¶Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Put your belt on your waist, take this vial of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.

When you come there, find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brothers, and carry him to an inner room.

Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door, flee, and don’t wait.”

¶So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.

When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. Then he said, “I have a message for you, captain.”
¶Jehu said, “To which of us all?”
¶He said, “To you, O captain.”

He arose, and went into the house. Then he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, even over Israel.^[a]

You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Yahweh, at the hand of Jezebel.

For the whole house of Ahab shall perish.^[a] I will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, both him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.

I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

The dogs will eat Jezebel on the plot of ground of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’”^[a] He opened the door, and fled.

¶Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?”
¶He said to them, “You know the man and what his talk was.”

They said, “That is a lie. Tell us now.”
¶He said, “He said to me, ‘Thus says Yahweh, I have anointed you king over Israel.’”

¶Then they hurried, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king.”

¶So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria;

but king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) Jehu said, “If this is your thinking, then let no one escape and go out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel.”

So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.”
¶Joram said, “Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’”