Chapter 16

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,²

Forasmuch as I exalted⁵² thee out of the dust, and made⁴ thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked⁴ in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin,⁵⁵ to provoke me to anger⁵³ with their sins;

Behold, I will take away⁵⁶ the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make¹ thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Him that dieth⁵ of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat;⁴ and him that dieth⁵ of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.⁴

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did,¹ and his might, [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Israel?

So Baasha slept⁴ with his fathers, and was buried¹¹ in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned⁴ 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 did¹ in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger⁵³ with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed⁵² him.

In the twenty ⁸¹⁴¹ and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign¹ over Israel in Tirzah, two years.

And his servant Zimri, captain of half [his] chariots, conspired⁴ against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking⁶ himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of [his] house in Tirzah.

And Zimri went in⁴ and smote⁵⁵ him, and killed⁵⁵ him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned⁴ in his stead.

And it came to pass, when he began to reign,² as soon as he sat² on his throne, [that] he slew⁵² all the house of Baasha: he left⁵² him not one that pisseth⁵⁶ against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks,⁶ nor of his friends.

Thus did Zimri destroy⁵⁵ all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake¹⁴ against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned,¹ and by which they made Israel to sin,⁵² in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger⁵³ with their vanities.

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did,¹ [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Israel?

In the twenty ⁸¹⁴¹ and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign¹ seven days in Tirzah. And the people [were] encamped⁶ against Gibbethon, which [belonged] to the Philistines.

And the people [that were] encamped⁶ heard⁴ say,² Zimri hath conspired,¹ and hath also slain⁵² the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king⁵⁵ over Israel that day in the camp.

And Omri went up⁴ from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged⁴ Tirzah.

And it came to pass, when Zimri saw² that the city was taken,⁸ that he went⁴ into the palace of the king's house, and burnt⁴ the king's house over him with fire, and died,⁴

For his sins which he sinned¹ in doing² evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking² in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did,¹ to make Israel to sin.⁵³

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought,¹ [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Israel?

Then were the people of Israel divided¹¹ into two parts: half of the people followed^{1 310} Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king;⁵³ and half followed Omri.

But the people that followed Omri prevailed⁴ against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died,⁴ and Omri reigned.⁴

In the thirty ⁸¹⁴¹ and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign¹ over Israel, twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ years: six years reigned¹ he in Tirzah.

And he bought⁴ the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built⁴ on the hill, and called⁴ the name of the city which he built,¹ after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

But Omri wrought⁴ evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse⁵⁵ than all that [were] before him.

For he walked⁴ in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin,⁵² to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger⁵³ with their vanities.

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did,¹ and his might that he shewed,¹ [are] they not written⁷ in the book of the chronicles ³¹¹⁷ of the kings of Israel?

So Omri slept⁴ with his fathers, and was buried¹¹ in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned⁴ in his stead.

And in the thirty ⁸¹⁴¹ and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign¹ over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned⁴ over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

And Ahab the son of Omri did⁴ evil in the sight of the LORD above all that [were] before him.

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing⁸ for him to walk² in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took⁴ to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went⁴ and served⁴ Baal, and worshipped¹⁰¹ him.

And he reared up⁵⁵ an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built¹ in Samaria.

And Ahab made⁴ a grove; and Ahab did² more⁵⁵ to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger⁵³ than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build¹ Jericho: he laid the foundation¹⁴ thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up⁵² the gates thereof in his youngest [son] Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake¹⁴ by Joshua the son of Nun.