Jehu’s Prophecy against Baasha

1Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying: 2“Even though I exalted you from the dust, and I set you as ruler over my people Israel, still you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and you have caused my people Israel to sin, so that you have provoked me by their sins. 3Behold, I will cut down the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. 4Whoever will have died of Baasha in the city, the dogs will consume him. And whoever will have died of him in the countryside, the birds of the air will consume him.”

5Now the rest of the words of Baasha, and whatever he did, and his battles, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

6Then Baasha slept with his fathers, and he was buried at Tirzah. And Elah, his son, reigned in his place. 7And when the word of the Lord had arrived by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, and against his house, and against every evil that he had done before the Lord, so that he provoked him by the works of his hands, so that he became like the house of Jeroboam: for this reason, he killed him, that is, the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani.

Elah Reigns in Israel

8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa, the king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, reigned over Israel, at Tirzah, for two years. 9And his servant Zimri, the commander of one half part the horsemen, rebelled against him. Now Elah was drinking at Tirzah, and he became inebriated in the house of Arza, the prefect of Tirzah. 10Then Zimri, rushing in, struck him and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa, the king of Judah. And he reigned in his place. 11And when he had reigned and had sat upon his throne, he struck down the entire house of Baasha. And he did not leave behind of them anything that urinates against a wall, among both close relatives and his friends.

12And so, Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken to Baasha, by the hand the prophet of Jehu, 13because of all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah, his son, who sinned and caused Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, with their vanities. 14But the rest of the words of Elah, and all that he did, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa, the king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. For the army was besieging Gibbethon, a city of the Philistines. 16And when they had heard that Zimri had rebelled, and that he had killed the king, all of Israel made Omri as a king for themselves; he was the leader of the military over Israel in the encampment in that day. 17Therefore, Omri ascended, and all of Israel with him, from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18Then Zimri, seeing that the city was about to be taken, entered the palace, and he set fire to himself along with the royal house. And he died 19in his sins, which he had sinned, doing evil before the Lord, and walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin, by which he caused Israel to sin. 20But the rest of the words of Zimri, and of his treachery and tyranny, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in Israel

21Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: one half part of the people followed Tibni, the son of Ginath, having appointed him as king, and one half part followed Omri. 22But the people who were with Omri prevailed over the people who were following Tibni, the son of Ginath. And Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23In the thirty-first year of Asa, the king of Judah, Omri reigned over Israel for twelve years; he reigned for six years at Tirzah. 24And he bought the mount of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. And he built upon it, and he called the name of the city that he had built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the mount.

25But Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he wrought wickedness, beyond all who had been before him. 26And he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sins, by which he had caused Israel to sin, so that he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, by their vanities. 27Now the rest of the words of Omri, and his battles that he carried out, were these not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel? 28And Omri slept with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. And Ahab, his son, reigned in his place.

Ahab Reigns in Israel, Marries Jezebel

29Truly, Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa, the king of Judah. And Ahab, the son of Omri, reigned over Israel at Samaria for twenty-two years. 30And Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord, beyond all who had been before him.

31And it was not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. In addition, he took as a wife Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-baal, the king of the Sidonians. And he went astray, and he served Baal, and adored him. 32And he set up an altar for Baal, in the temple of Baal, which he had built at Samaria. 33And he planted a sacred grove. And Ahab added to his works, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, beyond all the kings of Israel who had been before him. 34In his days, Hiel from Bethel built up Jericho. With Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it, and with Segub, his youngest son, he set up its gates, in accord with the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun.