1 Kings 16

1 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:

And the word of the Lord came by the hand of Ju son of Anani to Baasa, [saying],

2 “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.

Forasmuch as I lifted thee up from the earth, and made thee ruler over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast caused my people Israel to sin, to provoke me with their vanities;

3 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.

Behold, I raise up [enemies] after Baasa, and after his house; and I will make thy house as the house of Jeroboam son of Nabat.

4 [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.”

Him that dies of Baasa in the city the dogs shall devour, and him that dies of his in the field the birds of the sky shall devour.

5 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’.

Now the rest of the history of Baasa, and all that he did, and his mighty acts, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

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

And Baasa slept with his fathers, and they bury him in Thersa; and Ela his son reigns in his stead.

7 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.

And the Lord spoke by Ju the son of Anani against Baasa, and against his house, [even] all the evil which he wrought before the Lord to provoke him to anger by the works of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he smote him.

8 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.

And Ela son of Baasa reigned over Israel two years in Thersa.

9 [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.

And Zambri, captain of half his cavalry, conspired against him, while he was in Thersa, drinking himself drunk in the house of Osa the steward at Thersa.

10 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.

And Zambri went in and smote him and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

11 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.

And it came to pass when he reigned, when he sat upon his throne,

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

that he smote all the house of Baasa, according to the word which the Lord spoke against the house of Baasa, and to Ju the prophet,

13 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.

for all the sins of Baasa and Ela his son, as he led Israel astray to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel with their vanities.

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

And the rest of the deeds of Ela which he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15 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.

And Zambri reigned in Thersa seven days: and the army of Israel [was] encamped against Gabathon of the Philistines.

16 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.

And the people heard in the army, saying, Zambri has conspired and smitten the king: and the people of Israel made Ambri the captain of the host king in that day in the camp over Israel.

17 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.

And Ambri went up, and all Israel with him, out of Gabathon; and they besieged Thersa.

18 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].

And it came to pass when Zambri saw that his city was taken, that he goes into the inner chamber of the house of the king, and burnt the king's house over him, and died.

19 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.

Because of his sins which he committed, doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, so as to walk in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and in his sins wherein he caused Israel to sin.

20 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’.

And the rest of the history of Zambri, and his conspiracies wherein he conspired, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21 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].

Then the people of Israel divides; half the people goes after Thamni the son of Gonath to make him king; and half the people goes after Ambri.

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

The people that followed Ambri overpowered the people that followed Thamni son of Gonath; and Thamni died and Joram his brother at that time, and Ambri reigned after Thamni.

23 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.

In the thirty-first year of king Asa, Ambri begins to reign over Israel twelve years: he reigns six years in Thersa.

24 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.

And Ambri bought the mount Semeron of Semer the lord of the mountain for two talents of silver; and he built [upon] the mountain, and they called the name of the mountain [on] which he built, after the name of Semer the lord of the mount, Semeron.

25 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.

And Ambri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and wrought wickedly beyond all that were before him.

26 [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.

And he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and in his sins wherewith he caused Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel by their vanities.

27 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’.

And the rest of the acts of Ambri, and all that he did, and all his might, behold, [are] not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

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

And Ambri slept with his fathers, and is buried in Samaria; and Achaab his son reigns in his stead.

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

In the second year of Josaphat king of Juda, Achaab son of Ambri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

30 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.

And Achaab did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more wickedly than all that were before him.

31 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].

And it was not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, but he took to wife, Jezabel the daughter of Jethebaal king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal, and worshiped him.

32 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.

And he set up an alter to Baal, in the house of his abominations, which he built in Samaria.

33 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.

And Achaab made a grove; and Achaab did yet more abominably, to provoke the Lord God of Israel, and [to sin against] his own life so that he should be destroyed: he did evil above all the kings of Israel that were before him.

34 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].

And in his days Achiel the Baethelite built Jericho: he laid the foundation of it in Abiron his first-born, and he set up the doors of it in Segub his younger son, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Joshua the son of Naue.