Chapter 14

Ahijah Prophesies against the King

1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.

2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and adisguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to bShiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who cspoke concerning me that I would be king over this people.

3 “aTake ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

4 Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to aShiloh, and came to the house of bAhijah. Now Ahijah could not see, cfor his eyes were 1dim because of his age.

5 Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to 1inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that ashe will pretend to be another woman.”

6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message.

7 “Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “aBecause I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel,

8 and atore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—byet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, cto do only that which was right in My sight;

9 you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and ahave gone and made for yourself other gods and bmolten images to provoke Me to anger, and have ccast Me behind your back—

10 therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and awill cut off from Jeroboam 1every male person, bboth bond and free in Israel, and I cwill make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.

11 “aAnyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the Lord has spoken it.” ’

12 “Now you, arise, go to your house. aWhen your feet enter the city the child will die.

13 “All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for 1he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him asomething good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

14 “Moreover, athe Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day 1and from now on.

15 “For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and aHe will uproot Israel from bthis good land which He gave to their fathers, and cwill scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, dbecause they have made their 1Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.

16 “He will give up Israel aon account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he 1committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to aTirzah. bAs she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died.

18 aAll Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, ahow he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

20 The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Misleads Judah

21 aNow Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, bthe city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

22 aJudah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they bprovoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with 1the sins which they 2committed.

23 For they also built for themselves ahigh places and sacred bpillars and 1cAsherim on every high hill and dbeneath every luxuriant tree.

24 There were also amale cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

25 aNow it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.

26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and ahe took everything, 1beven taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

27 So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and acommitted them to the 1care of the commanders of the 2guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

28 Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the Lord, that the 1guards would carry them and would bring them back into the 1guards’ room.

29 aNow the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

30 aThere was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ahis mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.

Chapter 15

Abijam Reigns over Judah

1 aNow in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was 1aMaacah the daughter of 2bAbishalom.

3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and ahis heart was not 1wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David.

4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a alamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem;

5 abecause David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, bexcept in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

6 aThere was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7 Now athe rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? bAnd there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

Asa Succeeds Abijam

8 aAnd Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place.

9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah.

10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and ahis mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.

11 aAsa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father.

12 aHe also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and bremoved all the idols which his fathers had made.

13 1aHe also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image 2as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and bburned it at the brook Kidron.

14 aBut the high places were not taken away; nevertheless bthe heart of Asa was 1wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.

15 aHe brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.

16 aNow there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

17 aBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah and 1bfortified Ramah cin order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

18 Then aAsa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And bKing Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in cDamascus, saying,

19 “Let there be a atreaty between 1you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”

20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and 1conquered aIjon, bDan, cAbel-beth-maacah and all dChinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard of it, ahe ceased 1fortifying Ramah and remained in bTirzah.

22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—none was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built. And King Asa built with them aGeba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa

23 aNow the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and aJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab, then Baasha, Rules over Israel

25 Now aNadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.

26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and awalked in the way of his father and bin his sin which he made Israel sin.

27 Then aBaasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at bGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place.

29 It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam 1any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, aaccording to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,

30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and awhich he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.

31 aNow the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

War with Judah

32 aThere was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years.

34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and awalked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.

Chapter 16

Prophecy against Baasha

1 Now the word of the Lord came to aJehu the son of bHanani against Baasha, saying,

2 “Inasmuch as I aexalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and byou have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins,

3 behold, aI will consume bBaasha and his house, and cI will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

4 “aAnyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.”

5 aNow the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

The Israelite Kings

6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in aTirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place.

7 Moreover, the word of the Lord through athe prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with bthe work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because che struck 1it.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.

9 His servant aZimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, bwho was over the household at Tirzah.

10 Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place.

11 It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that ahe 1killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave 2a single male, neither of his 3relatives nor of his friends.

12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, aaccording to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through bJehu the prophet,

13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, aprovoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their 1idols.

14 aNow the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against aGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16 The people who were camped heard 1it said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.

18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and adied,

19 because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, awalking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin.

20 aNow the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he 1carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri.

22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king.

23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at aTirzah.

24 He bought the hill 1Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built 1aSamaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 aOmri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and bacted more wickedly than all who were before him.

26 For he awalked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their 1idols.

27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he 1showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

30 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord amore than all who were before him.

31 It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that ahe married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the bSidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.

32 So he erected an altar for Baal in athe house of Baal which he built in Samaria.

33 Ahab also made athe 1Asherah. Thus bAhab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

34 aIn his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.