1. Elisha the prophet called one of the men from the group of prophets and said to him, “Get ready and take this small bottle of oil in your hand. Go to Ramoth Gilead.
2. When you arrive, find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Then go in and make him get up from among his brothers. Take him to an inner room.
3. Take the small bottle of oil and pour the oil on Jehu’s head. Say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be the new king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run away. Don’t wait!”
4. So this young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.
5. When the young man arrived, he saw the captains of the army sitting. He said, “Captain, I have a message for you.” Jehu asked, “Which one of us is the message for?” The young man said, “For you, sir.”
6. Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I am anointing you to be the new king over the Lord’S people, Israel.
7. You must destroy the family of Ahab your king. In this way I will punish Jezebel for the deaths of my servants, the prophets, and the deaths of all the Lord’S servants who were murdered.
8. So all Ahab’s family will die. I will not let any male child in Ahab’s family live. It doesn’t matter if that male child is a slave or a free person in Israel.
9. I will make Ahab’s family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of Baasha son of Ahijah.
10. The dogs will eat Jezebel in the area of Jezreel, and she will not be buried.’” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran away.
11. Jehu went back to his king’s officers. One of the officers said to Jehu, “Is everything all right? Why did this crazy man come to you?” Jehu answered the servants, “You know the man and the crazy things he says.”
12. The officers said, “No, tell us the truth. What did he say?” Jehu told the officers what the young prophet said. Jehu said, “He said a few things and then he said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be the new king over Israel.’”
13. Then each officer quickly took his robe off and put it on the steps in front of Jehu. Then they blew the trumpet and made the announcement, “Jehu is king!”
14. So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, made plans against Joram. At that time Joram and the Israelites had been trying to defend Ramoth Gilead from King Hazael of Aram.
15. King Joram had fought against King Hazael of Aram. But the Arameans wounded King Joram, and he went to Jezreel to get well from those injuries. So Jehu told the officers, “If you agree that I am the new king, don’t let anyone escape from the city to tell the news in Jezreel.”
16. Joram was resting in Jezreel, so Jehu got in his chariot and drove to Jezreel. King Ahaziah of Judah had also come to Jezreel to see Joram.