1 The Lord spoke to the prophet Jehu son of Hanani and gave him this message for Baasha: 2 “You were a nobody, but I made you the leader of my people Israel. And now you have sinned like Jeroboam and have led my people into sin. Their sins have aroused my anger, 3 and so I will do away with you and your family, just as I did with Jeroboam. 4 Any members of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures.”
5 Everything else that Baasha did and all his brave deeds are recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 6 Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah succeeded him as king.
7 That message from the Lord against Baasha and his family was given by the prophet Jehu because of the sins that Baasha committed against the Lord. He aroused the Lord's anger not only because of the evil he did, just as King Jeroboam had done before him, but also because he killed all of Jeroboam's family.
King Elah of Israel
8 In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 9 Zimri, one of his officers who was in charge of half of the king's chariots, plotted against him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk in the home of Arza, who was in charge of the palace. 10 Zimri entered the house, assassinated Elah, and succeeded him as king. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.
11 As soon as Zimri became king he killed off all the members of Baasha's family. Every male relative and friend was put to death. 12 And so, in accordance with what the Lord had said against Baasha through the prophet Jehu, Zimri killed all the family of Baasha. 13 Because of their idolatry and because they led Israel into sin, Baasha and his son Elah had aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Everything else that Elah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Zimri of Israel
15 In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Zimri ruled in Tirzah over Israel for seven days. The Israelite troops were besieging the city of Gibbethon in Philistia, 16 and when they heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and assassinated him, then and there they all proclaimed their commander Omri king of Israel. 17 Omri and his troops left Gibbethon and went and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had fallen, he went into the palace's inner fortress, set the palace on fire, and died in the flames. 19 This happened because of his sins against the Lord. Like his predecessor Jeroboam, he displeased the Lord by his own sins and by leading Israel into sin. 20 Everything else that Zimri did, including the account of his conspiracy, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Omri of Israel
21 The people of Israel were divided: some of them wanted to make Tibni son of Ginath king, and the others were in favor of Omri. 22 In the end, those in favor of Omri won out; Tibni died and Omri became king. 23 So in the thirty-first year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he ruled for twelve years. The first six years he ruled in Tirzah, 24 and then he bought the hill of Samaria for six thousand pieces of silver from a man named Shemer. Omri fortified the hill, built a town there, and named it Samaria, after Shemer, the former owner of the hill.
25 Omri sinned against the Lord more than any of his predecessors. 26 Like Jeroboam before him, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by his sins and by leading the people into sin and idolatry. 27 Everything else that Omri did and all his accomplishments are recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. 28 Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab succeeded him as king.
King Ahab of Israel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 He sinned against the Lord more than any of his predecessors. 31 It was not enough for him to sin like King Jeroboam; he went further and married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon, and worshiped Baal. 32 He built a temple to Baal in Samaria, made an altar for him, and put it in the temple. 33 He also put up an image of the goddess Asherah. He did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel before him. 34 During his reign Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. As the Lord had foretold through Joshua son of Nun, Hiel lost his oldest son Abiram when he laid the foundation of Jericho, and his youngest son Segub when he built the gates.
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Iehu the sonne of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee captaine ouer my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Ieroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sinne, to prouoke me with their sinnes, 3 Beholde, I will take away the posteritie of Baasha, and the posteritie of his house, and will make thine house like the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat. 4 He that dyeth of Baashas stocke in the citie, him shall the dogs eate: and that man of him which dyeth in the fieldes, shall the foules of the ayre eate. 5 And the rest of the actes of Baasha and what he did, and his power, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buryed in Tirzah, and Elah his sonne reigned in his steade. 7 And also by the hande of Iehu the sonne of Hanani the Prophet, came the worde of the Lord to Baasha, and to his house, that he shoulde be like the house of Ieroboam, euen for all the wickednes that he did in the sight of the Lord, in prouoking him with the worke of his hands, and because he killed him. 8 In the sixe and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah began Elah ye sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two yeere. 9 And his seruant Zimri, captaine of halfe his charets, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah drinking, til he was drunken in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri came and smote him and killed him, in the seuen and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah, and reigned in his stead. 11 And when he was King, and sate on his throne, he slew al the house of Baasha, not leauing thereof one to pisse against a wall, neither of his kinsfolkes nor of his friendes. 12 So did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord which he spake against Baasha by the hande of Iehu the Prophet, 13 For all the sinnes of Baasha, and sinnes of Elah his sonne, which they sinned and made Israel to sinne, and prouoked the Lord God of Israel with their vanities. 14 And the rest of the actes of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 15 In the seuen and twentie yeere of Asa King of Iudah did Zimri reigne seuen dayes in Tirzah, and the people was then in campe against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistims. 16 And the people of the hoste heard saye, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slayne the King. Wherefore all Israel made Omri the captaine of the hoste, king ouer Israel that same day, euen in the hoste. 17 Then Omri went vp from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw, that the citie was taken, he went into the palace of the Kings house, and burnt himselfe, and the Kings house with fire, and so dyed, 19 For his sinnes which hee sinned, in doing that which is euil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Ieroboam, and in his sinnes which he did, causing Israel to sinne. 20 And the rest of the actes of Zimri, and his treason that hee wrought, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kinges of Israel? 21 Then were the people of Israel deuided into two partes: for halfe the people followed Tibni the sonne of Ginath to make him King, and the other halfe followed Omri. 22 But the people that folowed Omri, preuayled against the people that followed Tibni the sonne of Ginath: so Tibni dyed, and Omri reigned. 23 In the one and thirtie yeere of Asa King of Iudah bega Omri to reigne ouer Israel, and reigned twelue yeere. Sixe yeere reigned he in Tirzah. 24 And he bought the mountaine Samaria of one Shemer for two talents of siluer, and buylt in the mountaine, and called the name of the citie, which he buylt, after the name of Shemer lord of the mountaine, Samaria. 25 But Omri did euil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse then all that were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, and in his sinnes wherewith he made Israel to sinne in prouoking the Lord God of Israel with their vanities. 27 And the rest of the actes of Omri, that hee did, and his strength that he shewed, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri slept with his fathers, and was buryed in Samaria: and Ahab his sonne reigned in his stead. 29 Nowe Ahab the sonne of Omri began to reigne ouer Israel, in the eyght and thirtie yeere of Asa king of Iudah: and Ahab the sonne of Omri reigned ouer Israel in Samaria two and twenty yere. 30 And Ahab the sonne of Omri did worse in ye sight of the Lord then al that were before him. 31 For was it a light thing for him to walke in the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, except hee tooke Iezebel also the daughter of Ethbaal King of the Zidonians to wife, and went and serued Baal, and worshipped him? 32 Also he reared vp an altar to Baal in the house of Baal, which he had buylt in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a groue, and Ahab proceeded, and did prouoke the Lord God of Israel more then all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34 In his dayes did Hiel the Bethelite buylde Iericho: he layed the foundation thereof in Abiram his eldest sonne, and set vp the gates thereof in his yongest sonne Segub, according to the worde of the Lord which he spake by Ioshua the sonne of Nun.