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the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha: 2 “Because I lifted you up from the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, 3 so I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, the dogs will devour, and anyone belonging to him who dies in the open country will be devoured by the birds of the air.”
5 The other events of Baasha’s reign, all he did, and his achievements, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel? 6 Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him with the work of his hands, and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had destroyed it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began to reign over Israel, and he reigned at Tirzah for two years.
9 His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Elah was drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the palace at Tirzah. 10 Zimri went in, and struck him down and killed him, and became king in his place. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa king of Judah.
11 As soon as he became king and ascended the throne, Zimri killed everyone from the house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a relative or a friend. 12 So Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet. 13 This was because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they had committed and had caused Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
14 The other events of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. At the time, the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines. 16 When the troops in the camp heard that Zimri had conspired against the king and struck him down, then all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, that very day there in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and they besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and burned down the royal palace over himself. So he died there 19 because of all the sins that he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord and walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in the sin he committed and caused Israel to commit.
20 As for the rest of the events of Zimri’s reign and the conspiracy he carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two factions: half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and the other half supported Omri. 22 However, those who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah. 24 Then he bought the hill of Samaria for two talents of silver, and built a city on the hill. He named the city he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the former owner of the hill.
25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did more evil than all those who were before him. 26 He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel? 28 Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him. 31 Then, as if it was only trivial to him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. And he began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.
34 During his reign, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn son, and set up the gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua son of Nun.