1 The Lord sent Jehu son of Hanani to say to Baasha:
2 Nobody knew who you were until I, the Lord, chose you to be the leader of my people Israel. And now you're acting exactly like Jeroboam by causing the Israelites to sin. What you've done has made me so angry 3 that I will destroy you and your family, just as I did the family of Jeroboam. 4 Dogs will eat the bodies of your relatives who die in town, and vultures will eat the bodies of those who die in the country.
5-7 Baasha made the Lord very angry, and that's why the Lord gave Jehu this message for Baasha and his family. Baasha constantly disobeyed the Lord by following Jeroboam's sinful example—but even worse, he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family!
Everything else Baasha did while he was king, including his brave deeds, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah became king.
King Elah of Israel
8 Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel after Asa had been king of Judah for 25 years, and he ruled from Tirzah for two years.
9 Zimri commanded half of Elah's chariots, and he made plans to kill Elah.
One day, Elah was in Tirzah, getting drunk at the home of Arza, his prime minister, 10 when Zimri went there and killed Elah. So Zimri became king in the twenty-seventh year of Asa's rule in Judah.
11 As soon as Zimri became king, he killed everyone in Baasha's family. Not one man or boy in his family was left alive—even his close friends were killed. 12 Baasha's family was completely wiped out, just as the Lord's prophet Jehu had warned. 13 Baasha and Elah sinned and caused the Israelites to sin, and they made the Lord angry by worshiping idols.
14 Everything else Elah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Zimri of Israel
15-16 Zimri became king of Israel in Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah, but he ruled only seven days from Tirzah.
Israel's army was camped near Gibbethon in Philistia under the command of Omri. The soldiers heard that Zimri had killed Elah, and they made Omri their king that same day. 17 At once, Omri and his army marched to Tirzah and attacked. 18 When Zimri saw that the town was captured, he ran into the strongest part of the palace and killed himself by setting it on fire. 19 Zimri had disobeyed the Lord by following the evil example of Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
20 Everything else Zimri did while he was king, including his rebellion against Elah, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Omri of Israel
21 After Zimri died, some of the Israelites wanted Tibni son of Ginath to be king, but others wanted Omri. 22 Omri's followers were stronger than Tibni's, so Tibni was killed, and Omri became king of Israel 23 in the thirty-first year of Asa's rule in Judah.
Omri ruled Israel for twelve years. The first six years he ruled from Tirzah, 24 then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 6,000 pieces of silver. He built a town there and named it Samaria, after Shemer who had owned the hill.
25 Omri did more evil things than any king before him. 26 He acted just like Jeroboam and made the Lord God of Israel angry by causing the Israelites to sin and to worship idols.
27 Everything else Omri did while he was king, including his brave deeds, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 28 Omri died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king.
King Ahab of Israel
29 Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa's rule in Judah, and he ruled 22 years from Samaria.
30 Ahab did more things to disobey the Lord than any king before him. 31 He acted just like Jeroboam. Even worse, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon and started worshiping Baal. 32 Ahab built an altar and temple for Baal in Samaria 33 and set up a sacred pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah. Ahab did more to make the Lord God of Israel angry than any king of Israel before him.
34 While Ahab was king, a man from Bethel named Hiel rebuilt the town of Jericho. But while Hiel was laying the foundation for the town wall, his oldest son Abiram died. And while he was finishing the gates, his youngest son Segub died. This happened just as the Lord had told Joshua to say many years ago.
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Iehu the sonne of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee captaine ouer my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Ieroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sinne, to prouoke me with their sinnes, 3 Beholde, I will take away the posteritie of Baasha, and the posteritie of his house, and will make thine house like the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat. 4 He that dyeth of Baashas stocke in the citie, him shall the dogs eate: and that man of him which dyeth in the fieldes, shall the foules of the ayre eate. 5 And the rest of the actes of Baasha and what he did, and his power, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buryed in Tirzah, and Elah his sonne reigned in his steade. 7 And also by the hande of Iehu the sonne of Hanani the Prophet, came the worde of the Lord to Baasha, and to his house, that he shoulde be like the house of Ieroboam, euen for all the wickednes that he did in the sight of the Lord, in prouoking him with the worke of his hands, and because he killed him. 8 In the sixe and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah began Elah ye sonne of Baasha to reigne ouer Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two yeere. 9 And his seruant Zimri, captaine of halfe his charets, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah drinking, til he was drunken in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri came and smote him and killed him, in the seuen and twentie yeere of Asa king of Iudah, and reigned in his stead. 11 And when he was King, and sate on his throne, he slew al the house of Baasha, not leauing thereof one to pisse against a wall, neither of his kinsfolkes nor of his friendes. 12 So did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord which he spake against Baasha by the hande of Iehu the Prophet, 13 For all the sinnes of Baasha, and sinnes of Elah his sonne, which they sinned and made Israel to sinne, and prouoked the Lord God of Israel with their vanities. 14 And the rest of the actes of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 15 In the seuen and twentie yeere of Asa King of Iudah did Zimri reigne seuen dayes in Tirzah, and the people was then in campe against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistims. 16 And the people of the hoste heard saye, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slayne the King. Wherefore all Israel made Omri the captaine of the hoste, king ouer Israel that same day, euen in the hoste. 17 Then Omri went vp from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw, that the citie was taken, he went into the palace of the Kings house, and burnt himselfe, and the Kings house with fire, and so dyed, 19 For his sinnes which hee sinned, in doing that which is euil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Ieroboam, and in his sinnes which he did, causing Israel to sinne. 20 And the rest of the actes of Zimri, and his treason that hee wrought, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kinges of Israel? 21 Then were the people of Israel deuided into two partes: for halfe the people followed Tibni the sonne of Ginath to make him King, and the other halfe followed Omri. 22 But the people that folowed Omri, preuayled against the people that followed Tibni the sonne of Ginath: so Tibni dyed, and Omri reigned. 23 In the one and thirtie yeere of Asa King of Iudah bega Omri to reigne ouer Israel, and reigned twelue yeere. Sixe yeere reigned he in Tirzah. 24 And he bought the mountaine Samaria of one Shemer for two talents of siluer, and buylt in the mountaine, and called the name of the citie, which he buylt, after the name of Shemer lord of the mountaine, Samaria. 25 But Omri did euil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse then all that were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, and in his sinnes wherewith he made Israel to sinne in prouoking the Lord God of Israel with their vanities. 27 And the rest of the actes of Omri, that hee did, and his strength that he shewed, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri slept with his fathers, and was buryed in Samaria: and Ahab his sonne reigned in his stead. 29 Nowe Ahab the sonne of Omri began to reigne ouer Israel, in the eyght and thirtie yeere of Asa king of Iudah: and Ahab the sonne of Omri reigned ouer Israel in Samaria two and twenty yere. 30 And Ahab the sonne of Omri did worse in ye sight of the Lord then al that were before him. 31 For was it a light thing for him to walke in the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, except hee tooke Iezebel also the daughter of Ethbaal King of the Zidonians to wife, and went and serued Baal, and worshipped him? 32 Also he reared vp an altar to Baal in the house of Baal, which he had buylt in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a groue, and Ahab proceeded, and did prouoke the Lord God of Israel more then all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34 In his dayes did Hiel the Bethelite buylde Iericho: he layed the foundation thereof in Abiram his eldest sonne, and set vp the gates thereof in his yongest sonne Segub, according to the worde of the Lord which he spake by Ioshua the sonne of Nun.