1 Kings 15–16

JUDAH’S KING ABIJAM

15In the eighteenth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah, ²and he reigned three years in Jerusalem.^af His mother’s name was Maacah^ag daughter of Abishalom.

³Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed,^ah and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.^{ai 4}But for the sake of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp^E in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him and by preserving Jerusalem.^{aj 5}For David did what was right in the Lord’s sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life,^a except in the matter of Uriah^b the Hethite.

⁶There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam’s life.^{c 7}The rest of the events of Abijam’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^d There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.^{e 8}Abijam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.^f His son Asa became king in his place.^g

JUDAH’S KING ASA

⁹In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam,^h Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s^A name was Maacahⁱ daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹Asa did what was right in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.^{j 12}He banished the male cult prostitutes^k from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.^{l 13}He also^m removed his grandmother^B Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned itⁿ in the Kidron Valley.^{o 14}The high places were not taken away,^p but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his entire life.^{q 15}He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.^r

¹⁶There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.^{s 17}Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah.^t He built Ramah^u in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. ¹⁸So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple^v and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad^w son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus,^x saying, ¹⁹“There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father.^y Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel^z so that he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon,^aa Dan,^ab Abel-beth-maacah,^ac all Chinnereth,^ad and the whole land of Naphtali.^{ae 21}When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.^{af 22}Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba^ag of Benjamin and Mizpah^ah with them.

²³The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign,^ai along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^aj But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.^{ak 24}Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his ancestor David.^al His son Jehoshaphat^am became king in his place.

ISRAEL’S KING NADAB

²⁵Nadab son of Jeroboam^an became king over Israel in the second year of Judah’s King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶Nadab did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.^ao

²⁷Then Baasha^ap son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon^aq of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon. ²⁸In the third year of Judah’s King Asa,^ar Baasha killed Nadab^as and reigned in his place.

²⁹When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam.^at He did not leave Jeroboam any survivors but^A destroyed his family according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.^{au 30}This was because Jeroboam had angered^B the Lord God of Israel by the sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.^av

³¹The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{aw 32}There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.^ax

ISRAEL’S KING BAASHA

³³In the third year of Judah’s King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah^ay twenty-four years. ³⁴He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.^a

16Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu^b son of Hanani^c against Baasha: ²“Because I raised you up from the dust^d and made you ruler over my people Israel,^e but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin,^f angering me with their sins, ³take note: I will eradicate Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat:^g

⁴Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city,

the dogs will eat,

and anyone who is his and dies in the field,

the birds^C will eat.”^h

⁵The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{i 6}Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place. ⁷But through the prophet Jehu^j son of Hanani the word of the Lord also had come against Baasha and against his house because of all the evil he had done in the Lord’s sight. His actions angered the Lord, and Baasha’s house became like the house of Jeroboam, because he had struck it down.^k

ISRAEL’S KING ELAH

⁸In the twenty-sixth year of Judah’s King Asa, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah^l two years.

⁹His servant Zimri,^m commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunkⁿ in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household^o at Tirzah. ¹⁰In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri went in and struck Elah down, killing him. Then Zimri became king in his place.^p

¹¹When he became king, as soon as he was seated on his throne, Zimri struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male,^Dq including his kinsmen and his friends. ¹²So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu.^{r 13}This happened because of all the sins of Baasha and those of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit, angering the Lord God of Israel^s with their worthless idols.^t

¹⁴The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^u

ISRAEL’S KING ZIMRI

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah.^v Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines.^{w 16}When these troops heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king, then all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that very day in the camp. ¹⁷Omri along with all Israel marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.^{x 18}When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down over himself. He died ¹⁹because of the sin he committed by doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit.^y

²⁰The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he instigated, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ²¹At that time the people of Israel were divided: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. ²²However, the people who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

ISRAEL’S KING OMRI

²³In the thirty-first year of Judah’s King Asa, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah,^{z 24}then he bought the hill of Samaria^aa from Shemer for 150 pounds^A of silver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Samaria^B based on the name Shemer, the owner of the hill.

²⁵Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he did more evil than all who were before him.^{ab 26}He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat in every respect and continued in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, angering the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols.^{a 27}The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ²⁸Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

ISRAEL’S KING AHAB

²⁹Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him.^{b 31}Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not enough, he married Jezebel,^c the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians,^d and then proceeded to serve Baal and bow in worship to him.^{e 32}He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal^f that he had built in Samaria. ³³Ahab also made an Asherah pole.^g Ahab did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.^h

³⁴During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his…