1 Kings 16–18

16TH CHAPTER

The Lord Condemns King Baasha

¹The Lord spoke his word to Jehu, Hanani’s son, against Baasha. ²He said, “I raised you from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel. But you have lived like Jeroboam. You have led my people to sin, and their sins make me furious. ³So I will destroy Baasha and his family. I will make his family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son). ⁴Dogs will eat anyone from Baasha’s ⸤family⸥ who dies in the city. Birds will eat anyone from his ⸤family⸥ who dies in the country.” 

⁵Isn’t everything else about Baasha—what he did and his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? ⁶Baasha lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah succeeded him as king. ⁷In addition, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Jehu, Hanani’s son, against Baasha and his family because of all the things Baasha did which the Lord considered evil. Baasha’s actions, which made the Lord furious, were like ⸤the sin of⸥ Jeroboam’s family. The Lord was also furious because Baasha destroyed Jeroboam’s family. 

Zimri Overthrows King Elah, Son of Baasha

⁸Elah, son of Baasha, began to rule Israel in Asa’s twenty-sixth year as Judah’s king. He ruled in Tirzah for two years. ⁹But Zimri, the general who commanded half of Elah’s chariots, plotted against him. Elah was getting drunk in Tirzah at Arza’s house. (Arza was in charge of the palace in Tirzah.) ¹⁰Zimri entered Arza’s house, attacked Elah, and killed him in Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Zimri succeeded Elah as king ⸤of Israel⸥. ¹¹At the beginning of Zimri’s reign, as soon as he was on his throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He didn’t spare any of Baasha’s male^arelatives or friends. ¹²So Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, as the Lord had spoken through the prophet Jehu. ¹³This was for all the sins committed by Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, led Israel to sin, and made the Lord God of Israel furious because of their worthless idols. ¹⁴Isn’t everything else about Elah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 

King Zimri Rules for Seven Days

¹⁵In Asa’s twenty-seventh year as Judah’s king, Zimri ruled for seven days in Tirzah while the army was camped near the Philistine city of Gibbethon. ¹⁶When the army heard that Zimri had plotted ⸤against the king⸥ and killed him, the Israelite troops in the camp made Omri, the commander of the army, king of Israel. 

¹⁷Omri and the Israelite troops with him left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah. ¹⁸When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the stronghold in the royal palace and burned down the palace over his own head. He died ¹⁹because of the sins he had committed—the things the Lord considered evil. Zimri lived like Jeroboam and led Israel to sin. ²⁰Isn’t everything else about Zimri and his plot written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 

Omri Defeats Tibni

²¹Then the army of Israel was divided into two factions. Half of the army followed Tibni, son of Ginath, and wanted to make him king. The ⸤other⸥ half followed Omri. ²²But the half which followed Omri was stronger than the half which followed Tibni, Ginath’s son. Tibni died, and Omri became king. ²³Omri began to rule Israel in Asa’s thirty-first year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years, 6 of them in Tirzah. 

²⁴Omri bought a hill from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver. He fortified the hill and built the city of Samaria on it. He named the city after its former owner, Shemer. 

King Omri of Israel

²⁵Omri did what the Lord considered evil. He did more evil things than all ⸤the kings⸥ before him. ²⁶He lived exactly like Jeroboam (Nebat’s son). He sinned and led Israel to sin with worthless idols, and the Israelites made the Lord God of Israel furious. 

²⁷Isn’t everything else about Omri—what he did and his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? ²⁸Omri lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab succeeded him as king. 

King Ahab Introduces Worship of Baal into Israel

²⁹Ahab, son of Omri, began to rule Israel in Asa’s thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 22 years in Samaria. ³⁰Ahab, son of Omri, did what the Lord considered evil. He was worse than all ⸤the kings⸥ who were before him. ³¹It wasn’t enough that he committed the same sins as Jeroboam (Nebat’s son). He also married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Ahab then served and worshiped Baal. ³²He built the temple of Baal in Samaria and set up an altar there. ³³Ahab made poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He did more to make the Lord God of Israel furious than all the kings of Israel who came before him. 

