1 Kings 16

1 Then came the word of Yahweh unto Jehu

During the time that Baasha [was king of Israel], [the prophet] Jehu, Hanani’s son, gave Baasha this message that he had received from Yahweh:

2 son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying: Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and gave thee to be leader over my people Israel, —and yet thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and caused, my people Israel, to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins,

“You were very insignificant/unimportant [IDM] when I caused you to become the ruler of my Israeli people. But you have caused me to become very angry by doing [IDM] the kinds of evil things that King Jeroboam did. You have also caused me to become angry by causing my people to sin.

3 Behold me! consuming after Baasha, and after his house, —and I will deliver up thy house, like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

So now I will get rid of you and your family [MTY]. I will do to you just like I did to Jeroboam and his family.

4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city, shall, the dogs, eat, and, him that dieth of his in the field, shall, the birds of heaven, eat.

[The bodies of] those in your family who die in this city [will not be buried; they] will be eaten by dogs; and [the corpses of] those who die in the fields will be eaten by vultures.”

5 Now, the rest of the story of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

The other things that happened during the time that Baasha ruled Israel, and the things that he did, are written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

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

When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah, [the capital city]. Then his son Elah became king.

7 Moreover also, through Jehu son of Hanani the prophet, the word of Yahweh, came against Baasha and against his house, even because of all the wickedness that he had done in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, becoming like the house of Jeroboam, —notwithstanding that he smote him.

Yahweh gave that message about Baasha and his family to the prophet Jehu. Baasha had done many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, which caused Yahweh to become angry. Baasha did the same kind of things that King Jeroboam and his family had done previously. Yahweh was also angry with Baasha because he had killed all of Jeroboam’s family.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, began Elah son of Baasha to reign over Israel, in Tirzah, [and he reigned] two years.

After Asa had been the king of Judah for almost 26 years, Elah became the king of Israel. Elah ruled in Tirzah for [only] two years.

9 Then conspired against him his servant Zimri, captain of half the chariots, —as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk, in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah.

[A man named] Zimri was one of Elah’s army officers. He commanded the drivers of half of Elah’s army’s (chariots/two-wheeled vehicles pulled by horses). He made plans to kill Elah while Elah was in Tirzah, getting drunk at the house of [a man named] Arza. Arza was the man who took care of the things in the king’s palace.

10 And Zimri went in, and smote him and slew him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, —and reigned in his stead.

Zimri went into Arza’s house and killed Elah. Then Zimri became the king of Israel. That was when Asa had been the king of Judah for 27 years.

11 And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha, he left him not even the meanest, —neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

As soon as Zimri became king [MTY], he killed all of Baasha’s family [MTY]. That included every male [IDM] in Baasha’s family and all of Baasha’s male friends.

12 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, —according to the word of Yahweh which he spake unto Baasha, through Jehu the prophet;

That was just what Yahweh told the prophet Jehu would happen.

13 as to all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, —wherewith they sinned, and wherewith they caused, Israel, to sin, provoking to anger Yahweh God of Israel, with their vanities.

Baasha and his son Elah had sinned and led the Israeli people to sin. They caused Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people worshiped, to become angry, because they both urged the people [to worship] worthless idols.

14 Now, the rest of the story of Elah, and all that he did, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Everything else that Elah did is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, did Zimri reign, seven days in Tirzah, —but, the people, were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistine.

So Zimri became the king of Israel after Asa had been king of Judah for 27 years. But Zimri ruled in Tirzah for only seven days. The Israeli army was beseiging/surrounding Gibeah, a town which belonged to the Philistine people-group.

16 When therefore the people who were encamped, heard say, Zimri hath conspired, moreover also, he hath smitten the king, all Israel made Omri, general of the army, king over Israel, on that day, in the camp.

The men in the Israeli army camp heard that Zimri had secretly planned to kill King Elah, and then had killed him. So on that day the soldiers chose Omri, the commander of their army, to become the king of Israel.

17 So Omri, and all Israel with him, went up from Gibbethon, —and laid siege against Tirzah.

The Israeli army was camped near Gibbethon [city]. When they heard what Zimri had done, they left there and went to Tirzah, and surrounded the city.

