16 The Lord’s message against Baasha came to Jehu. Jehu was the son of Hanani. The Lord said, 2“I lifted you up from the dust. I made you leader of my people Israel. But you lived the way Jeroboam had lived. You also caused my people Israel to sin. And their sins made me very angry.

3“So I am about to destroy you and your royal house. I will make your house like the royal house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. 4Some of the people who belong to you will die in the city. Dogs will eat them up. Others will die in the country. The birds of the air will eat them.”

5The other events of Baasha’s rule are written down. What he did and what he accomplished are written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 6Baasha joined the members of his family who had already died. His body was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became the next king after him.

7The Lord’s message came through the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani. It was against Baasha and his royal house. Baasha had done all kinds of evil things in the sight of the Lord. What he did had made the Lord very angry. So Baasha had become as sinful as the royal house of Jeroboam had been. He had also destroyed it.

Elah Becomes King of Israel

8Elah became king of Israel. It was in the 26th year that Asa was king of Judah. Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years. He was the son of Baasha.

9Zimri was one of Elah’s officials. He commanded half of Elah’s chariot drivers. He made plans against Elah. Elah was in Tirzah at the time. He was getting drunk in the home of Arza. Arza was in charge of the palace at Tirzah. 10Zimri came in. He struck Elah down and killed him. It was in the 27th year of Asa, the king of Judah. Zimri became the next king after Elah.

11As soon as Zimri was seated on the throne as king, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He didn’t even spare one male. It didn’t matter whether it was a relative or a friend. 12So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu.

13Baasha and his son Elah had committed all kinds of sin. They had also caused Israel to commit the same sins. So Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.

14The other events of Elah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Israel.

Zimri Becomes King of Israel

15Zimri ruled in Tirzah for seven days. It was in the 27th year that Asa was king of Judah. The army of Israel had set up camp near Gibbethon. It was a Philistine town.

16The people of Israel who were in the camp heard that Zimri had made plans against King Elah. They also heard that Zimri had murdered him. So they announced that Omri was king over Israel. He was the commander of the army. They made him king that very day in the camp.

17Then Omri and all of his men pulled back from Gibbethon. They marched to Tirzah and surrounded it. They attacked it and captured it.

18Zimri saw that they had taken over the city. So he went into the safest place in the royal palace. He set the palace on fire all around him. He died there 19because of the sins he had committed. He had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He had lived the way Jeroboam had lived. He had sinned as Jeroboam had sinned. Jeroboam had also caused Israel to commit the same sins.

20The other events of Zimri’s rule are written down. The way he turned against King Elah and killed him is written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Israel.

Omri Becomes King of Israel

21The people of Israel divided up into two groups. Half of them wanted Tibni to be king. He was the son of Ginath. The other half wanted Omri. 22But Omri’s followers were stronger than those of Tibni, the son of Ginath. So Tibni died. And Omri began to rule.

23Omri became king of Israel. It was in the 31st year that Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled for 12 years. He ruled in Tirzah for six of those years. 24He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer. He weighed out 150 pounds of silver for it. Then he built a city on the hill. He called it Samaria. He named it after Shemer. Shemer had owned the hill before him.

25But Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He sinned more than all of the kings who had ruled before him. 26He lived the way Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had lived. He sinned as Jeroboam had sinned. Jeroboam had also caused Israel to commit the same sins. Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.

27The other events of Omri’s rule are written down. Everything he did and the things he accomplished are written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 28Omri joined the members of his family who had already died. His body was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became the next king after him.

Ahab Becomes King of Israel

29Ahab became king of Israel. It was in the 38th year that Asa was king of Judah. Ahab ruled over Israel in Samaria for 22 years. He was the son of Omri. 30Ahab, the son of Omri, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did more evil things than any of the kings who had ruled before him. 31He thought it was only a small thing to commit the sins Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had committed.

Ahab also got married to Jezebel. She was Ethbaal’s daughter. Ethbaal was king of the people of Sidon. Ahab began to serve the god Baal and worship him. 32He set up an altar to honor Baal. He set it up in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made a pole that was used to worship the goddess Asherah.

He made the Lord very angry. He did more to make him angry than all of the kings of Israel had done before him. The Lord is the God of Israel.

34In Ahab’s time, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son Abiram. When he set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son Segub. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken it through Joshua, the son of Nun.