1 Kings 15; 1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 17

1 In the eighteenth year of [Israel's] King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah;

2 he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

3 Abijam walked in all the sins his father had done before him, and he was not completely devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.

4 But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem

5 because David did what was right in the Lord's eyes, and he did not turn aside from anything He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

6 There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam's life.

7 The rest of the events of Abijam's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings. There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.

9 In the twentieth year of Israel's King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah;

10 he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the Lord's eyes, as his ancestor David had done.

12 He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his fathers had made.

13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

14 The high places were not taken away; but Asa's heart was completely with the Lord his entire life.

15 He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord's temple: silver, gold, and utensils.

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

17 Israel's King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to deny anyone access to Judah's King Asa.

18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and put it into the hands of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,

19 "There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me."

20 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinneroth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard [about it], he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

22 Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them.

23 The rest of all the events of Asa's [reign], along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings. But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.

24 Then Asa rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his forefather David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Judah's King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years.

26 Nadab did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

28 In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

29 When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone alive until he had destroyed his family according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite.

30 This was because of Jeroboam's sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit in the provocation he had provoked the Lord God of Israel with.

31 The rest of the events of Nadab's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

32 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

33 In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah; [he reigned] 24 years.

34 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:

2 "Because I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin, provoking Me with their sins,

3 take note: I will sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

4 Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone who is his and dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.

5 The rest of the events of Baasha's [reign], along with all his accomplishments and might, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

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

7 Through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani the word of the Lord also came against Baasha and against his house because of all the evil he had done in the Lord's sight, provoking Him with the work of his hands and being like the house of Jeroboam, and because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Judah's King Asa, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah; [he reigned] two years.

9 His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household at Tirzah.

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

11 When he became king, as soon as he was seated on his throne, Zimri struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male, whether of his kinsmen or his friends.

12 So Zimri exterminated the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet,

13 because of all the sins of Baasha and the sins of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols.

14 The rest of the events of Elah's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Judah's King Asa, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines.

16 When the encamped troops heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king, then all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that very day in the camp.

17 Omri along with all Israel marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.

18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned down the royal palace over himself. He died

19 because of his sin he committed by doing what was evil in the Lord's sight and by following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit.

20 The rest of the events of Zimri's [reign], along with the conspiracy that he instigated, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

21 At that time the people of Israel were split in half: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.

22 However, the people who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

23 In the thirty-first year of Judah's King Asa, Omri became king over Israel; [he reigned] 12 years. He reigned six years in Tirzah,

24 then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Samaria based on the name Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 Omri did what was evil in the Lord's sight; he did more evil than all who were before him.

26 He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the sins he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols.

27 The rest of the events of Omri's [reign], along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

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

29 Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah's King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years.

30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord's sight more than all who were before him.

31 Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him.

32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

34 During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest, he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

1 His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place and strengthened himself against Israel.

2 He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

3 Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals

4 but sought the God of his father and walked by His commands, not according to the practices of Israel.

5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. Then all Judah brought him tribute, and he had riches and honor in abundance.

6 His mind rejoiced in the Lord's ways, and he again removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials-Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah-to teach in the cities of Judah.

8 The Levites with them were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; the priests, Elishama and Jehoram, were with these Levites.

9 They taught throughout Judah, [having] the book of the Lord's instruction with them. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.

10 The terror of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so they didn't fight against Jehoshaphat.

11 Some of the Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.

12 Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah

13 and carried out great works in the towns of Judah. He had fighting men, brave warriors, in Jerusalem.

14 These are their numbers according to their ancestral families. For Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander and 300,000 brave warriors with him;

15 next to him, Jehohanan the commander and 280,000 with him;

16 next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer of the Lord, and 200,000 brave warriors with him;

17 from Benjamin, Eliada, a brave warrior, and 200,000 with him armed with bow and shield;

18 next to him, Jehozabad and 180,000 with him equipped for war.

19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.