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he withdrew to be healed of the wound, leaving as commander of the army Jehu the son of Amase; But Elisha sent one of the disciples to anoint Jehu as king, as God had chosen him. And he, having come and taken Jehu aside from the others, as if to say something more 1.153 mysterious to him, entering into the inner chamber, poured the oil upon his head, saying that God chose him as king, in order that he might destroy the house of Ahab. And as soon as he had spoken, he ran out of the inner chamber in haste, and when those with him asked what he who had called him might want, and compared that man to a madman, "You have judged correctly," he said, "since he reported to me words full of madness; for he said that God appoints me king." And the people, hearing these things, blowing the trumpets, proclaimed Jehu king. And he immediately took the chosen horsemen and set out, in order that he might come upon Joram's men all at once. When the watchman told Joram that horsemen were coming, he sent someone to ask what they might want. But Jehu, answering nothing, urged him to follow him. Then he also sent a second one; and when that one did not return either, Joram himself mounted his chariot, with Ahaziah, who had come to visit him, being his sister's son, met Jehu in the field of Naboth, and asked how the army was; but he poured out blasphemies against him. And Joram, turning, fled in fear. And Jehu, drawing his bow, shot him. And falling out of the chariot, he died, and was cast into the field of Naboth, according to the prophecy of Elijah, which he had made against Ahab. And Jehu also shot Ahaziah as he was fleeing, and from the wound he died a short time after, having reigned one year. But Jezebel, leaning out from the tower, having adorned herself to be more seductive, said, "A good servant who has slain his master." But Jehu ordered the eunuchs to throw her down from above. And as she was being brought down, the wall was spattered with her blood; and she died. But when Jehu 1.154 ordered her to be buried on account of her royal lineage, those who had been ordered found nothing of her body but only bones; for she had been torn apart by dogs, as Elijah prophesied. Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu therefore sent a letter to the rulers of Samaria and to the guardians of Ahab's sons, declaring that they should make the best of these king. But he wrote these things to test the men. But they wrote back that they would have him as master. And Jehu wrote again, that if they confessed subservience to him, they should bring to him the heads of all the children of Ahab. And they did what was commanded. And he ordered the heads to be placed in two heaps before the gate of the city. And when this was done, he came forth and said, "I indeed killed the king, but these perished according to the prophecy of the prophet;" and Jehu, having searched out all the kinsmen of Ahab, killed them. And as he was going away to Samaria, Jonadab met him, and having greeted him, blessed him because he had destroyed the house of Ahab. Then, so that none of the false prophets and priests of Baal might escape notice, he proclaimed that he was about to offer a magnificent sacrifice, and ordered all the priests of Baal and the prophets to be present; and if anyone was not present, he said the penalty for him was death. And having given vestments to those who had gathered, and having gone with them into the house of Baal, he ordered that no one else should be mixed with them. And when they said that no one else was present, he placed soldiers outside, ordering them to kill those within. They both killed all of them and burned the house of Baal and its pillar; but he did not remove the golden 1.155 calves. But God promised him, for destroying the house of Ahab, that the kingdom would continue for his children to the fourth generation. Thus, then, the house of Ahab was destroyed; but his daughter Athaliah, who was married to Ahaziah the king of Jerusalem, when he died, being in control of the kingdom of Judah, she also made it her object to destroy the house of David. And except for one

