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16 Now the word of Yahweh came to (A)Jehu the son of (B)Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Inasmuch as I (C)exalted you from the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and (D)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, behold, (E)I am going to sweep away (F)Baasha and his house, and (G)I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (H)Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the sky will eat.”

(I)Now 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? And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in (J)Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. Moreover, the word of Yahweh through the hand of (K)the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came about against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger with (L)the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because (M)he struck [a]it.

Elah Reigns over Israel

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years. And his servant (N)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (O)who was over the household at Tirzah. 10 Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place. 11 Now it happened when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that (P)he struck down all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [b]a single male—not even any of his kinsman redeemers or his friends.

12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, (Q)according to the word of Yahweh, which He spoke against Baasha by the hand of (R)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, (S)provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their [c]idols. 14 (T)Now 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?

Zimri Reigns over Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against (U)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [d]it said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down 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 Now it happened that when Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and (V)died, 19 because of his sins which he sinned, doing what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, (W)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin. 20 (X)Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [e]carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns over 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 twelve years; he reigned six years at (Y)Tirzah. 24 And he bought the hill [f]Samaria from Shemer for two [g]talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built [h](Z)Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 (AA)And Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and (AB)acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he (AC)walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their [i]idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he [j]showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

Ahab Reigns over Israel

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 twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh (AD)more than all who were before him.

31 Now it happened, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that (AE)he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the (AF)Sidonians as a wife, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 So he erected an altar for Baal in (AG)the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made (AH)the [k]Asherah. Thus (AI)Ahab did more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 (AJ)In his days Hiel the Bethelite built 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, according to the word of Yahweh, which He spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:7 Or him
  2. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit him who urinates against the wall, cf. 1 Sam 25:22, 34; 1 Kin 14:10; 21:21; 2 Kin 9:8
  3. 1 Kings 16:13 Lit vanities
  4. 1 Kings 16:16 Lit saying
  5. 1 Kings 16:20 Lit conspired
  6. 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
  7. 1 Kings 16:24 A talent was approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg
  8. 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
  9. 1 Kings 16:26 Lit vanities
  10. 1 Kings 16:27 Lit did
  11. 1 Kings 16:33 A wooden symbol of a female deity

God’s Judgment on Ba’asha

16 Then this word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani against Ba’asha: “I raised you up from the dust and appointed you leader over my people Israel, but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and you have caused my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sin. Look! I am about to burn up Ba’asha and his house. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat. The dogs will eat those who belong to Ba’asha who die in the city, and the birds of the air will eat those who die in the country.”

As for the rest of Ba’asha’s acts and everything he did and his mighty deeds, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? Ba’asha rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became king in his place.

Elah Son of Ba’asha, King of Israel

The word of the Lord had come against Ba’asha and his house through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, because of all the evil which he had done in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands by becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he had struck down Jeroboam.

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Ba’asha became king over Israel in Tirzah for two years. But his officer Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk at the house of Arza, the palace administrator of Tirzah. 10 Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he became king in his place.

11 When Zimri became king, as soon as he was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire house of Ba’asha. He did not leave for him anyone who urinates against the wall,[a] neither relatives nor friends. 12 So Zimri exterminated the entire house of Ba’asha according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Ba’asha through the prophet Jehu. 13 He did this because of all the sins which Ba’asha and his son Elah committed and which they caused Israel to commit. They provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their useless idols. 14 As for the rest of Elah’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel?

Zimri King of Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned as king in Tirzah for seven days. The army was laying siege to Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 The army which was laying siege heard the report that Zimri had conspired against the king and had already struck him down. So in the camp on that day all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. 17 Then Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had fallen, he went into the fortified part of the palace, and he burned it down on himself. So he died 19 because of the sin he committed by doing evil in the eyes of the Lord by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin which he had caused Israel to commit. 20 As for the rest of Zimri’s acts and the conspiracy he led, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel?

Omri King of Israel

21 Then the people of Israel were divided. Half of the people supported making Tibni son of Ginath king. Half supported Omri. 22 But the people who were for Omri were stronger than the people who were for Tibni son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri became king.

23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years. He ruled for six years in Tirzah. 24 Then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents[b] of silver. He built up the hill, and he named the city he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill of Samaria.[c]

25 Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He committed more evil than all those who had gone before him. 26 He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in the sin which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with his useless idols. 27 As for the rest of Omri’s acts, the things he did, and the mighty deeds he accomplished, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became king in his place.

Ahab Son of Omri, King of Israel

29 Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri committed more evil in the eyes of the Lord than all those who had gone before him. 31 He considered it a trivial thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. He served Baal and bowed down to him. 32 He erected an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab made an Asherah pole and did even more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who had gone before him.

34 In the days of Ahab, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, he laid its foundations, and at the cost of his youngest son Segub, he set up its gates. This fulfilled the word of the Lord which he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:11 This seems to be a crude term used only when making threats of a violent death.
  2. 1 Kings 16:24 One hundred fifty pounds
  3. 1 Kings 16:24 The Hebrew for Samaria (Shomron) is derived from the name of Shemer.