⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him^(A) must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.^(A) Do not be arrogant,^(B) but tremble.^(C)

²⁰ Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith^(A) in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.^(B)”

¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.^(A) Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,^(B) because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

²⁵ So keep up your courage,^(A) men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.^(B)

¹² Therefore this is what the Holy One^(A) of Israel says:

²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents^[a] of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria,^(A) after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

²⁵ But Omri did evil^(B) in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. ²⁶ He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused^(C) Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.^(D)

²⁷ As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria.^(E) And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.

Ahab Becomes King of Israel

²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.