18 And after all this the Lord struck him ^win his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, ^xlike the fires made for his fathers. 20 ^yHe was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed ^zwith no one’s regret. ^aThey buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

25 ^tIn the ^utwelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

1 ^bAnd the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with ^cthe Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two¹ years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, ^dthe granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing.

Hazael Murders Ben-hadad

7 Now Elisha came to ^uDamascus. ^vBen-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” 8 the king said to ^wHazael, ^x“Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, ^yand inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, ^z“Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 10 And Elisha said to him, ^a“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but¹ the Lord has shown me that ^bhe shall certainly die.” 11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, ^cuntil he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know ^dthe evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword ^eand dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, ^fwho is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, ^g“The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.” 14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me ^hthat you would certainly recover.” 15 But the next day he took the bed cloth² and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

5 He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram, 6 and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

1 Then Elisha the prophet called one of ^cthe sons of the prophets and said to him, ^d“Tie up your garments, and take this ^eflask of oil in your hand, and go to ^fRamoth-gilead. 2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu ^gthe son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among ^hhis fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, ⁱI anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”

4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” 6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ⁱI anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge ^jon Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, ^kand I will cut off from Ahab ^levery male, ^mbond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like ⁿthe house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like ^othe house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 ^pAnd the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

11 When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, ^q“Is all well? Why did ^rthis mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” 12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13 Then in haste ^severy man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare¹ steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, ^t“Jehu is king.”

Jehu Assassinates Joram and Ahaziah

14 Thus Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (^uNow Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against ^vHazael king of Syria, 15 ^wbut King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) So Jehu said, “If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” 16 Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram.

7 But it was ordained by¹ God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, ^ehe went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, ^fwhom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” 18 So a man on horseback went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” And the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” 19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus the king has said, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” 20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving ^xis like the driving of Jehu ^ythe son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

21 Joram said, ^z“Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. ^aThen Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him ^bat the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as ^cthe whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?” 23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!” 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar ^dhis aide, “Take him up and throw him ^bon the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how ^ethe Lord made this ^fpronouncement against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

27 ^gWhen Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” And they shot him¹ in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by ^hIbleam. And he fled to ^hMegiddo and died there. 28 ⁱHis servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.

29 In the ^jeleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.

Jehu Executes Jezebel

30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And ^kshe painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, ^l“Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34 Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, ^mfor she is a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ⁿ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be ^oas dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”