2 Kings 9 - 10, 2 Chronicles 22:1-9, Matthew 20-21:17, Psalm 18:25-50

Jehu Anointed King over Israel

9Now Elisha the prophet called one of ^athe sons of the prophets and said to him, “^bGird up your loins, and ^ctake this flask of oil in your hand and go to ^dRamoth-gilead. ²“And you will come there and look there for ^aJehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi. And you will come in and ¹^,^bbid him arise from among his brothers. And you will cause him to come in to an inner room. ³“Then you will take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^aI have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

⁴So ^athe young man—the young man of the prophet—went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵Then he came, and behold, the commanders of the military were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “¹For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O commander.” ⁶And he arose and came into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘^aI have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, even over Israel. ⁷‘And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^athat I may avenge ^bthe blood of My slaves the prophets, and the blood of all the slaves of Yahweh, ^cat the hand of Jezebel. ⁸‘For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and ^aI will cut off from Ahab ^bevery ¹male person ^cboth bond and free in Israel. ⁹‘^aAnd I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^blike the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ¹⁰‘^aAnd the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the ¹property of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “^aIs all well? Why did this ^bmad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his talk.” ¹²And they said, “It is a lie, declare it to us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” ¹³Then ^athey hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and ^bblew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Deceives Joram

¹⁴So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^aNow Joram ¹with all Israel was ²guarding Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵but ^aKing ¹Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had struck him with when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one escape or ²leave the city to go declare it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. ^aAhaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ¹company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a ²company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” ¹⁸So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “^aWhat have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman declared saying, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹Then he sent out a second horseman. And he came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu ¹answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” ²⁰And the watchman declared saying, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^athe driving is like the driving of ^bJehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives in madness.”

²¹Then ¹Joram said, “²Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. ³^,^aJoram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the ⁴^,^bproperty of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²²Now it happened that when ¹Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he ²answered, “What peace, ^aso long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are so many?” ²³So ¹Joram ²turned about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “^aThere is deception, O Ahaziah!” ²⁴And ^aJehu ¹drew his bow with his full strength and struck ²Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ³through his heart and he crouched down in his chariot. ²⁵Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Lift him up and ^acast him into the ¹property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when ²you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that ^bYahweh lifted up this ^coracle against him: ²⁶‘Surely ^aI have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says Yahweh, ‘and ^bI will repay you in this ¹property,’ says Yahweh. So now, lift him up and cast him into the ²property, according to the word of Yahweh.”

Jehu Strikes Down Ahaziah

²⁷^aAnd Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this and fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Strike him down too, in the chariot.” So they struck him down at the ascent of Gur, which is at ^bIbleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. ²⁸^aThen his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹Now in ^athe eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

Jezebel Is Eaten by Dogs

³⁰Then Jehu came to Jezreel, and Jezebel heard of it and ^ashe painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window. ³¹As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “^aIs it ¹peace, Zimri, ²your master’s killer?” ³²Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials looked down at him. ³³And he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot. ³⁴Then he came in and ate and drank. And he said, “Take care now of ^athis cursed woman and bury her, for ^bshe is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. ³⁶Therefore they returned and declared it to him. And he said, “This is the word of Yahweh, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘^aIn the ¹property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷and ^athe corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the ¹property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

The Heads of Ahab’s Sons Sent to Jehu

10Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^aSamaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, ²“So now, ^awhen this letter comes to you, ¹since your master’s sons are with you, ²as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, ³look for the best and ¹fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴But they feared exceedingly greatly and said, “Behold, ^athe two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?” ⁵And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^aWe are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.” ⁶Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me about this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. ⁷Now it happened that when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^aslaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸Then the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” So he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹Now it happened in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous; behold, ^aI conspired against my master and killed him, but ^bwho struck down all these? ¹⁰“Know then that ^anothing from the word of Yahweh, which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall fall to the earth. Indeed, Yahweh has done ^bwhat He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.” ¹¹So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^aJezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until ¹there was no survivor remaining for him.

