The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 16
1 Yahweh’s word came to Jehu the son of
Hanani against Baasha, saying,
2 “Because 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 behold, I will utterly sweep away
Baasha andhishouse; andI willmake your
house like thehouse ofJeroboamthe sonof
Nebat.
4 The dogs will eat Baasha’s descendants
who die in the city; and he who dies of his
in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and
what he did, and his might, aren’t they
written in the book of the chronicles of the
kings of Israel?
6 Baasha slept with his fathers, and was
buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned
in his place.
7 Moreover Yahweh’s word came by the
prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against
Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in Yahweh’s
sight, to provoke him to anger with the
work of his hands, in being like the house
of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king
of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to
reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.
9 His servant Zimri, captain of half his
chariots, conspired against him. Now he
was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in
the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah;
10 and Zimri went in and struck him and
killed him in the twenty-seventh year of
Asa king ofJudah, and reigned in his place.
11 When he began to reign, as soon as
he sat on his throne, he attacked all the
house of Baasha. He didn’t leave him a
single one who urinates on a wall† among
his relatives or his friends.
12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house
of Baasha, according to Yahweh’s word
which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the
prophet,
13 for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins
ofElahhis son, whichthey sinnedand with
which they made Israel to sin, to provoke
Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with
their vanities.
14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all
that he did, aren’t they 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. Now the people were encamped
against Gibbethon, which belonged to the
Philistines.
16 The people who were encamped
heard that Zimri had conspired, and had
also killed the king. Therefore all Israel
made Omri, the captain of the army, king
over Israel that day in the camp.
17 Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all
Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.
18 When Zimri saw that the city was
taken, he went into the fortified part of the
king’s house and burned the king’s house
over him with fire, and died,
19 for his sins which he sinned in doing
that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, in
walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his
sin which he did to make Israel to sin.
20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and
his treason that he committed, aren’t they
written in the book of the chronicles of the
kings of Israel?
21 Then 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.
22 But the people who followed Omri
prevailed against the people who followed
Tibni the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and
Omri reigned.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of
Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel
for twelve years. He reigned six years in
Tirzah.
24 He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer
for two talents‡ of silver; and he built on
the hill, and called the name of the city
which he built, Samaria, after the name of
Shemer, the owner of the hill.
25 Omri did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and dealt wickedly above all
who were before him.
26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins
with which he made Israel to sin, to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger
with their vanities.
27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which
he did, and his might that he showed,
aren’t they written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and
was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son
reigned in his place.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of
Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign
over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned
over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
30 Ahab the son of Omri did that which
was evil in Yahweh’s sight above all that
were before him.
31 As if it had been a light thing for him
to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, he took as wife Jezebelthe daughter
of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went
and served Baal and worshiped him.
32 He raised up an altar for Baal in
the house of Baal, which he had built in
Samaria.
33 Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did
more yet to provoke Yahweh, the God of
Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel
who were before him.
34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite built
Jericho. He laid its foundation with the
loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up
its gates with the loss of his youngest son
Segub, according to Yahweh’s word, which
he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.