The Descendants of Ahab Are Killed
1 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city, to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab's descendants. The letter read: 2 “You are in charge of the king's descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities. So then, as soon as you receive this letter, 3 you are to choose the best qualified of the king's descendants, make him king, and fight to defend him.”
4 The rulers of Samaria were terrified. “How can we oppose Jehu,” they said, “when neither King Joram nor King Ahaziah could?” 5 So the officer in charge of the palace and the official in charge of the city, together with the leading citizens and the guardians, sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we are ready to do anything you say. But we will not make anyone king; do whatever you think best.”
6 Jehu wrote them another letter: “If you are with me and are ready to follow my orders, bring the heads of King Ahab's descendants to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”
The seventy descendants of King Ahab were under the care of the leading citizens of Samaria, who were bringing them up. 7 When Jehu's letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
8 When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab's descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning. 9 In the morning he went out to the gate and said to the people who were there, “I was the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him; you are not responsible for that. But who killed all these? 10 This proves that everything that the Lord said about the descendants of Ahab will come true. The Lord has done what he promised through his prophet Elijah.” 11 Then Jehu put to death all the other relatives of Ahab living in Jezreel, and all his officers, close friends, and priests; not one of them was left alive.
The Relatives of King Ahaziah Are Killed
12 Jehu left Jezreel to go to Samaria. On the way, at a place called “Shepherds' Camp,” 13 he met some relatives of the late King Ahaziah of Judah and asked them, “Who are you?”
“Ahaziah's relatives,” they answered. “We are going to Jezreel to pay our respects to the children of Queen Jezebel and to the rest of the royal family.” 14 Jehu ordered his men, “Take them alive!” They seized them, and he put them to death near a pit there. There were forty-two people in all, and not one of them was left alive.
All Remaining Relatives of Ahab Are Killed
15 Jehu started out again, and on his way he was met by Jonadab son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said, “You and I think alike. Will you support me?”
“I will,” Jonadab answered.
“Give me your hand, then,” Jehu replied. They clasped hands, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot, 16 saying, “Come with me and see for yourself how devoted I am to the Lord.” And they rode on together to Samaria. 17 When they arrived there, Jehu killed all of Ahab's relatives, not sparing even one. This is what the Lord had told Elijah would happen.
The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed
18 Jehu called the people of Samaria together and said, “King Ahab served the god Baal a little, but I will serve him much more. 19 Call together all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. No one is excused; I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and whoever is not present will be put to death.” (This was a trick on the part of Jehu by which he meant to kill all the worshipers of Baal.) 20 Then Jehu ordered, “Proclaim a day of worship in honor of Baal!” The proclamation was made, 21 and Jehu sent word throughout all the land of Israel. All who worshiped Baal came; not one of them failed to come. They all went into the temple of Baal, filling it from one end to the other. 22 Then Jehu ordered the priest in charge of the sacred robes to bring the robes out and give them to the worshipers. 23 After that, Jehu himself went into the temple with Jonadab son of Rechab and said to the people there, “Make sure that only worshipers of Baal are present and that no worshiper of the Lord has come in.” 24 Then he and Jonadab went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. He had stationed eighty men outside the temple and had instructed them: “You are to kill all these people; anyone who lets one of them escape will pay for it with his life!”
25 As soon as Jehu had presented the offerings, he said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them all; don't let anyone escape!” They went in with drawn swords, killed them all, and dragged the bodies outside. Then they went on into the inner sanctuary of the temple, 26 brought out the sacred pillar that was there, and burned it. 27 So they destroyed the sacred pillar and the temple, and turned the temple into a latrine—which it still is today.
28 That was how Jehu wiped out the worship of Baal in Israel. 29 But he imitated the sin of King Jeroboam, who led Israel into the sin of worshiping the gold bull-calves he set up in Bethel and in Dan. 30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done to Ahab's descendants everything I wanted you to do. So I promise you that your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel.” 31 But Jehu did not obey with all his heart the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel; instead, he followed the example of Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.
The Death of Jehu
32 At that time the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territory 33 east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River—this included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.
34 Everything else that Jehu did, including his brave deeds, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 35 He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king. 36 Jehu had ruled in Samaria as king of Israel for twenty-eight years.
