1 Kings 15:25-17:24
New American Standard Bible
Nadab and Then Baasha Rule over Israel
25 Now (A)Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (B)walked in the way of his father and (C)in his sin into which he misled Israel. 27 Then (D)Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck and killed him at (E)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he struck and killed all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam any [a]persons alive, but kept killing until he had eliminated them, (F)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he [b]committed, and into (G)which he misled Israel, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 (H)Now as for the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
War with Judah
32 (I)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned for twenty-four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (J)walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin into which he misled Israel.
Prophecy against Baasha
16 Now the word of the Lord came to (K)Jehu the son of (L)Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I (M)exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and (N)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have misled My people Israel into sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, (O)I am going to [c]burn (P)Baasha and his house, and (Q)I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 (R)Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and anyone belonging to him who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”
5 (S)Now as for the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
The Israelite Kings
6 And Baasha [d]lay down with his fathers and was buried in (T)Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the Lord through (U)the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with (V)the work of his hands, by being like the house of Jeroboam, and because (W)he struck [e]it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned for two years. 9 And his servant (X)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now [f]Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (Y)who was in charge of the household in Tirzah. 10 Then Zimri came in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he became king in his place. 11 And when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, (Z)he [g]killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [h]a single male alive, either of his [i]relatives or of his friends.
12 So Zimri eliminated all the household of Baasha, (AA)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke against Baasha through (AB)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they [j]committed and into which they misled Israel, (AC)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [k]idols. 14 (AD)Now as for the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were camped against (AE)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [l]it being said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck and killed the king!” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over himself with fire, and (AF)died, 19 because of his sins which he [m]committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (AG)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, misleading Israel into sin. 20 (AH)Now as for the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [n]carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned for twelve years; he reigned for six years at (AI)Tirzah. 24 And he purchased the hill [o]Samaria from Shemer for [p]two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built [q](AJ)Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
25 Now (AK)Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (AL)acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he (AM)walked [r]entirely in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins into which he misled Israel, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [s]idols. 27 Now as for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he [t]displayed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri [u]lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and his son Ahab became king in his place.
29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord (AN)more than all who were before him.
31 And as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (AO)he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the (AP)Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. 32 So he erected an altar for Baal at (AQ)the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made (AR)the [v]Asherah. So (AS)Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 (AT)In his days Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
Elijah Predicts Drought
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [w](AU)the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “(AV)As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, (AW)there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is [x]east of the Jordan. 4 And it shall be that you will drink from the brook, and (AX)I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there.” 5 So he went and did everything according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is [y]east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 But it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to (AY)Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, (AZ)I have commanded a widow there to provide food for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the entrance of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and (BA)he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a [z]cup, so that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “(BB)As the Lord your God lives, (BC)I have no food, only a handful of flour in the [aa]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering [ab]a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may [ac]eat it and (BD)die.” 13 However, Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said. Just make me a little bread loaf from [ad]it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘The [ae]bowl of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil become empty, until the day that the Lord provides rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did everything in accordance with the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The [af]bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son
17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his [ag]condition became very grave, until at the end [ah]he was no longer breathing. 18 So she said to Elijah, “[ai](BE)Why is my business any of yours, you (BF)man of God? Yet you have come to me to bring my wrongdoing to remembrance, and to put my son to death!” 19 But he said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her [aj]arms and carried him up to the upstairs room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he called to the Lord and said, “Lord, my God, have You also brought catastrophe upon the widow with whom I am [ak]staying, by causing her son to die?” 21 (BG)Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times, and called to the Lord and said, “Lord, my God, please, let this boy’s life return [al]to him.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah, (BH)and the life of the boy returned [am]to him and he revived. 23 Elijah then took the boy and brought him down from the upstairs room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “(BI)Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:29 Lit breath
- 1 Kings 15:30 Lit sinned
- 1 Kings 16:3 Another reading is sweep away
- 1 Kings 16:6 I.e., died
- 1 Kings 16:7 Or him
- 1 Kings 16:9 Lit he
- 1 Kings 16:11 Lit struck
- 1 Kings 16:11 Lit him who urinates against the wall
- 1 Kings 16:11 Lit blood avengers
- 1 Kings 16:13 Lit sinned
- 1 Kings 16:13 Lit non-existing things
- 1 Kings 16:16 Lit saying
- 1 Kings 16:19 Lit sinned
- 1 Kings 16:20 Lit conspired
- 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
- 1 Kings 16:24 About 150 lb. or 68 kg
- 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
- 1 Kings 16:26 Lit in all the way of
- 1 Kings 16:26 Lit non-existing things
- 1 Kings 16:27 Lit did
- 1 Kings 16:28 I.e., died
- 1 Kings 16:33 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity
- 1 Kings 17:1 Another reading is Tishbe in Gilead
- 1 Kings 17:3 Lit facing
- 1 Kings 17:5 Lit facing
- 1 Kings 17:10 Lit vessel
- 1 Kings 17:12 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:12 Lit two
- 1 Kings 17:12 I.e., have their last meal
- 1 Kings 17:13 Lit there
- 1 Kings 17:14 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:16 Lit pitcher
- 1 Kings 17:17 Lit illness
- 1 Kings 17:17 Lit breath was not left in him
- 1 Kings 17:18 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
- 1 Kings 17:19 Lit breast
- 1 Kings 17:20 Lit sojourning
- 1 Kings 17:21 Lit upon his inward part
- 1 Kings 17:22 Lit upon his inward part
1 Kings 15:25-17:24
New Living Translation
Nadab Rules in Israel
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. 26 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel.
29 He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit.
31 The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Baasha Rules in Israel
32 There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 33 Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. 34 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
16 This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: 2 “I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. 3 So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
5 The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and the extent of his power are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 6 When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became the next king.
7 The message from the Lord against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The Lord’s anger was provoked by Baasha’s sins.
Elah Rules in Israel
8 Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.
9 Then Zimri, who commanded half of the royal chariots, made plans to kill him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. 10 Zimri walked in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Then Zimri became the next king.
11 Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. 12 So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the Lord had promised through the prophet Jehu. 13 This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
14 The rest of the events in Elah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Zimri Rules in Israel
15 Zimri began to rule over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, but his reign in Tirzah lasted only seven days. The army of Israel was then attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 16 When they heard that Zimri had committed treason and had assassinated the king, that very day they chose Omri, commander of the army, as the new king of Israel. 17 So Omri led the entire army of Israel up from Gibbethon to attack Tirzah, Israel’s capital. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the citadel of the palace and burned it down over himself and died in the flames. 19 For he, too, had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit.
20 The rest of the events in Zimri’s reign and his conspiracy are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Omri Rules in Israel
21 But now the people of Israel were split into two factions. Half the people tried to make Tibni son of Ginath their king, while the other half supported Omri. 22 But Omri’s supporters defeated the supporters of Tibni. So Tibni was killed, and Omri became the next king.
23 Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned twelve years in all, six of them in Tirzah. 24 Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for 150 pounds of silver.[a] He built a city on it and called the city Samaria in honor of Shemer.
25 But Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 26 He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit. The people provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
27 The rest of the events in Omri’s reign, the extent of his power, and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 28 When Omri died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became the next king.
Ahab Rules in Israel
29 Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 31 And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. 32 First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.
34 It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub.[b] This all happened according to the message from the Lord concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
Elijah Fed by Ravens
17 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”
2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”
5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.
The Widow at Zarephath
8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”
19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”
21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
