WEBVTT 00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.719 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.699 in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Kings chapters 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:14.039 9 and 10. Chapter 9 And Elisha the prophet called 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:15.980 one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:18.920 Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.019 your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. Now when 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:24.359 you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.100 the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. and 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.660 go in and make him rise up from among his associates, 00:00:29.859 --> 00:00:32.679 and take him to an inner room. Then take the 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:34.799 flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.520 Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:40.200 over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.719 do not delay. So the young man, the servant of 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:44.840 the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead, and when 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:47.100 he arrived, there were the captains of the army 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:49.399 sitting, and he said, I have a message for you, 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:52.380 commander. Jehu said, For which one of us? And 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:54.759 he said, For you, commander. Then he arose and 00:00:54.759 --> 00:00:57.020 went into the house, and he poured oil on his 00:00:57.020 --> 00:00:59.280 head and said to him, Thus says the Lord God 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.100 of Israel, I have anointed you king over the 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.579 people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:06.900 down the house of Ahab your master, that I may 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:09.079 avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:11.480 and the blood of all the servants of the Lord 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:14.200 at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:16.819 Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab 00:01:16.819 --> 00:01:19.400 all the males in Israel, both bond and free. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:21.599 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:24.260 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:27.200 of Basha the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:30.000 Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.120 there shall be none to bury her. And he opened 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:35.099 the door and fled. Then Jehu came out to the 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:37.260 servants of his master, and one said to him, 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:39.980 Is all well? Why did this madman come to you? 00:01:40.120 --> 00:01:42.420 And he said to them, You know the man and his 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:45.939 babble. And they said, A lie, tell us now. So 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:48.319 he said, Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, 00:01:48.670 --> 00:01:50.629 Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king 00:01:50.629 --> 00:01:53.650 over Israel. Then each man hastened to take his 00:01:53.650 --> 00:01:56.049 garment and put it under him on the top of the 00:01:56.049 --> 00:01:58.930 steps, and they blew trumpets, saying, Jehu is 00:01:58.930 --> 00:02:01.609 king. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son 00:02:01.609 --> 00:02:04.609 of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram 00:02:04.609 --> 00:02:07.569 had been defending Ramud Gilead, he and all Israel, 00:02:07.689 --> 00:02:10.770 against Haziel king of Syria. But king Joram 00:02:10.770 --> 00:02:13.189 had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds 00:02:13.189 --> 00:02:15.870 which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he 00:02:15.870 --> 00:02:18.419 fought with Haziel king of Syria. And Jehu said, 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:21.879 If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.800 from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel. So 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.460 Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:30.500 Joram was laid up there. And Ahaziah king of 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.719 Judah had come down to see Joram. Now a watchman 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:36.280 stood on a tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.800 of Jehu as he came and said, I see a company 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:41.960 of men. And Joram said, Get a horseman and send 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:44.460 him to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 00:02:44.909 --> 00:02:47.030 So the horseman went to meet him and said, Thus 00:02:47.030 --> 00:02:49.710 says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What 00:02:49.710 --> 00:02:52.210 have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow 00:02:52.210 --> 00:02:54.650 me. So the watchman reported, saying, The messenger 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:57.710 went to them, but is not coming back. Then he 00:02:57.710 --> 00:02:59.889 sent out a second horseman, who came to them 00:02:59.889 --> 00:03:02.650 and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:04.710 Jehu answered, What have you to do with peace? 00:03:04.930 --> 00:03:07.740 Turn around and follow me. So the watchman reported, 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:10.199 saying, He went up to them, and is not coming 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:12.580 back. And the driving is like the driving of 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:15.159 Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.240 Then Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.800 was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:24.000 Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:26.599 and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:29.580 the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. Now it 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:32.099 happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:35.550 Is it peace, Jehu? so he answered what peace 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:38.569 as long as the harlotries of your mother jezebel 00:03:38.569 --> 00:03:41.370 and her witchcraft are so many then joram turned 00:03:41.370 --> 00:03:44.069 around and fled and said to ahaziah treachery 00:03:44.069 --> 00:03:47.389 ahaziah now jehu drew his bow with full strength 00:03:47.389 --> 00:03:49.990 and shot jehoram between his arms and the arrow 00:03:49.990 --> 00:03:52.689 came out at his heart and he sank down in his 00:03:52.689 --> 00:03:55.889 chariot then jehu said to bidkar his captain 00:03:56.280 --> 00:03:58.280 Pick him up and throw him into the tract of the 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.599 field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:03.460 when you and I were riding together behind Ahab 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:06.039 his father, that the Lord laid this burden upon 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:08.699 him. Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:12.020 and the blood of his sons, says the Lord, and 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:14.300 I will repay you in this plot, says the Lord. 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:16.560 Now therefore take and throw him on the plot 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:18.759 of ground according to the word of the Lord. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.540 But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.420 by the road to Beit Hagan. So Jehu pursued him 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:26.980 and said, Shoot him also in the chariot. And 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:29.480 they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:32.459 by Iblim. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there. 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:34.959 And his servants carried him in the chariot to 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:37.680 Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:39.860 fathers in the city of David. In the eleventh 00:04:39.860 --> 00:04:42.560 year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:45.920 king over Judah. Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:48.769 Jezebel heard of it. And she put paint on her 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.050 eyes and adorned her head and looked through 00:04:51.050 --> 00:04:54.069 a window. Then as Jehu entered at the gate, she 00:04:54.069 --> 00:04:57.089 said, Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master? 00:04:57.350 --> 00:04:59.689 And he looked up at the window and said, Who 00:04:59.689 --> 00:05:03.269 is on my side? Who? So two or three eunuchs looked 00:05:03.269 --> 00:05:06.500 out at him. Then he said, Throw her down. So 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:09.160 they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:11.819 on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:14.720 her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:17.660 and drank. Then he said, Go now, see to this 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:20.680 accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king's 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.240 daughter. So they went to bury her, but they 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:25.759 found no more of her than the skull and the feet 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.750 and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:31.329 back and told him, and he said, This is the word 00:05:31.329 --> 00:05:33.569 of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah 00:05:33.569 --> 00:05:36.750 the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:39.769 Jezreel, dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 00:05:39.910 --> 00:05:42.089 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as a refuse 00:05:42.089 --> 00:05:45.009 on the surface of the field in the plot at Jezreel, 00:05:45.089 --> 00:05:48.230 so that they shall not say, Here lies Jezebel. 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:53.350 Chapter 10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:55.870 and Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria to 00:05:55.870 --> 00:05:58.689 the rulers of Jezreel. To the elders and to those 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:01.589 who reared Ahab's sons, saying, Now as soon as 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:03.629 this letter comes to you, since your master's 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:05.889 sons are with you, and you have chariots and 00:06:05.889 --> 00:06:09.129 horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, choose 00:06:09.129 --> 00:06:11.870 the best qualified of your master's sons, set 00:06:11.870 --> 00:06:14.290 him on his father's throne, and fight for your 00:06:14.290 --> 00:06:16.850 master's house. But they were exceedingly afraid 00:06:16.850 --> 00:06:19.589 and said, Look, two kings could not stand up 00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:22.430 to him, how then can we stand? And he was in 00:06:22.430 --> 00:06:24.689 charge of the house, and he was in charge of 00:06:24.689 --> 00:06:47.339 the city, the elders also. Now the king's sons, 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.120 70 persons, were with the great men of the city 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:52.779 who were rearing them. So it was when the letter 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:54.910 came to them, that they took the king's sons 00:06:54.910 --> 00:06:57.430 and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads 00:06:57.430 --> 00:07:00.029 in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:02.750 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, They 00:07:02.750 --> 00:07:05.129 have brought the heads of the king's sons. And 00:07:05.129 --> 00:07:07.389 he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance 00:07:07.389 --> 00:07:10.050 of the gate until morning. So it was in the morning 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:12.449 that he went out and stood, and said to all the 00:07:12.449 --> 00:07:15.350 people, You are righteous. Indeed, I conspired 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:17.930 against my master and killed him. But who killed 00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:20.870 all these? Now know that nothing shall fall to 00:07:20.870 --> 00:07:23.189 the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord 00:07:23.189 --> 00:07:25.889 spoke concerning the house of Ahab. For the Lord 00:07:25.889 --> 00:07:28.129 has done what he spoke by his servant Elijah. 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:30.629 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house 00:07:30.629 --> 00:07:33.310 of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and 00:07:33.310 --> 00:07:36.089 his close acquaintances, and his priests, until 00:07:36.089 --> 00:07:39.290 he left him none remaining. And he arose and 00:07:39.290 --> 00:07:42.009 departed and went to Samaria, on the way at Beth 00:07:42.009 --> 00:07:45.060 -eked of the shepherds. Jehu met with the brothers 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:47.519 of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who are 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:49.579 you? So they answered, We are the brothers of 00:07:49.579 --> 00:07:51.680 Ahaziah. We have come down to greet the sons 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:53.720 of the king and the sons of the queen mother. 