¹²Then he arose and came out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at ¹Beth-eked of the shepherds, ¹³^aJehu found the ¹relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they said, “We are the ²relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down ³to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

¹⁵Then he went from there and found ^aJehonadab the son of ^bRechab coming to meet him; and he ¹blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ²answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^cgive me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶Then he said, “Come with me and ^asee my zeal for Yahweh.” So ¹he made him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷And he came to Samaria ^aand struck down all who were left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, ^baccording to the word of Yahweh which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys the Slaves of Baal

¹⁸Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^aAhab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹“So now, ^asummon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his slaves and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in ¹cunning, so that he might cause the slaves of Baal to perish. ²⁰And Jehu said, “^aSanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^bthey summoned them. ²¹Then Jehu sent ¹throughout Israel, and all the slaves of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into ^athe house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²²Then he said to the one who was ¹in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the slaves of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. ²³And Jehu came into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the slaves of Baal, “Search and see lest there be here with you any of the slaves of Yahweh, but only the slaves of Baal.” ²⁴Then they came in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had placed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^aThe one who permits any of the men whom I cause to come into your hands to escape, ¹shall give up his life in exchange.”

²⁵Now it happened that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the ¹^,^aguard and to the royal officers, “^bCome in, strike them down; let none come out.” And they struck them down with the edge of the sword; and the ²guard and the royal officers threw them out and went to the ³inner room of the house of Baal. ²⁶And they brought out the sacred ^apillars of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal and ^amade it a latrine to this day.

²⁸Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. ²⁹However, ^aas for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the ^bgolden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan. ³⁰And Yahweh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, ^ayour sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹But Jehu ¹^,^awas not careful to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^bhe did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

³²In those days ^aYahweh began to cut off portions ¹from Israel; and ^bHazael struck them throughout the territory of Israel: ³³from the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ^aAroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even ^bGilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Reigns over Israel

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶Now the ¹time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Ahaziah Reigns over Judah

22^aThen the inhabitants of Jerusalem made ¹Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with ^bthe Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. ²Ahaziah was ¹twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the ²granddaughter of Omri. ³He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. ⁴And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to ^ahis destruction.

Ahaziah Goes with Jehoram of Israel

⁵He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the ¹^,^aArameans struck ²Joram. ⁶So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they caused by striking him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And ¹Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

⁷Now ^athe downfall of Ahaziah was from God, in that ¹he went to Joram. And when he came, ^bhe went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, ^cwhom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

Jehu Kills the Princes of Judah

⁸^aNow it happened when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah, and killed them. ⁹^aAnd he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding himself in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death, ^band buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, ^cwho sought Yahweh with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

Laborers in the Vineyard

20“For ^athe kingdom of heaven is like ¹a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his ^bvineyard. ²“Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a ¹denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³“And he went out about the ¹third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; ⁴and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. ⁵“Again he went out about the ¹sixth and the ninth hour, and did ²the same thing. ⁶“And about the ¹eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ ⁷“They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

⁸“Now when ^aevening came, the ¹owner of the vineyard *said to his ²^,^bforeman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ ⁹“And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a ¹denarius. ¹⁰“And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; ¹but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹“Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner, ¹²saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the ^ascorching heat.’ ¹³“But he answered and said to one of them, ‘^aFriend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your ^aeye ¹envious because I am ²generous?’ ¹⁶“So ^athe last shall be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

¹⁷^aAnd as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, ¹⁸“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man ^awill be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, ¹⁹and ^awill deliver Him over to the Gentiles to mock and flog and crucify Him, and on ^bthe third day He will be raised up.”

A Request for Status

²⁰^aThen the mother of ^bthe sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, ^cbowing down and making a request of Him. ²¹And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine ^amay sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” ²²But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^ato drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” ²³He *said to them, “^aMy cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, ^bbut it is for those for whom it has been ^cprepared by My Father.”

²⁴And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵^aBut Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. ²⁶“It is not this way among you, ^abut whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; ²⁸just as ^athe Son of Man ^bdid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ¹life a ransom for many.”