18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was captured, that he entered into the citadel of the house of the king, —and burned over him the house of the king, with fire, and died:

When Zimri realized that the city was [about to be] captured, he went into his palace and set it on fire. So the palace burned down, and he died [in the fire].

19 because of his sins which he committed by doing the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —by walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, by causing, Israel, to sin.

He died because he had sinned by doing the things that Yahweh considered to be evil. Jeroboam had led the Israeli people to sin, and Zimri sinned just like Jeroboam had sinned.

20 Now, the rest of the story of Zimri, and his conspiracy wherein he conspired, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

All the other things that Zimri did, and the record of how he rebelled [against King Elah], are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

21 Then, were the people of Israel divided, —half the people, were following Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and, half, following Omri.

After Zimri died, the Israeli people were divided. One group wanted Tibni, the son of Ginath, to be their king. The other group wanted Omri [to be the king].

22 But, the people that followed Omri, prevailed against, the people that followed Tibni son of Ginath; so that, Tibni, died, and, Omri, reigned.

Those who supported Omri (were stronger than/defeated) those who supported Tibni. So Tibni was killed, and Omri became king.

23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, began Omri to reign over Israel [and he reigned] twelve years: in Tirzah, reigned he six years.

Omri became king when Asa had been king of Judah for almost 31 years. Omri ruled Israel for 12 years. For the first six years he ruled in Tirzah.

24 And he bought the hill Samaria, of Shemer, for two talents of silver, —and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer lord of the hill—Samaria.

Then he bought a hill from [a man named] Shemer and paid him about (150 pounds/70 kg.) of silver for it. Then Omri ordered his men to build a city on that hill, and he called it Samaria, to honor Shemer, the man who owned it previously.

25 And Omri did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —and did more wickedly than all who were before him;

But Omri did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He did more evil deeds than any of the kings who ruled Israel before he did.

26 yea he walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he caused, Israel, to sin, —provoking to anger Yahweh, God of Israel, with their vanities.

[When] Jeroboam [was previously the king, he] had led the Israeli people to sin, and Omri committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam did. The Israeli people caused Yahweh, the God the Israeli people had worshiped, to become very angry, because they worshiped worthless idols.

27 Now, the rest of the story of Omri, what he did, and his might that he shewed, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Everything that Omri did, and the record of the victories that his [army] won, are written in the scroll called ‘The History 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.

After Omri died, he was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king.

29 Now, Ahab son of Omri, began to reign over Israel, in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, —and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel, in Samaria, twenty-two years.

Ahab became king of Israel when Asa had ruled Judah for almost 38 years. Ahab ruled in Samaria [city] for 22 years.

30 And Ahab son of Omri did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —and did more wickedly than all that were before him.

Ahab did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He did more evil things than any of the kings who ruled Israel before he did.

31 And it come to pass, as though it had been too light a thing that he should walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and bowed down to him.

He committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam did, but he did things that were worse than the things that Jeroboam did. He married [a woman named] Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon [city]. Then Ahab started to worship Baal, [the god that the Canaan people-group worshiped].

32 And he reared an altar unto Baal, —in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.

He built a temple in Samaria in order that the Israeli people could worship Baal there, and he put an altar there for [making sacrifices to] Baal.

33 And Ahab made the Sacred Stem, —and Ahab did yet more to provoke to anger Yahweh God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

He also made an idol that represented Asherah, [Baal’s wife]. He did many more things that caused Yahweh to become angry. He did more evil things than any of the previous kings of Israel had done.

34 In his days, did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho, —At the price of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and, at the price of Segub his youngest, he set up its doors, according to the word of Yahweh which he spake through Joshua son of Nun.

During the years that Ahab [ruled], Hiel, a man from Bethel [city], rebuilt Jericho [city]. But when he started to rebuild the city, his oldest son Abiram died. And [when the city was finished, ] while Hiel was building the city gates, his youngest son Segub died. They died just like Yahweh had told Joshua would happen [to the sons of anyone who would rebuild Jericho].