¶ Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu¹ the son of Hanani² against Baasha, saying,

Forasmuch as I exalted thee³ out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house⁶ like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat⁷; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

Now the rest⁸ 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?

So Baasha⁹ slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah¹⁰: and Elah¹¹ his son reigned in his stead.

And also by the hand¹² of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house¹³, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking¹⁴ him to anger with the work¹⁵ of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him¹⁶.

In the twenty¹⁷ and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.

And his servant¹⁸ Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired¹⁹ against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking²⁰ himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of²¹ his house in Tirzah.

¶ And Zimri²² went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned²³ in his stead.

And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew²⁴ all the house of Baasha: he left him²⁵ not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends²⁶.

Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according²⁷ to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet²⁸,

For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking²⁹ the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities³⁰.

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written³¹ in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

¶ In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven³² days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped³³ against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri³⁴, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah³⁵.

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 house³⁶ over him with fire, and died,

For his sins which he sinned in doing³⁷ evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his³⁸ sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

¶ Now the rest³⁹ of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Then were the people of Israel divided⁴⁰ into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

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

In the thirty⁴¹ and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years⁴²: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city⁴³ which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria⁴⁴.

But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse⁴⁵ than all that were before him.

For he walked⁴⁶ 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 vanities⁴⁷.

Now the rest⁴⁸ of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

So Omri slept⁴⁹ with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

¶ 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 Samaria⁵⁰ twenty and two years.

¶ And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above⁵¹ all that were before him.

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing⁵² for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife⁵³ Jezebel⁵⁴ the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians⁵⁵, and went⁵⁶ and served Baal⁵⁷, and worshipped him.

And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal⁵⁸, which he had built in Samaria.

And Ahab made a grove⁵⁹; and Ahab did more to provoke⁶⁰ the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

⁶¹In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.