5. When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting around with the other army officers. “I have a message for you, Commander,” he said.“For which one of us?” Jehu asked.“For you, Commander,” he replied.
6. So Jehu left the others and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king over the lord’s people, Israel.
7. You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel.
8. The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel.
9. I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah.
10. Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.
11. Jehu went back to his fellow officers, and one of them asked him, “What did that madman want? Is everything all right?”“You know how a man like that babbles on,” Jehu replied.
12. “You’re hiding something,” they said. “Tell us.”So Jehu told them, “He said to me, ‘This is what the lord says: I have anointed you to be king over Israel.’”
13. Then they quickly spread out their cloaks on the bare steps and blew the ram’s horn, shouting, “Jehu is king!”
14. So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, led a conspiracy against King Joram. (Now Joram had been with the army at Ramoth-gilead, defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Aram.
15. But King Joram was wounded in the fighting and returned to Jezreel to recover from his wounds.) So Jehu told the men with him, “If you want me to be king, don’t let anyone leave town and go to Jezreel to report what we have done.”
16. Then Jehu got into a chariot and rode to Jezreel to find King Joram, who was lying there wounded. King Ahaziah of Judah was there, too, for he had gone to visit him.
17. The watchman on the tower of Jezreel saw Jehu and his company approaching, so he shouted to Joram, “I see a company of troops coming!”“Send out a rider to ask if they are coming in peace,” King Joram ordered.
18. So a horseman went out to meet Jehu and said, “The king wants to know if you are coming in peace.”Jehu replied, “What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me!”The watchman called out to the king, “The messenger has met them, but he’s not returning.”
19. So the king sent out a second horseman. He rode up to them and said, “The king wants to know if you come in peace.”Again Jehu answered, “What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me!”