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.720 And he said, Take them alive. So they took them 00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.680 alive and killed them at the well of Beth -eked. 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:03.040 Forty -two men, and he left none of them. Now 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:05.699 when he departed from there, he met Jehunadab, 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.720 the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:10.839 greeted him and said to him, Is your heart right, 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.149 as my heart is toward your heart? And Jehonadab 00:08:14.149 --> 00:08:17.930 answered, It is. Jehu said, If it is, give me 00:08:17.930 --> 00:08:20.089 your hand. So he gave him his hand, and he took 00:08:20.089 --> 00:08:23.250 him up to him into a chariot. Then he said, Come 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:25.970 with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they 00:08:25.970 --> 00:08:28.310 had him ride in his chariot. And when he came 00:08:28.310 --> 00:08:31.089 to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab 00:08:31.089 --> 00:08:33.649 in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according 00:08:33.649 --> 00:08:36.129 to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Elijah. 00:08:36.850 --> 00:08:39.090 Then Jehu gathered all the people together and 00:08:39.090 --> 00:08:42.190 said to them, Ahab served Baal a little. Jehu 00:08:42.190 --> 00:08:45.029 will serve him much. Now therefore call to me 00:08:45.029 --> 00:08:47.789 all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:50.690 all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I 00:08:50.690 --> 00:08:53.309 have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing 00:08:53.309 --> 00:08:56.210 shall not live. But Jehu acted deceptively with 00:08:56.210 --> 00:08:58.629 the intent of destroying the worshippers of Baal. 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:01.669 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for 00:09:01.669 --> 00:09:04.409 Baal. So they proclaimed it. Then Jehu sent throughout 00:09:04.409 --> 00:09:07.129 all Israel, and all the worshippers of Baal came, 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:09.970 so that there was not a man left who did not 00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:12.919 come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.399 the temple of Baal was full from one end to the 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:17.740 other. And he said to the one in charge of the 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.519 wardrobe, Bring out vestments for all the worshippers 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.019 of Baal. So he brought out vestments for them. 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:26.740 Then Jehu and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:28.980 into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshippers 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:31.799 of Baal, Search and see that no servants of the 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.639 Lord are here with you, but only the worshippers 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:37.519 of Baal. So they went in to offer sacrifices 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:40.279 and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:43.519 himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:46.440 If any of the men whom I have brought into your 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.200 hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.710 be his life for the life of the other. Now it 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.230 happened as soon as he had made an end of offering 00:09:54.230 --> 00:09:56.669 the burnt offering that Jehu said to the guard 00:09:56.669 --> 00:09:59.509 and to the captains, Go in and kill them. Let 00:09:59.509 --> 00:10:01.809 no one come out. And they killed them with the 00:10:01.809 --> 00:10:03.970 edge of the sword. Then the guards and officers 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:07.110 threw them out and went into the inner room of 00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.190 the temple of Baal. And they brought the sacred 00:10:09.190 --> 00:10:11.590 pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned 00:10:11.590 --> 00:10:13.889 them. Then they broke down the sacred pillar 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:16.350 of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal and 00:10:16.350 --> 00:10:19.710 made it a refuse dump to this day. Thus Jehu 00:10:19.710 --> 00:10:22.149 destroyed Baal from Israel. However, Jehu did 00:10:22.149 --> 00:10:24.429 not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the 00:10:24.429 --> 00:10:27.149 son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:29.870 from the golden calves that were at Bethel and 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:32.490 Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have 00:10:32.490 --> 00:10:34.889 done well in doing what is right in my sight 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:37.309 and have done to the house of Ahab all that was 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:39.929 in my heart, your sons shall sit on the throne 00:10:39.929 --> 00:10:42.740 of Israel to the fourth generation. But Jehu 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:45.279 took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.840 of Israel with all his heart, for he did not 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:50.179 depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made 00:10:50.179 --> 00:10:53.840 Israel sin. In those days the Lord began to cut 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.600 off parts of Israel, and Hazael conquered them 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.080 in all the territory of Israel from the Jordan 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:02.539 eastward, all the land of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:05.340 and Manasseh, from Arwar, which is by the river 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:08.659 Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan. Now the rest 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:11.559 of the acts of Jehu All that he did and all his 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:13.700 might, are they not written in the book of the 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:16.600 chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Jehu rested 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:19.139 with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:22.100 Then Jehoahaz, his son, reigned in his place. 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.799 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:32.960 in Samaria was twenty -eight years. I hope you 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:35.340 enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.200 I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.440 continue on our journey. God bless you and have 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:39.980 a great day.