1 Kings 16
16
1The Lord’s message about Baasha came to Jehu, the son of Hanani. Here is what the Lord said about Baasha. 2“I lifted you up from the dust. I appointed you king over my people Israel. But you lived the way Jeroboam had lived. You also caused my people Israel to sin. And their sins made me very angry. 3So I am about to destroy you, Baasha, and your royal house. I will make your house like the royal house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. 4Some of the people who belong to you will die in the city. Dogs will eat them up. Others will die in the country. The birds will eat them.”
5The other events of Baasha’s rule are written down. What he did and what he accomplished are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 6Baasha joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in Tirzah. Baasha’s son Elah became the next king after him.
7The Lord’s message came through the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani. It was against Baasha and his royal house. Baasha had done all kinds of evil things in the sight of the Lord. Baasha had also destroyed the royal house of Jeroboam. What Baasha did had made the Lord very angry. So Baasha had become as sinful as the royal house of Jeroboam had been.
Elah King of Israel
8Elah became king of Israel. It was in the 26th year that Asa was king of Judah. Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years. He was the son of Baasha.
9Zimri was one of Elah’s officials. He commanded half of Elah’s chariot drivers. He made plans against Elah. Elah was in Tirzah at the time. He was getting drunk in the home of Arza. Arza was in charge of the palace at Tirzah. 10Zimri came in. He struck Elah down and killed him. It was in the 27th year of Asa, the king of Judah. Zimri became the next king after Elah.
11As soon as Zimri was seated on the throne as king, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He didn’t even spare one male. It didn’t matter whether it was a relative or a friend. 12So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet. 13Baasha and his son Elah had committed all kinds of sin. They had also caused Israel to commit the same sins. So Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.
14The other events of Elah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.
Zimri King of Israel
15Zimri ruled in Tirzah for seven days. It was in the 27th year that Asa was king of Judah. The army of Israel had set up camp near Gibbethon. It was a Philistine town. 16The Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had made plans against King Elah. They also heard that Zimri had murdered him. So they announced that Omri was king over Israel. He was the commander of the army. They made him king that day in the camp. 17Then Omri and all his men pulled back from Gibbethon. They marched to Tirzah and surrounded it. They attacked it and captured it. 18Zimri saw that they had taken over the city. So he went into the safest place in the royal palace. He set the palace on fire all around him. He died there 19because of the sins he had committed. He had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He had lived the way Jeroboam had lived. He had committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
20The other events of Zimri’s rule are written down. The way he turned against King Elah and killed him is written down. All these things are written in the official records of the kings of Israel.
Omri King of Israel
21The Israelites divided up into two groups. Half of them wanted Tibni to be king. He was the son of Ginath. The other half wanted Omri. 22But Omri’s followers were stronger than those of Tibni, the son of Ginath. So Tibni died. And Omri began to rule.
23Omri became king of Israel. It was in the 31st year that Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled for 12 years. He ruled in Tirzah for six of those years. 24He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer. He weighed out 150 pounds of silver for it. Then he built a city on the hill. He called it Samaria. He named it after Shemer. Shemer had owned the hill before him.
25But Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He sinned more than all the kings who had ruled before him. 26He lived the way Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had lived. He committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Israel made the Lord very angry. They did it by worshiping worthless statues of gods. The Lord is the God of Israel.
27The other events of Omri’s rule are written down. Everything he did and the things he accomplished are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 28Omri joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in Samaria. Omri’s son Ahab became the next king after him.
Ahab King of Israel
29Ahab became king of Israel. It was in the 38th year that Asa was king of Judah. Ahab ruled over Israel in Samaria for 22 years. He was the son of Omri. 30Ahab, the son of Omri, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did more evil things than any of the kings who had ruled before him. 31He thought it was only a small thing to commit the sins Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had committed. Ahab also married Jezebel. She was Ethbaal’s daughter. Ethbaal was king of the people of Sidon. Ahab began to serve the god named Baal and worship him. 32He set up an altar to honor Baal. He set it up in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. He made the Lord very angry. Ahab did more to make him angry than all the kings of Israel had done before him. The Lord is the God of Israel.
34In Ahab’s time, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son Abiram. When he set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son Segub. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken it through Joshua, the son of Nun.
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1 Kings 16: NIrV
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1 Kings 16
16
1This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani: 2“I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. 3So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
5The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and the extent of his power are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 6When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son Elah became the next king.
7The message from the Lord against Baasha and his family came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. It was delivered because Baasha had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight (just as the family of Jeroboam had done), and also because Baasha had destroyed the family of Jeroboam. The Lord’s anger was provoked by Baasha’s sins.
Elah Rules in Israel
8Elah son of Baasha began to rule over Israel in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in the city of Tirzah for two years.
9Then Zimri, who commanded half of the royal chariots, made plans to kill him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. 10Zimri walked in and struck him down and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Then Zimri became the next king.
11Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. He even destroyed distant relatives and friends. 12So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the Lord had promised through the prophet Jehu. 13This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
14The rest of the events in Elah’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Zimri Rules in Israel
15Zimri began to rule over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, but his reign in Tirzah lasted only seven days. The army of Israel was then attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 16When they heard that Zimri had committed treason and had assassinated the king, that very day they chose Omri, commander of the army, as the new king of Israel. 17So Omri led the entire army of Israel up from Gibbethon to attack Tirzah, Israel’s capital. 18When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the citadel of the palace and burned it down over himself and died in the flames. 19For he, too, had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit.
20The rest of the events in Zimri’s reign and his conspiracy are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Omri Rules in Israel
21But now the people of Israel were split into two factions. Half the people tried to make Tibni son of Ginath their king, while the other half supported Omri. 22But Omri’s supporters defeated the supporters of Tibni. So Tibni was killed, and Omri became the next king.
23Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned twelve years in all, six of them in Tirzah. 24Then Omri bought the hill now known as Samaria from its owner, Shemer, for 150 pounds of silver.#16:24 Hebrew for 2 talents [68 kilograms] of silver. He built a city on it and called the city Samaria in honor of Shemer.
25But Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 26He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit. The people provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols.
27The rest of the events in Omri’s reign, the extent of his power, and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. 28When Omri died, he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became the next king.
Ahab Rules in Israel
29Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 31And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. 32First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.
34It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub.#16:34 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads He killed his oldest son when he laid its foundations, and he killed his youngest son when he set up its gates. This all happened according to the message from the Lord concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
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