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ἀνεχώρησε θεραπευθησόμενος τὴν πληγήν, ἡγεμόνα τῆς στρατιᾶς καταλείψας ̓Ιηοῦν τὸν τοῦ ̓Αμασῆ· ̓Ελισσαῖος δ' ενα τῶν μαθητῶν επεμψε χρίσοντα εἰς βασιλέα τὸν ̓Ιηοῦν, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτὸν ᾑρημένου. ὁ δ' ἐλθὼν ἰδίᾳ τῶν αλλων ἀπολαβὼν τὸν ̓Ιηοῦν, ὡς δή τι λέξων αὐτῷ μυστι1.153 κώτερον, εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖον εἰσδὺς τὸ ελαιον κατέχεε τῆς αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς, φήσας αἱρεῖσθαι τὸν θεὸν εἰς βασιλέα αὐτόν, ιν' ἀφανίσῃ τὸ γένος τοῦ ̓Αχαάβ. καὶ ὁ μὲν αμα τε ειπε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ταμιείου σπουδαίως ἐξέδραμε, πυνθανομένων δὲ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ τί αν βούλοιτο ὁ καλέσας αὐτόν, καὶ μεμηνότι παρεικαζόντων ἐκεῖνον, "ὀρθῶς ἐκρίνατε" εφη, "ἐπεὶ καὶ λόγους μοι μεστοὺς μανίας ἀπήγγειλεν· ειρηκε γὰρ βασιλέα με χειροτονεῖν τὸν θεόν." καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἀκούσας ταῦτα σαλπίζων ἀνηγόρευε βασιλέα τὸν ̓Ιηοῦν. ὁ δὲ αὐτίκα τοὺς λογάδας τῶν ἱππέων παραλαβὼν ἐξώρμησεν, ιν' ἀθρόον ἐπέλθῃ τοῖς περὶ τὸν ̓Ιωράμ. τοῦ δὲ σκοποῦ τῷ ̓Ιωρὰμ ἱππεῖς ηκειν φήσαντος, εστειλέ τινα ἐκεῖνος ἐρωτῶντα τί αν βούλοιντο. ̓Ιηοῦς δὲ μηδὲν ἀποκριθεὶς επεσθαι αὐτῷ προετρέπετο. ειτα καὶ δεύτερον εστειλεν· οὐδ' ἐκείνου δὲ ἀναστρέψαντος, αὐτὸς ὁ ̓Ιωρὰμ τοῦ αρματος ἐπιβάς, σὺν ̓Οχοζίᾳ ἐλθόντι πρὸς ἐπίσκεψιν αὐτοῦ, ἀδελφῆς αὐτοῦ οντι υἱῷ, συνήντησεν ἐν ἀγρῷ Ναβουθαὶ τῷ ̓Ιηοῦ, καὶ ηρετο περὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς οπως εχει· ὁ δὲ βλασφημίας αὐτοῦ κατέχεεν. ̓Ιωρὰμ δὲ στραφεὶς ἀπεδίδρασκε δεδιώς. καὶ ̓Ιηοῦς τὸ τόξον ἐντείνας βάλλει αὐτόν. καὶ τοῦ αρματος ἐκπεσὼν τέθνηκε, καὶ ἐρρίφη εἰς τὸν τοῦ Ναβουθαὶ ἀγρὸν κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν ̓Ηλιού, ην πρὸς ̓Αχαὰβ ἐποιήσατο. καὶ ̓Οχοζίαν δὲ φεύγοντα ἐτόξευσεν ̓Ιηού, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πληγῆς μετὰ μικρὸν ἐτελεύτησεν, ενα βασιλεύσας ἐνιαυτόν. ̓Ιεζάβελ δ' ἐκ τοῦ πύργου προκύπτουσα, κεκαλλωπισμένη πρὸς τὸ ἐπαγωγότερον, "ἀγαθός" ειπε "δοῦλος ος τὸν δεσπότην ἀνεῖλεν." ̓Ιηοὺ δὲ ανωθεν αὐτὴν ῥῖψαι τοῖς εὐνούχοις προσέταξε. καὶ καταφερομένης αὐτῆς περιερράνθη τὸ τεῖχος τῷ αιματι· ἡ δὲ τέθνηκεν. ̓Ιηοὺ δὲ 1.154 ταφῆναι αὐτὴν προστάξαντος διὰ τὸ γένος αὐτῆς τὸ βασίλειον, οἱ προσταγέντες οὐδὲν ευρον ἐκ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῆς η μόνα ὀστᾶ· ὑπὸ γὰρ κυνῶν διεσπάρακτο, ὡς ̓Ηλιοὺ προεφήτευσεν. Ησαν δ' ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ τῷ ̓Αχαὰβ υἱοὶ ἑβδομήκοντα. ἐπέστειλεν ουν ̓Ιηοὺ τοῖς αρχουσι Σαμαρείας καὶ τοῖς παιδαγωγοῖς τῶν υἱῶν ̓Αχαάβ, δηλῶν τὸν κρείττω τούτων βασιλεῦσαι αὐτούς. πειρώμενος δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν εγραψε ταῦτα. οἱ δὲ αὐτὸν εχειν δεσπότην ἀντέγραψαν. καὶ αυθις ἐπέστειλεν ̓Ιηού, εἰ δουλείαν ὁμολογοῦσιν αὐτῷ, τὰς κεφαλὰς πάντων τῶν παίδων τοῦ ̓Αχαὰβ κομίσειν αὐτῷ. κἀκεῖνοι τὸ ἐπιταχθὲν πεποιήκασιν. ὁ δὲ πρὸ τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως τεθῆναι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐν δυσὶ τόποις ἐκέλευσε. καὶ τούτου γενομένου προελθών "ἐγὼ μὲν" ειπε "τὸν βασιλέα ἀνῄρηκα, ουτοι δὲ κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν τοῦ προφήτου ἀπώλοντο·" καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς ̓Αχαὰβ ἐρευνήσας ἀπέκτεινεν ̓Ιηού. ἀπιόντι δὲ αὐτῷ εἰς Σαμάρειαν συναντᾷ ̓Ιωναδάβ, καὶ προσειπὼν εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν οτι ἐξωλόθρευσε τὸ γένος τοῦ ̓Αχαάβ. Ειτα ινα μή τις λάθῃ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἱερέων τοῦ Βάαλ, θυσίαν ἐκήρυξε μέλλειν θῦσαι πολυτελῆ, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ Βάαλ καὶ τοὺς προφήτας παρεῖναι ἐκέλευσεν· εἰ δέ τις μὴ παρείη, θάνατον ειναί οἱ εφη τὸ ἐπιτίμιον. ἀθροισθεῖσι δὲ ἐνδύματα δούς, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν οικον ἀπελθὼν τοῦ Βάαλ, μή τινα αὐτοῖς ετερον ἀναμεμῖχθαι προσέταξεν. τῶν δὲ μηδένα παρεῖναι φησάντων ετερον, στρατιώτας περιέστησεν εξω, κελεύσας ἀποκτεῖναι τοὺς ενδον. οι ἐκείνους τε πάντας ἀνεῖλον καὶ τὸν οικον τοῦ Βάαλ ἐνέπρησαν καὶ τὴν στήλην αὐτοῦ· τὰς δὲ χρυσᾶς δαμάλεις οὐ περι1.155 εῖλεν. ὁ δὲ θεὸς αὐτῷ ἐπηγγείλατο τὸν οικον ἐξαφανίσαντι ̓Αχαὰβ ἐπὶ τετάρτην γενεὰν τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ διαρκέσειν τὴν βασιλείαν. Ουτω μὲν ουν τὸ γένος ἐξωλοθρεύθη τοῦ ̓Αχαάβ· ἡ δὲ θυγάτηρ ἐκείνου Γοθολία, η ̓Οχοζίᾳ συνῴκει τῷ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ βασιλεῖ, θανόντος ἐκείνου τῆς βασιλείας ̓Ιούδα ἐγκρατὴς ουσα, σπούδασμα εθετο καὶ αὐτὴ τὸ γένος ἐξολοθρεῦσαι τὸ τοῦ ∆αβίδ. καὶ χωρὶς ἑνὸς