1 Kings

The Lord spoke to Jehu, son of Hanani, to condemn Baasha. He said:

“I have raised you from the dust to make you rule over my people, Israel, but you have made me angry by going the way of Jeroboam and dragging my people, Israel, into sin.

I will, therefore, sweep away Baasha and his family and deal with them as I did with Jeroboam, son of Nebat.

Dogs will devour those of Baasha’s line who die in the City, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country.”

The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, his deeds, and achievements are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried at Tirzah, while Elah, his son, reigned in his place.

The Lord indeed spoke through the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, to condemn Baasha and his family, not only for doing what displeased the Lord, making him angry as Jeroboam had done, but also because he murdered the family of Jeroboam.

Elah, King of Israel (885-884)

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

But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, plotted against him. While Elah was getting himself drunk in the house of Arza, the governor of Tirzah,

Zimri came in, struck him down, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa, king of Judah. Then Zimri reigned in his place.

Once Zimri began to rule, he killed all of Baasha’s family, leaving him with no male relatives or friends.

Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, as the Lord had announced through Jehu, the prophet.

And this happened because of the sins that Baasha and his son had committed, dragging Israel into sin and making the Lord angry by their idols.

Now, the rest of the events of Elah’s reign and all his deeds are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Zimri, King of Israel (884)

It happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign, king of Judah, that Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah.

For the army was besieging Gibbethon of the Philistines when Zimri conspired against Elah, and upon hearing that he had killed the king, they proclaimed Omri, commander of the army, as king of Israel.

Omri led the Israelites from Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.

When Zimri saw that the city was about to fall, he entered the citadel of the royal palace. He set the royal palace on fire, and he died.

He died because of the sins he committed—doing what displeased the Lord and following in Jeroboam’s footsteps by leading Israel into sin.

The rest of the acts of Zimri and his plot are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Omri, King of Israel (884-874)

The Israelites were then divided. Half of them followed Tibni, son of Ginath, to make him king; half followed Omri.

Those who followed Omri overcame those who followed Tibni, son of Ginath. And so, Tibni died, and Omri became king.

In the thirty-first year of the reign of Asa, king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel. He reigned for twelve years, six of which he reigned in Tirzah.

Then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He built a city on the hill and called it Samaria, after Shemer, the owner of the hill.

Omri did what displeased the Lord, even more than all those who preceded him.

He went the way of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and dragged Israel into sin, thereby provoking the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their idols.

The rest of Omri’s acts and bravery are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Then Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria while Ahab, his son, reigned in his place.

Ahab, King of Israel (874-853)

Ahab, son of Omri, became king in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Asa, king of Judah.

He reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. Ahab, son of Omri, did what displeased the Lord, even more than all who preceded him.

Apparently, the example and the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, were not enough for him. He even married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. So he served Baal and worshiped him.

He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he built in Samaria,

and proceeded to make an Asherah. So Ahab did everything that could make the Lord angry, even more than any of the kings of Israel who ruled before him.

During his reign, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. On laying its foundation, he sacrificed Abiram, his firstborn. And when he set up the city’s gates, he sacrificed his youngest son, Segub, following the word of the Lord spoken through Joshua, son of Nun.