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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1 Kings 16: NLT
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1 Kings 16
16
1#2Ch 19:2; 20:34Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2#1Ki 14:7; 15:34“I exalted you out of the dust and made you prince over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel to sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins. 3#1Ki 14:10See, I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4#1Ki 14:11Those from the house of Baasha who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the fields will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
5#1Ki 14:19; 15:31Now 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? 6#1Ki 14:17; 15:21So Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place.
7#1Ki 14:14; Ps 115:4And so it was by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani that the word of the Lord came against Baasha and his house, for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands because he acted like the house of Jeroboam and also because he killed it.
Elah, King of Israel
8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he did so two years.
9#Ge 24:2; 39:4His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him, and when he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, manager of his house in Tirzah, 10Zimri went in and smote him and killed him. This took place in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and Zimri reigned in his place.
11#1Sa 25:22; 1Ki 15:29When he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, he executed all the household of Baasha. He left no males, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. 12#1Ki 16:1Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13#Dt 32:21; 1Sa 12:21because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned and by which they made Israel to sin in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
14Now 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?
Zimri, King of Israel
15#1Ki 15:27; Jos 19:44In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16The troops who were encamped heard how Zimri had conspired and had slain the king. As a result, all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17Omri went up from Gibbethon and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18#2Sa 17:23; 1Sa 31:4–5When Zimri saw that the city had fallen, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and he died, 19#1Ki 15:26; 12:28because of his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel to sin.
20#1Ki 16:5; 16:14Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his treason, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Omri, King 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, and half followed Omri. 22But the people who followed Omri defeated the people who followed Tibni, the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri reigned.
23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he did so twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah. 24#1Ki 13:32He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents#About 150 pounds, or 68 kilograms. of silver. He fortified the hill and named the city he built after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, calling it “Samaria.”
25#Mic 6:16; 1Ki 14:9But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did worse than all who preceded him, 26#1Ki 16:19; 16:13for he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
27Now the rest of the acts Omri performed and his might that he showed, 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 reigned in his place.
Ahab Reigns in Israel
29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30#1Ki 16:25; 14:9Ahab the son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 31#Jdg 18:7; 2Ki 10:18The sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat were seen as minor for him to walk in, for he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, as his wife and went and served Baal and worshipped him. 32#2Ki 10:21; 10:26–27He raised an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33#2Ki 13:6; 1Ki 21:25Ahab made an Asherah and did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who preceded him.
34#Jos 6:26In his days, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. He laid the foundation at the expense of his firstborn Abiram and set up the gates at the cost of the life of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
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