In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned for two years. And his servant (A)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now [a]Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (B)who was in charge of the household in Tirzah. 10 Then Zimri came in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he became king in his place. 11 And when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, (C)he [b]killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [c]a single male alive, either of his [d]relatives or of his friends.

12 So Zimri eliminated all the household of Baasha, (D)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke against Baasha through (E)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they [e]committed and into which they misled Israel, (F)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [f]idols. 14 (G)Now as for 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?

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were camped against (H)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [g]it being said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck and killed the king!” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over himself with fire, and (I)died, 19 because of his sins which he [h]committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (J)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, misleading Israel into sin.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:9 Lit he
  2. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit struck
  3. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit him who urinates against the wall
  4. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit blood avengers
  5. 1 Kings 16:13 Lit sinned
  6. 1 Kings 16:13 Lit non-existing things
  7. 1 Kings 16:16 Lit saying
  8. 1 Kings 16:19 Lit sinned

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