When Ahab ruled Israel

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

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.