1 Kings 16:15–34
The Very Brief Reign of Zimri in Israel
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the army was encamping against Gibbethon which belonged to the Philistines. 16 The encamping army heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and moreover he has killed the king.”c So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel on that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri went up and all Israel with him from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 It happened that when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went to the citadel fortress of the house of the king, and he burnt the house of the king over him with fire so that he died. 19 This happened because of his sin which he committed by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, by going the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did by causing Israel to sin. 20 The remainder of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he made, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?
21 At that time, the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people went after Tibni the son of Ginath to make him king, and the other half went after Omri. 22 The people who went after Omri overcame the people who went after Tibni the son of Ginath, so that he died and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years. He reigned in Tirzah six years, 24 then bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, fortified the hill, and called the name of the city Samaria that he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill. 25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him. 26 He went in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins that he caused Israel to sin by provoking Yahweh the God of Israel with their idols. 27 The remainder of the acts of Omri that he did and his powerful deeds, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri slept with his ancestors,d and he was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son became king in his place.
29 Now Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him. 31 ⌊If it wasn’t enough that he went⌋e after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians. He went and served Baal and bowed down to him. 32 And he built an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made the sacred pole, and ⌊he continued to provoke⌋f Yahweh the God of Israel more than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; at the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his younger sibling, he set up its gates, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun.