Bible in Basic English
Straight away, when you get this letter, seeing that your master's sons are with you, and that you have carriages and horses and a walled town and arms;
Take the best and most upright of your master's sons, and make him king in his father's place, and put up a fight for your master's family.
But they were full of fear, and said, The two kings have gone down before him: how may we keep our place?
So the controller of the king's house, with the ruler of the town, and the responsible men, and those who had the care of Ahab's sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all your orders; we will not make any man king; do whatever seems best to you.
Then he sent them a second letter, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will do my orders, come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow, with the heads of your master's sons. Now the king's seventy sons were with the great men of the town, who had the care of them.
And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and put them to death, all the seventy, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.
And in the morning he went out and, stopping, said to all the people there, You are upright men: it is true that I made designs against my master, and put him to death; but who is responsible for the death of all these?
You may be certain that nothing which the Lord has said about the family of Ahab will be without effect; for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.
So Jehu put to death all the rest of the seed of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his relations and his near friends and his priests, till there were no more of them.
Then he got up and came to Samaria. And he was at the meeting-place of the keepers of sheep, by the way,
When he came across the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah; we are going down to see the children of the king and of the queen.
And he said, Take them living. So they took them living, and put them to death in the water-hole of Beth-eked; of the forty-two men he put every one to death;
And when he had gone away from there, he came across Jehonadab, the son of Rechab: and he said good-day to him, and said to him, Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours? And Jehonadab in answer said, It is; and Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and he made him come up into his carriage.
And he said, Come with me and see how I am on fire for the Lord's cause. So he made him go with him in his carriage.
And when he came to Samaria, he put to death all those of Ahab's family who were still in Samaria, till there were no more of them, as the Lord had said to Elijah.
Then Jehu got all the people together and said to them, Ahab was Baal's servant in a small way, but Jehu will be his servant on a great scale.
Now send for all the prophets of Baal and all his servants and all his priests, to come to me; let no one keep away: for I have a great offering to make to Baal; anyone who is not present, will be put to death. This Jehu did with deceit, his purpose being the destruction of the servants of Baal.
And Jehu said, Let there be a special holy meeting for the worship of Baal. So a public statement was made.
And Jehu sent out through all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came, not one kept away. And they came into the house of Baal, so that it was full from end to end.
And Jehu said to him who kept the robes, Get out robes for all the servants of Baal. So he got out robes for them.
And Jehu, with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal; and he said to the servants of Baal, Make a search with care, to see that no servant of the Lord is with you, but only servants of Baal.
Then they went in to make offerings and burned offerings. Now Jehu had put eighty men outside, and said to them, If any man whom I give into your hands gets away, the life of him who lets him go will be the price of his life.
Then when the burned offering was ended, straight away Jehu said to the armed men and the captains, Go in and put them to death; let not one come out. So they put them to the sword; and, pulling the images to the earth, they went into the holy place of the house of Baal.
And they took out the image of Asherah from the house of Baal, and had it burned.
The altar of Baal was pulled down and the house of Baal was broken up and made an unclean place, as it is to this day.
So Jehu put an end to the worship of Baal in Israel.
But Jehu did not keep himself from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and the evil he made Israel do; the gold oxen were still in Beth-el and in Dan.
And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes and effecting all my purpose for the family of Ahab, your sons will be kings of Israel to the fourth generation.
But Jehu did not take care to keep the law of the Lord with all his heart: he did not keep himself from the sin which Jeroboam did and made Israel do.
In those days the Lord was angry first with Israel; and Hazael made attacks on all the land of Israel,
East of Jordan, in all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the valley of the Arnon, all Gilead and Bashan.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all he did, and his great power, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?
And Jehu went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.
And the time of Jehu's rule over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
— 2 Kings 10:2-1964, Bible in Basic English
““You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, pick the best and most capable of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend your master’s dynasty.” They were absolutely terrified and said,“Look, two kings could not stop him! How can we?” So the palace supervisor, the city commissioner, the leaders, and the guardians sent this message to Jehu,“We are your subjects! Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” He wrote them a second letter, saying,“If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent men of the city were raising them. When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. The messenger came and told Jehu,“They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu said,“Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people,“You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? Therefore take note that not one of the LORD’s words which he pronounced against Ahab’s dynasty will fail to materialize. The LORD has done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” 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. Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, Jehu encountered the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked,“Who are you?” They replied,“We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.” He said,“Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors. When he left there, he met Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. Jehu greeted him and asked,“Are you as committed to me as I am to you?” Jehonadab answered,“I am!” Jehu replied,“If so, give me your hand.” So he offered his hand and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot. Jehu said,“Come with me and see how zealous I am for the LORD’s cause.” So he took him along in his chariot. He went to Samaria and killed each of Ahab’s remaining family members who were in Samaria until he destroyed them, in keeping with the LORD’s message which he had announced to Elijah. Jehu Executes the Prophets and Priests of Baal Jehu assembled all the people and said to them,“Ahab worshiped Baal a little; Jehu will worship him with great devotion. So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. 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 so he could destroy the servants of Baal. Then Jehu ordered,“Make arrangements for a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe,“Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal,“Make sure there are no servants of the LORD here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.” They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them,“If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!” When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard and officers,“Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal and the temple of Baal; it is used as a latrine to this very day. So Jehu eradicated Baal worship from Israel. A Summary of Jehu’s Reign However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel and Dan. The LORD said to Jehu,“You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the LORD God of Israel. He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. Hazael attacked their eastern border. 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. The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. Jehu passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.”