Sight for the Blind

²⁹^aAnd as they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. ³⁰And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus *was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, ^ahave mercy on us, ^bSon of David!” ³¹But the crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, saying, “Lord, ^aSon of David, have mercy on us!” ³²And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³³They *said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes be opened.” ³⁴And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

The Triumphal Entry

21^aAnd when they had approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at ^bthe Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. ³“And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” ⁴^aAnd this ¹took place in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

⁵“^aSay to the daughter of Zion,‘Behold your King is coming to you,Lowly, and mounted on a donkey,And on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.’”

⁶And the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, ⁷and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their garments on them; and He sat on ¹the garments. ⁸And most of the crowd ^aspread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. ⁹And the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were crying out, saying, “Hosanna to the ^aSon of David;^bBlessed is He who comes in the name of the ¹Lord;Hosanna ^cin the highest!”

¹⁰And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹And the crowds were saying, “This is ^athe prophet Jesus, from ^bNazareth in Galilee.”

Cleansing the Temple

¹²^aAnd Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the ^bmoney changers and the seats of those who were selling ^cdoves. ¹³And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘^aMy house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a ^brobbers’ ¹den.”

¹⁴And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and ^aHe healed them. ¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things which He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the ^aSon of David,” they became indignant ¹⁶and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘^aOut of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” ¹⁷And He left them and went out of the city to ^aBethany, and spent the night there.

²⁵With ^athe ¹kind You show Yourself kind;With the blameless ^bYou show Yourself blameless;²⁶With the pure You show Yourself ^apure,And with the crooked ^bYou show Yourself ¹astute.²⁷For You ^asave an afflicted people,But ^beyes which are lifted up, You bring down.²⁸For You ^alight my lamp;Yahweh my God ^billumines my darkness.²⁹For by You I can ¹^,^arun upon a troop;And by my God I can ^bleap over a wall.³⁰As for God, His way is ¹^,^ablameless;The ^bword of Yahweh is ²tried;He is a ^cshield to all who take refuge in Him.³¹For ^awho is God, but Yahweh?And who is a ^brock, except our God,³²The God who ^agirds me with strengthAnd ¹makes my way ²^,^bblameless?³³He ^amakes my feet like hinds’ feet,And ^bsets me upon my high places.³⁴He ^atrains my hands for battle,So that my arms can ^bbend a bow of bronze.³⁵You have also given me ^athe shield of Your salvation,And Your ^bright hand upholds me;And ^cYour ¹gentleness makes me great.³⁶You ^aenlarge my steps under me,And my ^bankles have not given way.³⁷I ^apursued my enemies and overtook them,And I did not turn back ^buntil they were consumed.³⁸I crushed them, so that they were ^anot able to rise;They fell ^bunder my feet.³⁹For You have ^agirded me with strength for battle;You have ¹^,^bsubdued under me those who rose up against me.⁴⁰¹You have also made my enemies ^aturn their backs to me,And I ²^,^bdestroyed those who hated me.⁴¹They cried for help, but there was ^anone to save,Even to Yahweh, but ^bHe did not answer them.⁴²Then I beat them fine as the ^adust before the wind;I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.⁴³You have delivered me from the ^acontentions of the people;You have placed me as ^bhead of the nations;A ^cpeople whom I have not known serve me.⁴⁴As soon as they hear, they obey me;Foreigners ¹^,^acower before me.⁴⁵Foreigners ^afade away,And ^bcome trembling out of their ¹fortresses.⁴⁶Yahweh ^alives, and blessed be ^bmy rock;And let ^cthe God of my salvation be lifted high,⁴⁷The God who ^aexecutes vengeance for me,And ^bsubdues peoples under me.⁴⁸Who ^adelivers me from my enemies;Surely You ^blift me above those who rise up against me;You rescue me from the ^cviolent man.⁴⁹Therefore I will ^agive thanks to You among the nations, O Yahweh,And I will ^bsing praises to Your name.⁵⁰He gives great ¹^,^asalvation to His king,And shows lovingkindness to ^bHis anointed,To David and ^chis seed forever.