1 Kings 16 - Simple English

1Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against Baasha. He said,

2"I lifted you up out of the dust, and made you ruler over my people Israel. But you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and you have made my people Israel sin, and their sins have stirred me to anger."

3"Look, I will sweep away Baasha and all his family. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat."

4"Anyone of Baasha's family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. Anyone of his who dies in the fields will be eaten by the birds of the air."

5The rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his strength, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

6So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

7The word of the LORD also came through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house. This was because of all the evil he did in the sight of the LORD, stirring him to anger by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because he had killed him.

8In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.

9His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, made a plot against him. Elah was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who looked after the king's house in Tirzah.

10Zimri went in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then Zimri became king in his place.

11When he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him one male, not one of his relatives or of his friends.

12So Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, just as the LORD had said against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.

13This was for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned and made Israel sin, stirring the LORD God of Israel to anger with their worthless idols.

14The rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. The people were camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16The people in the camp heard it said, "Zimri has made a plot, and he has killed the king." So that day, in the camp, all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel.

17Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they laid siege to Tirzah.

18When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the inner part of the king's house. He set the king's house on fire over himself, and died.

19This was because of the sins he committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in the sin he did, making Israel sin.

20The rest of the acts of Zimri, and the plot he carried out, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

21Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.

22But the people who followed Omri were stronger than the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. Six of those years he reigned in Tirzah.

24He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He built on the hill, and he called the city he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him.

26He walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sin by which he made Israel sin, stirring the LORD God of Israel to anger with their worthless idols.

27The rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the strength he showed, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

28So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

29In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

30Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

31It was as if it were a small thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He took Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, as his wife, and he went and served Baal and worshipped him.

32He set up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

33Ahab also made a grove. Ahab did more to stir the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

34In his days Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub. This was just as the LORD had said through Joshua the son of Nun.