he did, and guarded the roads, lest
somebody should privately tell the thing to those that were at Jezreel.
Now Jehu took his choice horsemen, and sat upon his chariot, and went on
for Jezreel; and when he was come near, the watchman whom Joram had set
there to spy out such as came to the city, saw Jehu marching on, and
told Joram that he saw a troop of horsemen marching on. Upon which he
immediately gave orders, that one of his horsemen should be sent out to
meet them, and to know who it was that was coming. So when the horseman
came up to Jehu, he asked him in what condition the army was, for that
the king wanted to know it; but Jehu bid him not at all to meddle with
such matters, but to follow him. When the watchman saw this, he told
Joram that the horseman had mingled himself among the company, and came
along with them. And when the king had sent a second messenger, Jehu
commanded him to do as the former did; and as soon as the watchman told
this also to Joram, he at last got upon his chariot himself, together
with Ahaziah, the king of Jerusalem; for, as we said before, he was
there to see how Joram did, after he had been wounded, as being his
relation. So he went out to meet Jehu, who marched slowly, [16] and in
good order; and when Joram met him in the field of Naboth, he asked him
if all things were well in the camp; but Jehu reproached him bitterly,
and ventured to call his mother a witch and a harlot. Upon this the
king, fearing what he intended, and suspecting he had no good meaning,
turned his chariot about as soon as he could, and said to Ahaziah, "We
are fought against by deceit and treachery." But Jehu drew his bow,
and smote him, the arrow going through his heart: so Joram fell down
immediately on his knee, and gave up the ghost. Jehu also gave orders to
Bidkar, the captain of the third part of his army, to cast the dead body
of Joram into the field of Naboth, putting him in mind of the prophecy
which Elijah prophesied to Ahab his father, when he had slain Naboth,
that both he and his family should perish in that place; for that as
they sat behind Ahab's chariot, they heard the prophet say so, and that
it was now come to pass according to his prophecy. Upon the fall of
Joram, Ahaziah was afraid of his own life, and turned his chariot into
another road, supposing he should not be seen by Jehu; but he followed
after him, and overtook him at a certain acclivity, and drew his bow,
and wounded him; so he left h