1 Kings - Chapter 16

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

² 'I raised you from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you have followed Jeroboam's example and led my people Israel into sins which provoke my anger.

³ Now I shall sweep away Baasha and his House; I shall make your House like the House of Jeroboam son of Nebat.

⁴ Those of Baasha's family who die in the city, the dogs will eat; and those who die in the open country, the birds of the air will eat.'

⁵ The rest of the history of Baasha, his career, his valour, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

⁶ When Baasha fell asleep with his ancestors, he was buried in Tirzah; his son Elah succeeded him.

⁷ Furthermore, the word of Yahweh was delivered through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his House, first because of the many ways in which he had displeased Yahweh, provoking him to anger by his actions and becoming like the House of Jeroboam; secondly because he had destroyed that House.

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel at Tirzah, for two years.

⁹ Zimri, one of his officers, captain of half his chariotry, plotted against him. While he was at Tirzah, drinking himself senseless in the house of Arza who was master of the palace in Tirzah,

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

¹¹ On his accession, as soon as he was seated on the throne, he butchered Baasha's entire family, not leaving him one manjack of them alive, neither relative nor friend.

¹² Zimri destroyed the whole House of Baasha, in accordance with the word which Yahweh had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu,

¹³ because of all the sins of Baasha and his son Elah into which they had led Israel, provoking the anger of Yahweh, God of Israel, with their worthless idols.

¹⁴ The history of Elah, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri became king for seven days, at Tirzah. The people were then encamped in front of Gibbethon, a Philistine town.

¹⁶ When news reached the camp of how Zimri had not only plotted against but actually killed the king, all Israel proclaimed the army commander Omri as king of Israel in the camp that very day.

¹⁷ Omri, and all Israel with him, raised the siege of Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.

¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the town had been captured, he went into the keep of the royal palace, burned the palace over his own head, and died.

¹⁹ This was because of the sin which he had committed in doing what is displeasing to Yahweh, by copying the example of Jeroboam and the sin into which he had led Israel.

²⁰ The rest of the history of Zimri and of his conspiracy, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

²¹ The people of Israel then split into two factions: one half following Tibni son of Ginath to make him king, the other half following Omri.

²² But the faction of Omri proved stronger than that of Tibni son of Ginath; thus Tibni lost his life and Omri became king.

²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel and reigned for twelve years. He reigned for six years at Tirzah.

²⁴ Then for two talents of silver he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer and on it built a town which he named Samaria after Shemer who had owned the hill.

²⁵ Omri did what is displeasing to Yahweh, and was worse than all his predecessors.

²⁶ In every way he copied the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the sins into which he had led Israel, provoking the anger of Yahweh, God of Israel, with their worthless idols.

²⁷ The rest of the history of Omri, his career, his valour, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

²⁸ When Omri fell asleep with his ancestors, he was buried in Samaria; his son Ahab succeeded him.

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

³⁰ Ahab son of Omri did what is displeasing to Yahweh, and was worse than all his predecessors.

³¹ The least that he did was to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam son of Nebat: he married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him.

³² He erected an altar to him in the temple of Baal which he built in Samaria.

³³ Ahab also put up a sacred pole and committed other crimes as well, provoking the anger of Yahweh, God of Israel, more than all the kings of Israel his predecessors.

³⁴ It was in his time that Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Laying its foundations cost him his eldest son Abiram and erecting its gates cost him his youngest son Segub, just as Yahweh had foretold through Joshua son of Nun.

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