Prophecy against Baasha

16 Now the word of the Lord came to (A)Jehu the son of (B)Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Since I (C)exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and (D)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have misled My people Israel into sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, behold, (E)I am going to [a]burn (F)Baasha and his house, and (G)I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (H)Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and anyone belonging to him who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”

(I)Now as for 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?

The Israelite Kings

And Baasha [b]lay down with his fathers and was buried in (J)Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place. Moreover, the word of the Lord through (K)the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with (L)the work of his hands, by being like the house of Jeroboam, and because (M)he struck [c]it.

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 (N)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now [d]Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (O)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, (P)he [e]killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [f]a single male alive, either of his [g]relatives or of his friends.

12 So Zimri eliminated all the household of Baasha, (Q)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke against Baasha through (R)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they [h]committed and into which they misled Israel, (S)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [i]idols. 14 (T)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 (U)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [j]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 (V)died, 19 because of his sins which he [k]committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (W)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, misleading Israel into sin. 20 (X)Now as for the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [l]carried out, are they not 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; the other half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned for twelve years; he reigned for six years at (Y)Tirzah. 24 And he purchased the hill [m]Samaria from Shemer for [n]two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built [o](Z)Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 Now (AA)Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (AB)acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he (AC)walked [p]entirely in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins into which he misled Israel, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [q]idols. 27 Now as for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he [r]displayed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri [s]lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and his son Ahab became king in his place.

29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord (AD)more than all who were before him.

31 And as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (AE)he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the (AF)Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. 32 So he erected an altar for Baal at (AG)the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made (AH)the [t]Asherah. So (AI)Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 (AJ)In his days Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:3 Another reading is sweep away
  2. 1 Kings 16:6 I.e., died
  3. 1 Kings 16:7 Or him
  4. 1 Kings 16:9 Lit he
  5. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit struck
  6. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit him who urinates against the wall
  7. 1 Kings 16:11 Lit blood avengers
  8. 1 Kings 16:13 Lit sinned
  9. 1 Kings 16:13 Lit non-existing things
  10. 1 Kings 16:16 Lit saying
  11. 1 Kings 16:19 Lit sinned
  12. 1 Kings 16:20 Lit conspired
  13. 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
  14. 1 Kings 16:24 About 150 lb. or 68 kg
  15. 1 Kings 16:24 Heb Shomeron
  16. 1 Kings 16:26 Lit in all the way of
  17. 1 Kings 16:26 Lit non-existing things
  18. 1 Kings 16:27 Lit did
  19. 1 Kings 16:28 I.e., died
  20. 1 Kings 16:33 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity

16 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

Now 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?

So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.

In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.

And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.

10 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

11 And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

12 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet.

13 For 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.

14 Now 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 and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16 And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

17 And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died.

19 For 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 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21 Then were the people of Israel 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 that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23 In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him.

26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord 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 shewed, are they not 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 stead.

29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.

31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.