1 Kings 16

1The word of Yahweh came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:

2“I lifted you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins.

3So I am going to burn up Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.

4Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country, the birds of the sky will eat.”

5As for the rest of the deeds of Baasha, what he did and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

6Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

7Moreover, the word of Yahweh came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of Yahweh, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he had struck it down.

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

9His official Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the palace at Tirzah.

10Zimri came in, struck him down, and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he became king in his place.

11As soon as he became king and sat on his throne, he struck down the whole house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male, whether relative or friend.

12So Zimri destroyed the whole house of Baasha, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet,

13because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they committed and which they caused Israel to commit, provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

14As for the rest of the deeds of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. The army was camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16When the troops in the camp heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and has even struck down the king,” all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp.

17Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.

18When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s palace and set the palace on fire over himself, and he died,

19because of the sins he had committed, doing what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed to make Israel sin.

20As for the rest of the deeds of Zimri and the conspiracy he carried out, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21Then the people of Israel were split in two. Half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath to make him king, and the other half followed Omri.

22But the people who followed Omri proved stronger than the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died, and Omri became king.

23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

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

25Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did more evil than all who were before him.

26He walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

27As for the rest of the deeds of Omri, what he did and the might he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

28Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

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

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

31As if it were a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.

32He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

33Ahab also made the Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

34In his days Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of Abiram his firstborn and set up its gates at the cost of Segub his youngest son, according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.