1 Kings 16:8-34

1 Kings 16

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Ba’asha became king over Israel in Tirzah for two years. ⁹ But his officer Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk at the house of Arza, the palace administrator of Tirzah. ¹⁰ Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he became king in his place.

¹¹ When Zimri became king, as soon as he was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire house of Ba’asha. He did not leave for him anyone who urinates against the wall, ^[1] neither relatives nor friends. ¹² So Zimri exterminated the entire house of Ba’asha according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Ba’asha through the prophet Jehu. ¹³ He did this because of all the sins which Ba’asha and his son Elah committed and which they caused Israel to commit. They provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their useless idols. ¹⁴ As for the rest of Elah’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel?

Zimri King of Israel

¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned as king in Tirzah for seven days. The army was laying siege to Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶ The army which was laying siege heard the report that Zimri had conspired against the king and had already struck him down. So in the camp on that day all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. ¹⁷ Then Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. ¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the city had fallen, he went into the fortified part of the palace, and he burned it down on himself. So he died ¹⁹ because of the sin he committed by doing evil in the eyes of the Lord by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin which he had caused Israel to commit. ²⁰ As for the rest of Zimri’s acts and the conspiracy he led, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel?

Omri King of Israel

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided. Half of the people supported making Tibni son of Ginath king. Half supported Omri. ²² But the people who were for Omri were stronger than the people who were for Tibni son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri became king.

²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel for twelve years. He ruled for six years in Tirzah. ²⁴ Then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents ^[2] of silver. He built up the hill, and he named the city he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill of Samaria. ^[3]

²⁵ Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He committed more evil than all those who had gone before him. ²⁶ He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in the sin which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with his useless idols. ²⁷ As for the rest of Omri’s acts, the things he did, and the mighty deeds he accomplished, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became king in his place.

Ahab Son of Omri, King of Israel

²⁹ Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab son of Omri committed more evil in the eyes of the Lord than all those who had gone before him. ³¹ He considered it a trivial thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. He served Baal and bowed down to him. ³² He erected an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab made an Asherah pole and did even more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who had gone before him.

³⁴ In the days of Ahab, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, he laid its foundations, and at the cost of his youngest son Segub, he set up its gates. This fulfilled the word of the Lord which he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.