Now there were in Samaria seventy of Ahab's sons. And Jehu sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of the town, and to the responsible men, and to those who had the care of the sons of Ahab, saying,
Straight away, when you get this letter, seeing that your master's sons are with you, and that you have carriages and horses and a walled town and arms;
Take the best and most upright of your master's sons, and make him king in his father's place, and put up a fight for your master's family.
But they were full of fear, and said, The two kings have gone down before him: how may we keep our place?
So the controller of the king's house, with the ruler of the town, and the responsible men, and those who had the care of Ahab's sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all your orders; we will not make any man king; do whatever seems best to you.
Then he sent them a second letter, saying, If you are on my side, and if you will do my orders, come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow, with the heads of your master's sons. Now the king's seventy sons were with the great men of the town, who had the care of them.
And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and put them to death, all the seventy, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.
And in the morning he went out and, stopping, said to all the people there, You are upright men: it is true that I made designs against my master, and put him to death; but who is responsible for the death of all these?
You may be certain that nothing which the Lord has said about the family of Ahab will be without effect; for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.
So Jehu put to death all the rest of the seed of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his relations and his near friends and his priests, till there were no more of them.
Then he got up and came to Samaria. And he was at the meeting-place of the keepers of sheep, by the way,
When he came across the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah; we are going down to see the children of the king and of the queen.
And he said, Take them living. So they took them living, and put them to death in the water-hole of Beth-eked; of the forty-two men he put every one to death;
And when he had gone away from there, he came across Jehonadab, the son of Rechab: and he said good-day to him, and said to him, Is your heart true to mine, as mine is to yours? And Jehonadab in answer said, It is; and Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and he made him come up into his carriage.
And he said, Come with me and see how I am on fire for the Lord's cause. So he made him go with him in his carriage.
And when he came to Samaria, he put to death all those of Ahab's family who were still in Samaria, till there were no more of them, as the Lord had said to Elijah.
Then Jehu got all the people together and said to them, Ahab was Baal's servant in a small way, but Jehu will be his servant on a great scale.
Now send for all the prophets of Baal and all his servants and all his priests, to come to me; let no one keep away: for I have a great offering to make to Baal; anyone who is not present, will be put to death. This Jehu did with deceit, his purpose being the destruction of the servants of Baal.
And Jehu said, Let there be a special holy meeting for the worship of Baal. So a public statement was made.
And Jehu sent out through all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came, not one kept away. And they came into the house of Baal, so that it was full from end to end.
And Jehu said to him who kept the robes, Get out robes for all the servants of Baal. So he got out robes for them.
And Jehu, with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal; and he said to the servants of Baal, Make a search with care, to see that no servant of the Lord is with you, but only servants of Baal.
Then they went in to make offerings and burned offerings. Now Jehu had put eighty men outside, and said to them, If any man whom I give into your hands gets away, the life of him who lets him go will be the price of his life.
Then when the burned offering was ended, straight away Jehu said to the armed men and the captains, Go in and put them to death; let not one come out. So they put them to the sword; and, pulling the images to the earth, they went into the holy place of the house of Baal.
And they took out the image of Asherah from the house of Baal, and had it burned.
The altar of Baal was pulled down and the house of Baal was broken up and made an unclean place, as it is to this day.
So Jehu put an end to the worship of Baal in Israel.
But Jehu did not keep himself from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and the evil he made Israel do; the gold oxen were still in Beth-el and in Dan.
And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in my eyes and effecting all my purpose for the family of Ahab, your sons will be kings of Israel to the fourth generation.
But Jehu did not take care to keep the law of the Lord with all his heart: he did not keep himself from the sin which Jeroboam did and made Israel do.
In those days the Lord was angry first with Israel; and Hazael made attacks on all the land of Israel,
East of Jordan, in all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer by the valley of the Arnon, all Gilead and Bashan.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all he did, and his great power, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?
And Jehu went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.
And the time of Jehu's rule over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.