1 Kings 16:21-28

New International Reader's Version

Omri King of Israel

²¹ The Israelites divided up into two groups. Half of them wanted Tibni to be king. He was the son of Ginath. The other half wanted Omri. ²² But Omri’s followers were stronger than those of Tibni, the son of Ginath. So Tibni died. And Omri began to rule.

²³ Omri became king of Israel. It was in the 31st year that Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled for 12 years. He ruled in Tirzah for six of those years. ²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer. He weighed out 150 pounds of silver for it. Then he built a city on the hill. He called it Samaria. He named it after Shemer. Shemer had owned the hill before him.

²⁵ But Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He sinned more than all the kings who had ruled before him. ²⁶ He lived the way Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had lived. He committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.

²⁷ The other events of Omri’s rule are written down. Everything he did and the things he accomplished are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. ²⁸ Omri joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in Samaria. Omri’s son Ahab became the next king after him.