th, and gave him holy oil
to anoint Jehu, and to tell him that God had chosen him to be their
king. He also sent him to say other things to him, and bid him to take
his journey as if he fled, that when he came away he might escape the
knowledge of all men. So when he was come to the city, he found Jehu
sitting in the midst of the captains of the army, as Elisha had foretold
he should find him. So he came up to him, and said that he desired to
speak with him about certain matters; and when he was arisen, and had
followed him into an inward chamber, the young man took the oil, and
poured it on his head, and said that God ordained him to be king, in
order to his destroying the house of Ahab, and that he might revenge the
blood of the prophets that were unjustly slain by Jezebel, that so their
house might utterly perish, as those of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and
of Baasha, had perished for their wickedness, and no seed might remain
of Ahab's family. So when he had said this, he went away hastily out of
the chamber, and endeavored not to be seen by any of the army.

2. But Jehu came out, and went to the place where he before sat with
the captains; and when they asked him, and desired him to tell them,
wherefore it was that this young man came to him, and added withal that
he was mad, he replied,--"You guess right, for the words he spake were
the words of a madman;" and when they were eager about the matter, and
desired he would tell them, he answered, that God had said he had chosen
him to be king over the multitude. When he had said this, every one of
them put off his garment, [15] and strewed it under him, and blew with
trumpets, and gave notice that Jehu was king. So when he had gotten the
army together, he was preparing to set out immediately against Joram,
at the city Jezreel, in which city, as we said before, he was healing of
the wound which he had received in the siege of Ramoth. It happened also
that Ahaziah, king of Jerusalem, was now come to Joram, for he was
his sister's son, as we have said already, to see how he did after his
wound, and this upon account of their kindred; but as Jehu was desirous
to fall upon Joram, and those with him, on the sudden, he desired that
none of the soldiers might run away and tell to Joram what had happened,
for that this would be an evident demonstration of their kindness to
him, and would show that their real inclinations were to make him king.

3. So they were pleased with what