Open English Translation 1KI Chapter 16

8 Baasha’s son Elah began to reign in the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah, and he ruled from Tirtsah for two years. 9 However, his servant Zimri who was the commander of half of the chariots conspired against him. Once when Elah was in Tirtsah getting himself drunk at the house of Arza (who was in charge of the palace), 10 Zimri went in and attacked and killed him, and took over his place as king. (That was in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah.)

11 As soon as Zimri took over and sat on his throne, he had all of Baasha’s family executed—he didn’t leave a single male or relative or friend. 12 In that way, Zimri eliminated all of Baasha’s descendants just as Yahweh had said via the prophet Yehu 13 concerning all of Baasha’s sins and the sins of his son Elah, and because they caused Israel to sin by provoking Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry with their idols. 14 Everything else that Elah did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

15 Zimri reigned from Tirtsah for seven days in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah. At the time, the Israeli army were besieging the Philistine city of Gibbeton, 16 and when the army camped around the city heard that Zimri had rebelled and assassinated the king, that day all the people in the camp installed the army commander Omri as king to reign over Israel. 17 So Omri took all his warriors from Gibbeton and besieged Tirtsah. 18 As soon as Zimri realised that the city was surrounded, he went into the saferoom in the palace and set fire to the building and died in the flames 19 because he’d done what Yahweh had said was evil—following Yarave’am’s behaviour including causing Israel to sin. 20 Everything else that Zimri did, including his rebellion, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

21 At that time, the people of Israel were divided concerning their leadership—half of them supported Ginnat’s son Tivni as king, and the other half supported Omri, 22 but those supporting Omri prevailed, so Tivni was executed and Omri remained in power. 23 Omri became king in the thirty-first years of King Asa’s reign over Yehudah, and reigned over Israel for twelve years—six of them from Tirtsah. 24 He bought a hill from a man named Shemer for seventy kilograms of silver, then built his capital city on it. He named it Shomron (Samaria) in honour of Shemer who’d owned the hill.

25 Omri did what Yahweh had said was evil—in fact he did more evil things than all those kings who preceded him. 26 He followed (Nabat’s son) Yarave’am’s behaviour including causing Israel to sin by provoking Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry with their idols. 27 Everything else that Omri did, including his military victories, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 28 Then Omri died and was buried in Shomron, and his son Ahav (Ahab) replaced him as king.

29 Omri’s son Ahav became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Ahab’s reign over Yehudah, and he reigned Israel from Shomron for twenty-two years. 30 Ahav did what Yahweh had said was evil—in fact he did more evil things than all those kings who preceded him. 31 As if following Yarave’am’s behaviour wasn’t bad enough, he married Izevel (Jezebel), the daughter of the Sidonian King Etbaal, then went and served Baal and bowed down to him. 32 He built a temple for Baal in Shomron and placed an altar in it. 33 Ahav also made an Asherah pole and went on to provoke Israel’s God Yahweh to get angry, more than any of the previous kings of Israel had done. 34 During his reign, Hiel from Beyt-El rebuilt Yeriko city. As they laid the foundations, his eldest son Aviram died, and when they hung the city gates, his youngest son Seguv died, just as Yahweh had told (Nun’s son) Yehoshua (Joshua).[ref]