1 Kings 16

Prophecy against Baasha

1Now the word of the Lord came to 1Jehu the son of 2Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2“Inasmuch as I 3exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and 4you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, 3behold, 5I will consume 6Baasha and his house, and 7I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 48Anyone 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.”

59Now 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

6And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in 10Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. 7Moreover, the word of the Lord through 11the 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 12the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because 13he struck 14it.

8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9His servant 15Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, 16who was over the household at Tirzah. 10Then 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. 11It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that 17he 18killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave 19a single male, neither of his 20relatives nor of his friends.

12Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, 21according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through 22Jehu the prophet, 13for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, 23provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their 24idols. 1425Now 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?

15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against 26Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16The people who were camped heard 27it 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. 17Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18When 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 28died, 19because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, 29walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin. 2030Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he 31carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

21Then 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. 22But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king. 23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at 32Tirzah. 24He bought the hill 33Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built 3435Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

2536Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and 37acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26For he 38walked 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 39idols. 27Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he 40showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

29Now 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. 30Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord 41more than all who were before him.

31It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that 42he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the 43Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. 32So he erected an altar for Baal in 44the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made 45the 46Asherah. Thus 47Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 3448In 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.