Thematic Bible: Religious zeal of, in killing idolaters


Thematic Bible



And Ahab hath seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu writeth letters, and sendeth to Samaria, unto the heads of Jezreel, the elders, and unto the supporters of Ahab, saying, And now, at the coming in of this letter unto you, and with you are sons of your lord, and with you are the chariots and the horses, and a fenced city, and the armour, and ye have seen the best and the uprightest of the sons of your lord, and have set him on the throne of his father, and fight ye for the house of your lord.' read more.
And they fear very greatly, and say, 'Lo, the two kings have not stood before him, and how do we stand -- we?' And he who is over the house, and he who is over the city, and the elders, and the supporters, send unto Jehu, saying, 'Thy servants we are, and all that thou sayest unto us we do; we do not make any one king -- that which is good in thine eyes do.' And he writeth unto them a letter a second time, saying, 'If ye are for me, and to my voice are hearkening, take the heads of the men -- the sons of your lord, and come unto me about this time to-morrow, to Jezreel;' and the sons of the king are seventy men, with the great ones of the city those bringing them up. And it cometh to pass, at the coming in of the letter unto them, that they take the sons of the king, and slaughter seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and send unto him to Jezreel, and the messenger cometh in, and declareth to him, saying, 'They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king,' and he saith, 'Make them two heaps at the opening of the gate till the morning.' And it cometh to pass in the morning, that he goeth out, and standeth, and saith unto all the people, 'Righteous are ye; lo, I have conspired against my lord, and slay him -- and who smote all these? Know ye now, that nothing doth fall of the word of Jehovah to the earth that Jehovah spake against the house of Ahab, and Jehovah hath done that which He spake by the hand of His servant Elijah.' And Jehu smiteth all those left to the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, till he hath not left to him a remnant. And he riseth, and cometh in and goeth to Samaria; he is at the shepherds' shearing-house in the way, and Jehu hath found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and saith, 'Who are ye?' and they say, 'Brethren of Ahaziah we are, and we go down to salute the sons of the king, and the sons of the mistress.' And he saith, 'Catch them alive;' and they catch them alive, and slaughter them at the pit of the shearing-house, forty and two men, and he hath not left a man of them. And he goeth thence, and findeth Jehonadab son of Rechab -- to meet him, and blesseth him, and saith unto him, 'Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?' and Jehonadab saith, 'It is;' -- 'Then it is; give thy hand;' and he giveth his hand, and he causeth him to come up into him into the chariot, and saith, 'Come with me, and look on my zeal for Jehovah;' and they cause him to ride in his chariot. And he cometh in to Samaria, and smiteth all those left to Ahab in Samaria, till his destroying him, according to the word of Jehovah that He spake unto Elisha. And Jehu gathereth the whole of the people, and saith unto them, 'Ahab served Baal a little -- Jehu doth serve him much: and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests, call ye unto me; let not a man be lacking, for a great sacrifice I have for Baal; every one who is lacking -- he doth not live;' and Jehu hath done it in subtilty, in order to destroy the servants of Baal. And Jehu saith, 'Sanctify a restraint for Baal;' and they proclaim it. And Jehu sendeth into all Israel, and all the servants of Baal come in, and there hath not been left a man who hath not come in; and they come in to the house of Baal, and the house of Baal is full -- mouth to mouth. And he saith to him who is over the wardrobe, 'Bring out clothing to all servants of Baal;' and he bringeth out to them the clothing. And Jehu goeth in, and Jehonadab son of Rechab, to the house of Baal, and saith to the servants of Baal, 'Search and see, lest there be here with you of the servants of Jehovah -- but, the servants of Baal by themselves.' And they come in to make sacrifices and burnt-offerings, and Jehu hath set for himself in an out-place eighty men, and saith, 'The man who letteth escape any of the men whom I am bringing in unto your hand -- his soul for his soul.' And it cometh to pass at his finishing to make the burnt-offering, that Jehu saith to the runners, and to the captains, 'Go in, smite them, let none come out;' and they smite them by the mouth of the sword, and the runners and the captains cast them out; and they go unto the city, to the house of Baal, and bring out the standing-pillars of the house of Baal, and burn them, and break down the standing-pillar of Baal, and break down the house of Baal, and appoint it for a draught-house unto this day. And Jehu destroyeth Baal out of Israel,

And it cometh to pass, in Jehu's executing judgment with the house of Ahab, that he findeth the heads of Judah and sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, ministers of Ahaziah, and slayeth them. And he seeketh Ahaziah, and they capture him, (and he is hiding himself in Samaria), and bring him in unto Jehu, and put him to death, and bury him, for they said, 'He is son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart;' and there is none to the house of Ahaziah to retain power for the kingdom.

And Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspireth against Joram -- (and Joram was keeping in Ramoth-Gilead, he and all Israel, from the presence of Hazael king of Aram, and king Joram turneth back to be healed in Jezreel, of the wounds with which the Aramaeans smite him, in his fighting with Hazael king of Aram) -- and Jehu saith, 'If it is your mind, let not an escaped one go out from the city, to go to declare it in Jezreel.' And Jehu rideth, and goeth to Jezreel, for Joram is lying there, and Ahaziah king of Judah hath gone down to see Joram. read more.
And the watchman is standing on the tower in Jezreel, and seeth the company of Jehu in his coming, and saith, 'A company I see;' and Joram saith, 'Take a rider and send to meet them, and let him say, Is there peace?' and the rider on the horse goeth to meet him, and saith, 'Thus said the king, Is there peace?' and Jehu saith, 'What -- to thee and to peace? turn round behind me.' And the watchman declareth, saying, 'The messenger came unto them, and he hath not returned.' And he sendeth a second rider on a horse, and he cometh in unto them, and saith, 'Thus said the king, Is there peace?' and Jehu saith, 'What -- to thee and to peace? turn round behind me.' And the watchman declareth, saying, 'He came unto them, and he hath not returned, and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, for with madness he driveth.' And Jehoram saith, 'Harness;' and his chariot is harnessed, and Jehoram king of Israel goeth out, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each in his chariot, and they go out to meet Jehu, and find him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it cometh to pass, at Jehoram's seeing Jehu, that he saith, 'Is there peace, Jehu?' and he saith, 'What is the peace, while the whoredoms of Jezebel thy mother, and her witchcrafts, are many?' And Jehoram turneth his hands, and fleeth, and saith unto Ahaziah, 'Deceit, O Ahaziah!' And Jehu hath filled his hand with a bow, and smiteth Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow goeth out from his heart, and he boweth down in his chariot. And Jehu saith unto Bidkar his captain, 'Lift up, cast him into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite -- for, remember, I and thou were riding together after Ahab his father, and Jehovah lifted upon him this burden: Have I not the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons seen yesternight -- the affirmation of Jehovah -- yea, I have recompensed to thee in this portion -- the affirmation of Jehovah; -- and now, lift up, cast him into the portion, according to the word of Jehovah.' And Ahaziah king of Judah hath seen, and fleeth the way of the garden-house, and Jehu pursueth after him, and saith, 'Smite him -- also him -- in the chariot,' in the going up to Gur, that is Ibleam, and he fleeth to Megiddo, and dieth there, and his servants carry him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and bury him in his burying-place, with his fathers, in the city of David. And in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab reign did Ahaziah over Judah. And Jehu cometh in to Jezreel, and Jezebel hath heard, and putteth her eyes in paint and maketh right her head, and looketh out through the window. And Jehu hath come into the gate, and she saith, 'Was there peace to Zimri -- slayer of his lord?' And he lifteth up his face unto the window, and saith, 'Who is with me? -- who?' and look out unto him do two or three eunuchs; And he saith, 'Let her go;' and they let her go, and some of her blood is sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses, and he treadeth her down. And he cometh in, and eateth, and drinketh, and saith, 'Look after, I pray you, this cursed one, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.' And they go to bury her, and have not found of her except the skull, and the feet, and the palms of the hands. And they turn back, and declare to him, and he saith, 'The word of Jehovah it is, that He spake by the hand of this servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel do the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the carcase of Jezebel hath been as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, that they say not, This is Jezebel.'