1 Kings 16

16Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu ^tson of Hanani ^uagainst Baasha: ²“Because I raised you up from the dust ^vand made you ruler over My people Israel, ^wbut you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin, ^xprovoking Me with their sins, ³take note: I will sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat: ^y

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 of the sky will eat.” ^z

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. ^a6Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place. ⁷Through the prophet Jehu ^bson of Hanani the word of the Lord also came against Baasha and against his house because of all the evil he had done in the Lord’s sight, provoking Him with the work of his hands and being like the house of Jeroboam, and because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam. ^c

Israel’s King Elah

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

⁹His servant Zimri, ^ecommander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk ^fin the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household ^gat Tirzah. ¹⁰In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, killing him. Then Zimri became king in his place. ^h

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, ^ijincluding 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 Jehu the prophet. ^k13This happened because of all the sins of Baasha and those of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord God of Israel ^lwith their worthless idols. ^m

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

Israel’s King Zimri

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah. ^oNow the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines. ^p16When 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. ^q18When 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 following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit. ^r

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 reigned 12 years. He reigned six years in Tirzah, ^s24then he bought the hill of Samaria ^tfrom Shemer for 150 pounds ^uof silver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Samaria ^vbased 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. ^w26He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. ^x27The 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 fathers 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 22 years. ³⁰But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him. ^y31Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, he married Jezebel, ^zthe daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, ^aand then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him. ^b32He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal ^cthat he had built in Samaria. ³³Ahab also made an Asherah pole. ^dAhab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. ^e

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 youngest, he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Joshua son of Nun. ^f