Epata laAhab novaxunganeki vaBaal tava manwa po
1 Ndele Ahab okwa li e novana ovamati omilongo heyali muSamaria. Opo nee Jehu a shanga onhumwafo nokwe i tumina omalenga omoshilando, ovakulunhu novatekuli vovana ovamati vaAhab muSamaria, ndele ta ti: 2 “Onhumwafo ei ngeenge ya fika kunye, fimbo ovana ovamati vomwene weni ve li punye, nomatemba oita neenghambe odi li punye noshilando sha pamekwa shi nohotekuma noilwifo, 3 hoololeni hano womovana ovamati vomwene weni ou muwa ndele e dule vakwao ndele mu kalekeni omutumba kolukalwapangelo laxe ndele kondjeleni eumbo lomwene weni.” 4 Ndelenee venya va kwatwa koumbada unene ndele tava ti: “Taleni, eehamba mbali da nyengwa oku mu lwifa, fye ohatu shi dulu ngahelipi?” 5 Opo nee omalenga omouhamba novakulunhu voshilando novakulunhu novatekuli va shiivifila Jehu, tava ti: “Fye ovapiya voye; naashishe to shi tu lombwele, fye ohatu ke shi ninga. Itatu ka ninga nande umwe ohamba. Ninga eshi sha yuka momesho oye.” 6 Opo nee e va shangela onhumwafo onhivali, ndele ta ti: “Ngeenge mwa ama kwaame ndele tamu dulika kwaame, kufeni hano omitwe dovalumenhu venya, ovana ovamati vomwene weni, ndele ileni mongula pefimbo tuu eli kwaame muJisreel.” Osheshi ovana ovamati vohamba, ovalumenhu omilongo heyali, ova li povanenenhu voshilando, ovo ve va tekula. 7 Nonhumwafo eshi ya fika kuvo, ova kufa ovana ovamati vohamba, ndele ve va dipaa, ovalumenhu omilongo heyali. Nomitwe davo ve di tula moimbaba ndele ve di tuma kuye kuJisreel. 8 Nomutumwa eshi e uya ndele te mu shiivifile, ta ti: “Venya va eta omitwe dovamati vohamba,” ye ta ti: “Di tula meenduba mbali poshivelo, fiyo mongula.” 9 Nokwa pita mo ongula nokwa kala ofika ndele ta ti kovanhu aveshe: “Nye kamu netimba. Taleni, ame naava va li pwaame, twa hangakena tu lwife omwene wange, ndele ame nde mu dipaa. Ndelenee olyelye a dipaa ovalumenhu aveshe ava? 10 Kaleni mu shi shii hano nokutya, ondjovo yOmwene nande imwe itai wile poshi, ondjovo oyo Omwene e i popila epata laAhab; Omwene okwa ninga osho e shi lombwela omupiya waye Elia.” 11 Opo nee Jehu a dipaa aveshe vomepata laAhab la xupa la li muJisreel, novanenenhu aveshe vaye novalineekelwa vaye novapristeli vaye, fiyo inapa xupa nande umwe ou a xupifwa.
12 Opo nee ye a fikama ndele ta i kuSamaria. Ndele ye eshi e uya kondjila yaBet-Eked shovafita, 13 Jehu a hanga ovakwapata vaAhasia, ohamba yaJuda, ndele ta ti: “Onye oolyelye?” Ndele vo ova nyamukula: “Fye ovakwapata vaAhasia, ndele twe uya tu talele po ovana ovamati vohamba novana ovamati vaina yohamba.” 14 Ndele ye ta ti: “Va kwateni ve nomwenyo!” Ndele vo ove va kwata ve nomwenyo ndele ve va dipaa pomufima womuBet-Eked, ovalumenhu omilongo nhee navavali, ina efa nande umwe womuvo a xupe po.
15 Nokwa dja ko ndele ta mono Jonadab yaRekab, ou e mu shakeneka. Ndele ye ote mu kundu ndele ta ti kuye: “Omutima woye wa yuka tuu ngaashi ame ndi li naave?” Ndele Jonadab ta nyamukula: “Heeno.” Jehu ta ti: “Hano, tu paafane omake.” Opo nee winya ta yandje eke laye. Ndele okwe mu londeka metemba laye, 16 ndele ta ti: “Ila, tu yeni, u tale nohokwe ouladi wange omolwOmwene.” Ndele vo ove mu londeka metemba laye. 17 Ndele ye eshi e uya muSamaria, ye okwa dipaa aveshe ovo va xupa vomepata laAhab muSamaria, fiyo e li komba po pandjovo yOmwene, e i lombwela Elia.
