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[132]
After these, there met him a good and a righteous man, whose name
was Jehonadab, and who had been his friend of old. He saluted Jehu, and
began to commend him, because he had done every thing according to the
will of God, in extirpating the house of Ahab. So Jehu desired him to come
up into his chariot, and make his entry with him into Samaria; and told
him that he would not spare one wicked man, but would punish the false
prophets, and false priests, and those that deceived the multitude, and
persuaded them to leave the worship of God Almighty, and to worship foreign
gods; and that it was a most excellent and most pleasing sight to a good
and a righteous man to see the wicked punished. So Jehonadab was persuaded
by these arguments, and came up into Jehu's chariot, and came to Samaria.
And Jehu sought out for all Ahab's kindred, and slew them. And being desirous
that none of the false prophets, nor the priests of Ahab's god, might escape
punishment, he caught them deceitfully by this wile; for he gathered all
the people together, and said that he would worship twice as many gods
as Ahab worshipped, and desired that his priests, and prophets, and servants
might be present, because he would offer costly and great sacrifices to
Ahab's god; and that if any of his priests were wanting, they should be
punished with death. Now Ahab's god was called Baal; and when he had appointed
a day on which he would offer those sacrifices, he sent messengers through
all the country of the Israelites, that they might bring the priests of
Baal to him. So Jehu commanded to give all the priests vestments; and when
they had received them, he went into the house [of Baal], with his friend
Jehonadab, and gave orders to make search whether there were not any foreigner
or stranger among them, for he would have no one of a different religion
to mix among their sacred offices. And when they said that there was no
stranger there, and they were beginning their sacrifices, he set fourscore
men without, they being such of his soldiers as he knew to be most faithful
to him, and bid them slay the prophets, and now vindicate the laws of their
country, which had been a long time in disesteem. He also threatened, that
if any one of them escaped, their own lives should go for them. So they
slew them all with the sword, and burnt the house of Baal, and by that
means purged Samaria of foreign customs [idolatrous worship]. Now this
Baal was the god of the Tyrians; and Ahab, in order to gratify his father-in-law,
Ethbaal, who was the king of Tyre and Sidon, built a temple for him in
Samaria, and appointed him prophets, and worshipped him with all sorts
of worship, although, when this god was demolished, Jehu permitted the
Israelites to worship the golden heifers. However, because he had done
thus, and taken care to punish the wicked, God foretold by his prophet
that his .sons should reign over Israel for four generations. And in this
condition was Jehu at this time.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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- LSJ, ψευδι^ερεύς
- LSJ, ψευδο-προφήτης
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