God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell ¹  on them.

Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, ¹  near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons.

Elijah said to them: ¹  “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.

I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.” ¹ 

Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped ¹  Baal a little; Jehu will worship ²  him with great devotion. ³ 

Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, ¹  “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.

When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name of his city was Pai. ¹  His wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

They also lived in all the settlements that surrounded these towns as far as Baal. ¹  These were their settlements; they kept genealogical records.

and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. They lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal Meon.

The half-tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan as far as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They grew in number.

Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the lowlands; ¹  Joash was in charge of the storehouses of olive oil.

Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to ¹  the gods called Baal, ²  as their fathers ³  taught them to do.

For ¹  I will remove the names of the Baal idols ²  from your lips, ³  so that you will never again utter their names!” ⁴ 

Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. ¹  As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.

But the more I summoned ¹  them, the farther they departed from me. ²  They sacrificed to the Baal idols and burned incense to images.

But what was the divine response ¹  to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people ²  who have not bent the knee to Baal.” ³ 

So they took a bull, as he had suggested, ¹  and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped ²  around on the altar they had made. ³ 

All the people of the land went and demolished ¹  the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols ²  to bits. ³  They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest ⁴  then placed guards at the Lord’s temple.

When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad ¹  reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. ²  His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

“Tell the Israelites that they must turn and camp ¹  before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you are to camp by the sea before Baal Zephon opposite it. ²