^16:1Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall:¹^16:2“I raised you up² from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps³ and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry.⁴^16:3So I am ready to burn up⁵ Baasha and his family, and make your family⁶ like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. ^16:4Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family⁷ who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”

^16:5The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.⁸^16:6Baasha passed away⁹ and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. ^16:7The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord.¹⁰ His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s.¹¹

Elah’s Reign over Israel

^16:8In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. ^16:9His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily¹² at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, ^16:10Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king.¹³^16:11When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends.¹⁴^16:12Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha¹⁵ through Jehu the prophet. ^16:13This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols.¹⁶

^16:14The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.¹⁷

Zimri’s Reign over Israel

^16:15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed¹⁸ in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. ^16:16While deployed there, the army received this report:¹⁹ “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.”²⁰ So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. ^16:17Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. ^16:18When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames.²¹^16:19This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of²² the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning.²³

^16:20The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.²⁴

Omri’s Reign over Israel

^16:21At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. ^16:22Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.

^16:23In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. ^16:24He purchased the hill of Samaria²⁵ from Shemer for two talents²⁶ of silver. He launched a construction project there²⁷ and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. ^16:25Omri did more evil in the sight of²⁸ the Lord than all who were before him. ^16:26He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin;²⁹ they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols.³⁰

^16:27The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.³¹^16:28Omri passed away³² and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king.³³

Ahab Promotes Idolatry

^16:29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria.³⁴^16:30Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of³⁵ the Lord than all who were before him. ^16:31As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal.³⁶^16:32He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. ^16:33Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he³⁷ did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

^16:34During Ahab’s reign,³⁸ Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho.³⁹ Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation;⁴⁰ Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates,⁴¹ just as the Lord had warned⁴² through Joshua son of Nun.⁴³

Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory

^17:1Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve),¹ there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.”²^17:2The Lord told him:³^17:3“Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. ^17:4Drink from the stream; I have already told⁴ the ravens to bring you food⁵ there.” ^17:5So he did⁶ as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. ^17:6The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.

^17:7After a while,⁷ the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ^17:8The Lord told him,⁸^17:9“Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told⁹ a widow who lives there to provide for you.” ^17:10So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a cup¹⁰ of water, so I can take a drink.” ^17:11As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”¹¹^17:12She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.”¹²^17:13Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned.¹³ But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. ^17:14For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’ ” ^17:15She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family.¹⁴^17:16The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised¹⁵ through Elijah.

^17:17After this¹⁶ the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. ^17:18She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come¹⁷ to me to confront me with¹⁸ my sin and kill my son?” ^17:19He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. ^17:20Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” ^17:21He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” ^17:22The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. ^17:23Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” ^17:24The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord really does speak through you.”¹⁹

Elijah Meets the King’s Servant

^18:1Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah,¹ “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” ^18:2So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria.²^18:3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord.³^18:4When Jezebel was killing⁴ the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) ^18:5Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas⁵ so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill⁶ some of the animals.” ^18:6They divided up the land between them; Ahab went⁷ one way and Obadiah went the other.

^18:7As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him.⁸ When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” ^18:8He replied, “Yes,⁹ go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’ ”¹⁰^18:9Obadiah¹¹ said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution?¹²^18:10As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them¹³ swear an oath that they could not find you. ^18:11Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.” ’¹⁴^18:12But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will…

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Footnotes

1 Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning [or “against”] Baasha, saying.”
2 The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2–3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.
3 Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
4 Heb “angering me by their sins.”
5 The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” ( II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
6 The Old Greek, , and some of the have here “his house.”
7 Heb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”
8 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
9 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
10 Heb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the Lord came concerning [or “against”] Baasha and his house, and because of all the evil which he did in the eyes of the Lord.”
11 Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
12 Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
13 Heb “and he became king in his place.”
14 Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
15 Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke concerning [or “spoke against”]).”
16 Heb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”
17 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
18 Heb “Now the people were encamped.
19 Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
20 Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
21 Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
22 Heb “in the eyes of.”
23 Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
24 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
25 For location see ; ; ; ; .
26 The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
27 Heb “he built up the hill.”
28 Heb “in the eyes of.”
29 Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
30 Heb “angering the Lord God of Israel with their empty things.”
31 Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
32 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
33 The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41–44.
34 For location see ; ; ; ; .
35 Heb “in the eyes of.”
36 Heb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.” The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.
37 Heb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
38 Heb “in his days.”
39 For location see ; ; ; ; ; .
40 Heb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”
41 Heb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”
42 Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.”
43 Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.
1 Heb “before whom I stand.”
2 Heb “except at the command of my word.”
3 Heb “and the word of the Lord came to him, saying.”
4 Heb “commanded.”
5 Heb “to provide for you.”
6 Heb “So he went and did.”
7 Heb “And it came about at the end of days.”
8 Heb “And the word of the Lord came to him, saying.”
9 Heb “Look, I have commanded.”
10 Heb “a little.”
11 The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “in your hand.”
12 Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”
13 Heb “according to your word.”
14 Heb “and she ate, she and he and her house [for] days.”
15 Heb “out, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.”
16 Heb “after these things.”
17 Heb “What to me and to you, man of God, that you have come.”
18 Heb “to make me remember.”
19 Heb “you are a man of God and the word of the Lord is truly in your mouth.” This episode is especially significant in light of Ahab’s decision to promote Baal worship in Israel. In Canaanite mythology the drought that swept over the region (v. 1) would signal that Baal, a fertility god responsible for providing food for his subjects, had been defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. While Baal was overcome by death and unable to function like a king, Israel’s God demonstrated his sovereignty and superiority to death by providing food for a widow and restoring life to her son. And he did it all in Sidonian territory, Baal’s back yard, as it were. The episode demonstrates that Israel’s God, not Baal, is the true king who provides food and controls life and death. This polemic against Baalism reaches its climax in the next chapter, when the Lord proves that he, not Baal, controls the elements of the storm and determines when the rains will fall.
1 Heb “the word of the Lord came to Elijah.”
2 For location see ; ; ; ; .
3 Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.
4 Heb “cutting off.”
5 Heb “grass.”
6 Heb “to cut off.”
7 The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.
8 Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”
9 Heb “[It is] I.”
10 Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
11 Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 Heb “to kill me.”
13 Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
14 Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”