The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.”

Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned.

He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as you can.

Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it.”

Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria.

So they tracked them as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The scouts went back and told the king.

Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.”

But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty.

You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants.

Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.

He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab’s family who were still alive in Samaria, just as the Lord had announced to Elijah.

Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped Baal a little; Jehu will worship him with great devotion.

He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line.

The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord’s temple and protect the king.

All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.

The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years.

All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place.

He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. During his reign,

You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods.