1. And Aḥaḇ had seventy sons in Shomeron. And Yĕhu wrote letters and sent to Shomeron, to the rulers of Yizre‛ĕl, to the elders, and to the guardians of Aḥaḇ, saying,
2. And now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, and a walled city, and weapons,
3. choose the best and most upright of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
4. And they were greatly afraid, and said, “Look, two sovereigns have not stood before him, how do we stand, we?”
5. And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and the guardians, sent to Yĕhu, saying, “We are your servants, and all that you say to us we do. We do not set up anyone to reign. Do what is good in your eyes.”
6. And he wrote a second letter to them, saying, If you are for me, and if you obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Yizre‛ĕl by this time tomorrow. Now the sovereign’s sons, seventy beings, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
7. And it came to be, when the letter came to them, that they took the sovereign’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Yizre‛ĕl.
8. Then a messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the sovereign’s sons.” And he said, “Make them two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9. And it came to be, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Look, I conspired against my master and slew him, but who smote all these?