Jehu ta hanauna po Baal
18 Ndele Jehu okwa shiva ovanhu aveshe va ongale ndele ta ti kuvo: “Ahab okwa longela Baal kanini, Jehu ote mu longele neenghono. 19 Ifaneni hano paife kwaame ovaxunganeki aveshe vaBaal, novapiya vaye aveshe novapristeli vaye aveshe. Nande umwe aha yongolwe, osheshi ndi neyambo linene okuyambela Baal. Keshe umwe ta yongolwa, ita ka kala nomwenyo.” Ndelenee Jehu e shi ninga nekengelelo, opo a dule okudipaa ovapiya vaBaal. 20 Jehu ta ti vali: “Yapulileni Baal efimbo loshivilo.” Ndele ve shi vilikila. 21 Jehu okwa tuma yo muIsrael ashishe. Novapiya aveshe vaBaal ve uya, osho inapa fyaala nande umwe ou ine uya, ndele va ya motembeli yaBaal, fiyo otembeli yaBaal ya yada tuu ndo. 22 Nokwa lombwela omukulunhu welimba loikutu: “Etela ovapiya aveshe vaBaal oikutu.” Nokwe va etela oikutu. 23 Opo nee Jehu okwa ya mo motembeli yaBaal pamwe naJonadab yaRekab, ndele ta ti kovapiya vaBaal: “Panapaneni nokutala ngeenge mokati keni omu nomupiya wOmwene ile ovapiya vaBaal ovo aveke ve li mo.” 24 Ndele va ya mo va ka yambe omatomenoyambo nomaxwikiloyambo. Ndelenee Jehu okwa tula pondje ovalumenhu omilongo hetatu ndele e va lombwela: “Ou womunye ta efa umwe womovalumenhu ava ndele va yandja momake eni, omwenyo waye otau ka ya ponhele yomwenyo wawinya.” 25 Ndele ye eshi a mana elongekido lexwikiloyambo, Jehu ta ti kovakwaita ovananhapo nomalenga: “Ileni mu va dipae. Inamu efa nande umwe a pite mo!” Ndele ve va dipaa neongamukonda, novakwaita ovananhapo nomalenga ve va umbila pondje. Opo nee va ya moshilando shotembeli yaBaal, 26 ndele va eta pondje eengudi domotembeli yaBaal ndele ve di xwika po, 27 nongudi yemanya ve i tataula, notembeli yaBaal ve i ngumauna po, ndele ve i ninga oungulu vokwiila mepya fiyo onena eli. 28 Osho ngaha hano Jehu a komba mo Baal muIsrael. 29 Ndelenee Jehu ina efa omatimba aJerobeam yaNebat, ou a hongaula Israel okunyona, nokutya ine liteeka keenhana doingoldo da li muBetel nomuDan.
30 Opo nee Omwene ta ti kuJehu: “Shaashi wa ninga eshi sha yuka momesho ange, pamadiladilo aeshe omomwenyo wange wa ningila epata laAhab, ovana voye ovamati fiyo okepupi etine tava ka kala omutumba kolukalwapangelo laIsrael.” 31 Ndelenee Jehu ina diinina nokweenda nomutima aushe momhango yOmwene Kalunga kaIsrael. Ye ina yapuka mo momatimba aJerobeam ou a hongaula Israel okunyona.
Efyo laJehu
32 Pomafiku enya Omwene okwa hovela okutaula Israel, ndele Hasael okwe va taataa moshilongo ashishe shaIsrael: 33 okudja kuJordan fiyo okoushilo, oshilongo ashishe shaGilead, Ovagad nOvarubeni nOvamanasse, okudja kuAroer, osho shi li pomulonga waArnon, Gilead naBasan.
Efyo laJehu
34 Noinima imwe tai hepaulula Jehu naaishe e i ninga, noilonga yaye yeenghono, inai shangelwa mbela membo lomafimbo eehamba daIsrael? 35 Ndele Jehu okwa ka nangala pooxe nokwa pakwa muSamaria. Nomona waye Joahas a ninga ohamba ponhele yaye. 36 Nomafiku oo Jehu a pangela Israel muSamaria a li omido omilongo mbali nahetatu.
