2 Kings 10:6

10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, ¹  then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” ²  Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent ³  men of the city were raising them.

2 Kings 10:19

10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. ⁴  None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them ⁵  so he could destroy the servants of Baal.

2 Kings 22:13

22:13 “Go, seek an oracle from ⁶  the Lord for me and the people – for all Judah. Find out about ⁷  the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, ⁸  because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.” ⁹ 

¹ tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”

² sn Jehu’s command is intentionally vague. Does he mean that they should bring the guardians (those who are “heads” over Ahab’s sons) for a meeting, or does he mean that they should bring the literal heads of Ahab’s sons with them? (So LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and some mss of the Targum) The city leaders interpret his words in the literal sense, but Jehu’s command is so ambiguous he is able to deny complicity in the executions (see v. 9).

³ tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.

⁴ tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”

⁵ tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”

⁷ tn Or “inquire of.”

⁸ tn Heb “concerning.”

⁹ tn Heb “for great is the anger of the Lord which has been ignited against us.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “by doing all that is written concerning us.” Perhaps עָלֵינוּ (’alenu), “concerning us,” should be altered to עָלָיו (’alav), “upon it,” in which case one could translate, “by doing all that is written in it.”