2 Kings 10:18-20

Jehu Executes the Prophets and Priests of Baal

10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped ¹  Baal a little; Jehu will worship ²  him with great devotion. ³  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. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for ⁶  a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it.

2 Kings 10:1

Jehu Wipes Out Ahab’s Family

10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. ⁷  So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said, ⁸ 

2 Kings 16:1

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah.

2 Kings 18:21

18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him.

2 Kings 18:26

18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, ⁹  for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect ¹⁰  in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

[10:18]  ¹ tn Or “served.

[10:18]  ² tn Or “serve.”

[10:18]  ³ tn Heb “much” or “greatly.”

[10:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”

[10:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”

[10:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”

[10:1]  ⁷ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[10:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “to the officers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, saying.” It is not certain why the officials of Jezreel would be in Samaria. They may have fled there after they heard what happened to Joram and before Jehu entered the city. They would have had time to flee while Jehu was pursuing Ahaziah.

[18:26]  ⁹ sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the empire.

[18:26]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Hebrew.”