1 Kings 16:21-28

Modern English Version

Omri, King 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, and half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri defeated the people who followed Tibni, the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he did so twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah. ²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents^[a] of silver. He fortified the hill and named the city he built after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, calling it “Samaria.”

²⁵ But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did worse than all who preceded him, ²⁶ for he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

²⁷ Now the rest of the acts Omri performed and his might that he 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 reigned in his place.