1 Kings 16
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God’s Word Translation

1 Kings 16:9-20

9But Zimri, the general who commanded half of Elah’s chariots, plotted against him. Elah was getting drunk in Tirzah at Arza’s house. (Arza was in charge of the palace in Tirzah.)

10Zimri entered Arza’s house, attacked Elah, and killed him in Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Zimri succeeded Elah as king ⌞of Israel⌟.

11At the beginning of Zimri’s reign, as soon as he was on his throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He didn’t spare any of Baasha’s male  relatives or friends.

12So Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, as the Lord had spoken through the prophet Jehu.

13This was for all the sins committed by Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, led Israel to sin, and made the Lord God of Israel furious because of their worthless idols.

14Isn’t everything else about Elah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

15In Asa’s twenty-seventh year as Judah’s king, Zimri ruled for seven days in Tirzah while the army was camped near the Philistine city of Gibbethon.

16When the army heard that Zimri had plotted ⌞against the king⌟ and killed him, the Israelite troops in the camp made Omri, the commander of the army, king of Israel.

17Omri and the Israelite troops with him left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.

18When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the stronghold in the royal palace and burned down the palace over his own head. He died

19because of the sins he had committed—the things the Lord considered evil. Zimri lived like Jeroboam and led Israel to sin.

20Isn’t everything else about Zimri and his plot written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

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God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society