THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,

1 Kings 16 ©

The prophet Jehu prophesies against Baasha, v. 1, etc. His son Elah succeeds him, 8. Zimri slays him, and becomes king, 9. Being besieged by Omri, burns himself, 18. Omri prevailing against Tibni, becomes king, 21. He builds Samaria, 24. Follows the sins of Jeroboam, 25. And dies, 28. Ahab his son succeeds in his stead, 29. He is more wicked than his predecessors, 30. Hiel builds Jericho, 34.

1

THEN the word of the LORD came to 1Jehu the son of 2Hanani against Baasha, saying,

2

Forasmuch asa I exalted thee 3out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast 4walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel 5to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

3

Behold, 6I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his 7house; and will make thy house likeb the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

4

8Him that dieth ofc Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

5

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?

6

So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in 9Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

7

10And also by the 11hand 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 12in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with 13the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; andd because he killed 14him.

8

¶In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, 15two years.

9

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 16steward of his house in Tirzah.

10

And Zimrie went in and smote him, and killed him, in 17the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and 18reigned in his stead.

11

¶And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his 19throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one 20that pisseth against a wall, neither of 21his kinsfolks, nor of 22his friends.

12

Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, accordingf to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

13

For all the 23sins 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 24vanities.

14

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written 25in 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 26Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16

And the people that were 27encamped heard say, Zimri hath 28conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made 29Omri, 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 30over him with fire, and died,

19

For his sins which he sinned in doing evil 31in the sight of the LORD, in 32walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in 33his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

20

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his 34treason that he 35wrought, are they not written in the 36book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21

¶Then were the people of Israel divided 37into two parts: half of the people 38followed 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, 39twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

24

And he bought the hill 40Samaria of Shemer for two 41talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of 42Shemer, owner of the hill, 43Samaria.

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 44vanities.

27

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he 45shewed, 46are 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 47years.

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, 48as 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 49Baal, and worshipped him.

32

And he reared up an altar for Baal in 50the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

33

And Ahab made a 51grove; and Ahab did 52more 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 Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof 53in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, accordingg to the word of the LORD, which he spake 54by Joshua the son of Nun.