¹Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying: ²“When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry, ³select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?” ⁵So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.” ⁶Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” ⁷Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city. And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” ⁹The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? ¹⁰Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.” ¹¹So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor. ¹²Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds, ¹³Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” ¹⁴Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked— forty-two men. He spared none of them. ¹⁵When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” ¹⁶So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot, saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.