JEZEBEL: I am Queen Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife. I was princess in Sidon long ago, but in an evil day I became Queen over these strangers in Samaria. Here, for these last ten months, we fought the Syrians until hope was gone; then, suddenly, all changed. The Syrian army fell into our hands. King Ahab had two choices: one, to kill all of the Syrians; one, to let them go. He made a peace with them and let them go. Now all the people of this city rage at Ahab, for his peace, and cry aloud that I, the foreign queen with foreign gods, made Ahab make the peace to please my friends. Four days ago, King Ahab sought to buy a vineyard from one Naboth, who refused to sell the vineyard, even to his King. Today the rebels of the town prepare a feast to Naboth for refusing him, and at the feast the prophets and seditious will urge our murder as a godly deed. What is King Ahab doing to defeat them? Nothing. For these three days he has been hidden, brooding upon his bed in bitterness; refusing food and drink; refusing speech with me, his wife; neglecting court and state; letting rebellion grow, and seeing no man except our younger son, evil Prince Joram, who longs for war against the Syrians. So I, the Queen, not knowing what may come when the King sickens and the people rage, have sent for help, called home our eldest son, Prince Ahaziah, from his frontier post with all his horsemen. He should soon be here. With Ahaziah and his horsemen here, we shall be safer from our enemies, the Teshbon prophet and the soldier Jehu, the captain of the horse under the King. Those are the enemies whom most I dread, Lord Jehu and the Prophet, hand and mouth to violence and unwise ways of life, violent and brainless both, as lightning is. When violence and madness are in league, destruction comes. And they are coming now, here to the palace of the King and Queen, to plot their evil with our followers. I will go hence, to pray that Ahaziah may come in time to thwart their wickedness. [Exit] [Enter the Prophet] PROPHET: Lord Jehu! [Enter Jehu]
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