.35 Jeú descansou com seus antepassados e foi sepultado em Samaria. Seu filho Jeoacaz foi o seu sucessor.36 Reinou Jeú vinte e oito anos sobre Israel, em Samaria.