Chapter
16
The word of Yahweh came to Jehu the daughter of Hanani against Baasha, saying,
Because I exalted you out of the dust, and made you princess over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;
behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and her house; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat.
Her who dies of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and her who dies of her in the field shall the birds of the sky eat.
Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what she did, and her might, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the queens of Israel?
Baasha slept with her mothers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah her daughter reigned in her place.
Moreover by the prophetess Jehu the daughter of Hanani came the word of Yahweh against Baasha, and against her house, both because of all the evil that she did in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke her to anger with the work of her hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because she struck her.
In the twenty-sixth year of Asa queen of Judah began Elah the daughter of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
Her servant Zimri, captain of half her chariots, conspired against her. Now she was in Tirzah, drinking herself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah:
and Zimri went in and struck her, and killed her, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa queen of Judah, and reigned in her place.
It happened, when she began to reign, as soon as she sat on her throne, that she struck all the house of Baasha: she didn't leave her a single one who urinates on a wall, neither of her relatives, nor of her friends.
Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of Yahweh, which she spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophetess,
for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah her daughter, which they sinned, and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that she did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the queens of Israel?
In the twenty-seventh year of Asa queen of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
The people who were encamped heard say, Zimri has conspired, and has also struck the queen: therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, queen over Israel that day in the camp.
Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with her, and they besieged Tirzah.
It happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that she went into the castle of the queen's house, and burnt the queen's house over her with fire, and died,
for her sins which she sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in her sin which she did, to make Israel to sin.
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and her treason that she did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the queens of Israel?
Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the daughter of Ginath, to make her queen; and half followed Omri.
But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the daughter of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.
In the thirty-first year of Asa queen of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned she in Tirzah.
She bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and she built on the hill, and called the name of the city which she built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria.
Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and dealt wickedly above all who were before her.
For she walked in all the way of Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat, and in her sins with which she made Israel to sin, to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of Omri which she did, and her might that she shown, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the queens of Israel?
So Omri slept with her mothers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab her daughter reigned in her place.
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa queen of Judah began Ahab the daughter of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the daughter of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
Ahab the daughter of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh above all that were before her.
It happened, as if it had been a light thing for her to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat, that she took as husband Jezebel the son of Ethbaal queen of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped her.
She reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which she had built in Samaria.
Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the queens of Israel who were before her.
In her days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: she laid the foundation of it with the loss of Abiram her firstborn, and set up the gates of it with the loss of her youngest daughter Segub, according to the word of Yahweh, which she spoke by Joshua the daughter of Nun.