1 Kings 16
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Baasha
16 Now the word of the Lord came to (A)Jehu the son of (B)Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I (C)exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and (D)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, (E)I am going to [a]burn (F)Baasha and his house, and (G)I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 (H)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 (I)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 [b]lay down with his fathers and was buried in (J)Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the Lord through (K)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 (L)the work of his hands, by being like the house of Jeroboam, and because (M)he struck [c]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 (N)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now [d]Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (O)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, (P)he [e]killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [f]a single male alive, either of his [g]relatives or of his friends.
12 So Zimri eliminated all the household of Baasha, (Q)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke against Baasha through (R)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they [h]committed and into which they misled Israel, (S)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [i]idols. 14 (T)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 (U)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [j]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 (V)died, 19 because of his sins which he [k]committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (W)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, misleading Israel into sin. 20 (X)Now as for the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [l]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 (Y)Tirzah. 24 And he purchased the hill [m]Samaria from Shemer for [n]two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built [o](Z)Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
25 Now (AA)Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (AB)acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he (AC)walked [p]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 [q]idols. 27 Now as for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he [r]displayed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri [s]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 (AD)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, (AE)he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the (AF)Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. 32 So he erected an altar for Baal at (AG)the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made (AH)the [t]Asherah. So (AI)Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 (AJ)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.
Footnotes
- 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 16
New Living Translation
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.
2 Chronicles 17
New American Standard Bible
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
17 His son (A)Jehoshaphat then became king in his place, and he proved himself strong over Israel. 2 He placed troops in all (B)the fortified cities of Judah, and placed garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim (C)which his father Asa had captured.
His Good Reign
3 And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he [a]followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father, [b]followed His commandments, (D)and did not act as Israel did. 5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his [c]control, and all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and (E)he had great riches and honor. 6 [d]He took great pride in the ways of the Lord, and again (F)removed the high places and the [e]Asherim from Judah.
7 Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, (G)to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them (H)the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught in Judah, having (I)the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 Now (J)the dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines (K)brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. 12 So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. 13 He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and warriors, valiant mighty men, in Jerusalem. 14 This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him three hundred thousand valiant warriors; 15 and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, (L)who volunteered for the Lord, and with him two hundred thousand valiant warriors; 17 and of Benjamin, Eliada, a valiant warrior, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 equipped for war. 19 These are the ones who served the king, apart from (M)those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 17:3 Lit walked in the earlier ways of his father
- 2 Chronicles 17:4 Lit walked in
- 2 Chronicles 17:5 Lit hand
- 2 Chronicles 17:6 Lit his heart was high
- 2 Chronicles 17:6 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
2 Chronicles 17
New Living Translation
Jehoshaphat Rules in Judah
17 Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. 2 He stationed troops in all the fortified towns of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years[a] and did not worship the images of Baal. 4 He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. 5 So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. 6 He was deeply committed to[b] the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. 8 He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.
10 Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
12 So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 13 He stored numerous supplies in Judah’s towns and stationed an army of seasoned troops at Jerusalem. 14 His army was enrolled according to ancestral clans.
From Judah there were 300,000 troops organized in units of 1,000, under the command of Adnah. 15 Next in command was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 troops. 16 Next was Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered for the Lord’s service, with 200,000 troops under his command.
17 From Benjamin there were 200,000 troops equipped with bows and shields. They were under the command of Eliada, a veteran soldier. 18 Next in command was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 armed men.
19 These were the troops stationed in Jerusalem to serve the king, besides those Jehoshaphat stationed in the fortified towns throughout Judah.
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.
