¶ And Elisha the prophet called one¹ of the children² of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins⁴, and take this box of oil⁵ in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead⁶:

And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu⁷ the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren⁸, and carry him to an inner chamber⁹;

Then take the box of oil, and pour it¹⁰ on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed¹¹ thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee¹², and tarry not.

So the young man¹³, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.

And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand¹⁴ to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

And he arose¹⁵, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed¹⁶ thee king over the people¹⁷ of the LORD, even over Israel.

And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge¹⁸ the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand¹⁹ of Jezebel.

For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off²⁰ from Ahab him that pisseth²¹ against the wall, and him that is shut up²² and left in Israel:

And I will make the house of Ahab like the house²³ of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house²⁴ of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

¶ And the dogs²⁵ shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened²⁶ the door, and fled.

¶ Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well²⁷? wherefore came this mad fellow²⁸ to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.

And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus²⁹ spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.

Then they hasted, and took every³⁰ man his garment, and put it under him on the top³¹ of the stairs, and blew with trumpets³², saying, Jehu is king³³.

So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired³⁴ against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead³⁵, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

But king Joram³⁶ was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given³⁷ him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

¶ So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah³⁸ king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

And there stood a watchman³⁹ on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman⁴⁰, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace⁴¹?

So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do⁴² with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.

Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.

¶ And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving⁴³ is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth⁴⁴ furiously⁴⁵.

And Joram said, Make ready⁴⁶. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram⁴⁷ king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met⁴⁸ him in the portion of Naboth⁴⁹ the Jezreelite.

And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace⁵⁰, Jehu? And he answered, What peace⁵¹, so long as the whoredoms⁵² of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery⁵³, O Ahaziah.

And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength⁵⁴, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk⁵⁵ down in his chariot.

Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD⁵⁶ laid this burden upon him;

Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth⁵⁷, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite⁵⁸ thee in this plat⁵⁹, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

But when Ahaziah⁶⁰ the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house⁶¹. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam⁶². And he fled to Megiddo⁶³, and died there.

⁶⁴And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.

And in the eleventh⁶⁵ year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah⁶⁶ to reign over Judah.

¶ And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel⁶⁷ heard of it; and she painted her face⁶⁸, and tired⁶⁹ her head, and looked out at a window.

And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri⁷⁰ peace⁷¹, who slew his master?

And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side?⁷² who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs⁷³.

And he said, Throw her down⁷⁴. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses⁷⁵: and he trode⁷⁶ her under foot.

And when he was come in, he did eat⁷⁷ and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman,⁷⁸ and bury her: for she is a king's⁷⁹ daughter.

And they went to bury her: but they found⁸⁰ no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is⁸¹ the word of the LORD, which he spake by his⁸² servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:

And the carcase⁸³ of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.