³⁴In Ahab’s time Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. 

Laying the foundation 

cost him his firstborn son, Abiram. 

Setting up the city doors 

cost him his youngest son, Segub. 

The Lord had spoken this through Joshua, son of Nun. 

17TH CHAPTER

Elijah Prophesies a Drought

¹Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so.” 

²Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: ³“Leave here, turn east, and hide beside the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River. ⁴You can drink from the stream, and I’ve commanded ravens to feed you there.” 

⁵Elijah left and did what the Lord’s word ⸤had told him⸥. He went to live by the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River. ⁶Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening. And he drank from the stream. 

⁷But after some time the stream dried up because no rain had fallen in the land. 

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

⁸Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: ⁹“Get up, go to Zarephath (which belongs to Sidon), and stay there. I’ve commanded a widow there to feed you.” 

¹⁰He got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town’s entrance, a widow was gathering wood. He called to her, “Please bring me a drink of water.” ¹¹As she was going to get it, he called to her again, “Please bring me a piece of bread too.” 

¹²She said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, I didn’t bake any bread. I have one handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I’m gathering wood. I’m going to prepare something for myself and my son so that we can eat it and then die.” 

¹³Then Elijah told her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home, and do as you’ve said. But first make a small loaf and bring it to me. Then prepare something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Until the Lord sends rain on the land, the jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always contain oil.” 

¹⁵She did what Elijah had told her. So she, Elijah, and her family had food for a long time. ¹⁶The jar of flour never became empty, and the jug always contained olive oil, as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 

¹⁷Afterwards, the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. He got so sick that finally no life was left in him. ¹⁸The woman asked Elijah, “What do you and I have in common, man of God?Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” 

¹⁹He said to her, “Give me your son.” Elijah took him from her arms, carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰Then he called to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought misery on the widow I’m staying with by killing her son?” ²¹Then Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times and called to the Lord, “Lord my God, please make this child’s life return to him.” ²²The Lord heard Elijah’s request, and the child’s life returned to him. He was alive again. 

²³Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upstairs room of the house, and gave him to his mother. He said, “Look! Your son is alive.” 

²⁴The woman said to Elijah, “Now I’m convinced that you are a man of God and that the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.” 

18TH CHAPTER

Elijah Comes to King Ahab

¹A while later in the third year of the drought, the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: “Present yourself to Ahab. I will allow rain to fall on the ground.” ²So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. 

The famine was particularly severe in Samaria. ³Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the Lord. ⁴(When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 prophets in caves. He put 50 prophets in each cave and kept them alive by providing bread and water for them.) ⁵Ahab told Obadiah, “Let’s go throughout the countryside to every spring and stream. If we can find grass, then we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose any animals.” ⁶So they split up in order to cover the entire countryside. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself. 

⁷Obadiah was on the road when he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him and immediately bowed down to the ground. “Is it you, my master Elijah?” he asked. 

⁸“Yes,” Elijah answered him. “Tell your master that Elijah is here.” 

⁹Obadiah asked, “What have I done wrong to make you hand me over to Ahab to be killed? ¹⁰I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, my master has searched for you in every region and kingdom. When people would say, ‘He isn’t here,’ my master made that kingdom or region take an oath that they hadn’t found you. 

¹¹“Now you say, ‘Tell your master that Elijah is here.’ ¹²This is what will happen: When I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will take you away to some unknown place. I’ll tell Ahab, but he won’t be able to find you. Then he will kill me. 

“I have been faithful to the Lord since I was a child. ¹³Haven’t you heard what I did when Jezebel killed the Lord’s prophets? Haven’t you heard how I hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets in caves? I hid 50 prophets in each cave and provided bread and water for them. ¹⁴Now you say that I should tell my master that Elijah is here. He…