1 Kings 16

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1. 1The word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani with a message against Baasha:
2. 2I lifted you up out of the dust and made you prince over my people Israel. But you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and led my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins.
3. 3I am about to remove the descendants of Baasha and his family; I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
4. 4Any of Baasha's family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be devoured by birds."
5. 5The rest of Baasha's acts, what he did, and his might, are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
6. 6So Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah became king after him.
7. 7The word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, against Baasha and his house. This was because of all the evil Baasha did in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with his actions, like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed him.
8. 8Elah, the son of Baasha, became king of Israel in Tirzah during the twenty-sixth year of King Asa of Judah's reign, and he ruled for two years.
9. 9His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Elah was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah.
10. 10Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the 27th year of King Asa of Judah's reign, and Zimri took the throne.
11. 11The moment Zimri took power and sat on the throne, he killed all of Baasha's household. He didn't leave anyone urinating against a wall, nor any of his relatives or friends.
12. 12Zimri wiped out the entire house of Baasha, exactly as the LORD had declared through the prophet Jehu.
13. 13This happened because of all the sins of Baasha and his son Elah—sins they committed and led Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
14. 14Now 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. 15In the 27th year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned 7 days in Tirzah. The people were camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
16. 16When the soldiers in the camp heard that Zimri had conspired and killed the king, they made Omri, the army commander, king of Israel right there in the camp that same day.
17. 17Omri marched from Gibbethon with the entire Israelite army and laid siege to Tirzah.
18. 18When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the palace of the king's house and set it on fire around himself, and died.
19. 19This was because of the sins he committed by doing evil in the sight of the LORD, following the way of Jeroboam, and leading Israel into sin.
20. 20The rest of Zimri's acts, and the treason he committed, are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
21. 21After this, the people of Israel split into two factions: half supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king, while the other half supported Omri.
22. 22Omri's supporters overpowered those who backed Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23. 23Omri became king of Israel during the 31st year of King Asa of Judah's reign, and he ruled for 12 years. He spent the first 6 years ruling from Tirzah.
24. 24Then he purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 2 talents of silver. He built a city on the hill and named it Samaria, after Shemer, the previous owner.
25. 25But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him.
26. 26He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which caused Israel to sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
27. 27The rest of Omri's acts, which he did, and the might he showed, are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
28. 28Omri joined his ancestors in death and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king after him.
29. 29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years.
30. 30Ahab, the son of Omri, did more evil in the sight of the LORD than all who were before him.
31. 31And it happened that, as if it were a trivial matter for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went to serve and worship Baal.
32. 32He built a temple for Baal in Samaria and set up an altar for Baal inside it.
33. 33Ahab also set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who came before him.
34. 34During Ahab's reign, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of his firstborn, Abiram, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son, Segub, just as the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.