1 Kings 16

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

² "Because I raised 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—

³ I am about to sweep away Baasha and his house. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.

⁴ Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and anyone belonging to him who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat."

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

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

⁷ Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil he did in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands so that it became like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck it down.

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

⁹ His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. He was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah.

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

¹¹ When he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male—neither kinsman nor friend.

¹² So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke against Baasha through the prophet Jehu—

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

¹⁴ As for 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 in Tirzah. The people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

¹⁶ The people in the camp heard it said, "Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king." So all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that day in the camp.

¹⁷ 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 palace and burned the king's palace over himself with fire, and he died—

¹⁹ because of the sins he committed, doing what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin he committed, causing Israel to sin.

²⁰ As for the rest of the acts of Zimri and the conspiracy he carried out—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

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

²² The people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath. 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 in Tirzah.

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

²⁵ Omri did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.

²⁶ He walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

²⁷ As for the rest of the acts 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?

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

²⁹ Ahab 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.

³⁰ Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

³¹ It was not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat; he also took as wife Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and bowed down to him.

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

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

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