say, 'Is it peace?"" 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 do 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 driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously." And Joram said, "Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" And he answered, "What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "There is treachery, O Ahaziah." And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk 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 Lord laid this burden upon him; 'Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons,' saith the Lord; 'and I will requite thee in this plat,' saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord." But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. 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 Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. Death And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out Jezebel's at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, "Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?" And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, “Who is on my side? who?" And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And 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 trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, "Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter." And they went to bury her: but they found 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 is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: so that they shall not say, "This is Jezebel.""" In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept Elisha over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the Dies chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." And Elisha said unto him, "Take bow and arrows." And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, "Put thine hand upon the bow." And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, "Open the window eastward." And he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot." And he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them." ." And he said, "Take the arrows." And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, "Smite upon the ground." And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, "Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. [II Kings ii, 19–25; iv, 1-10, 17-37; v-vi, 23; ix, 1–28, Jonah's JONAH Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the of the Lord. The presence But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried Tempest every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, "What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not." And they said every one to his fellow, "Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, "Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?" And he said unto them, "I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, "Why hast thou done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, "What shall we do unto thee, that. the sea may be calm unto us?" for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, "Take me up, and Jonah Cast into the Sea cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea was wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, "We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee." So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, "I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, And he heard me; Out of the belly of hell cried I, And thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, In the midst of the seas; And the floods compassed me about: All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I am cast out of thy sight; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.' Even to the soul: The depth closed me round about, The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottom of the mountains; Jonah |