Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 The LORD's word came to Jehu, Hanani's son, against Baasha:
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The word of God came to Jehu son of Hanani with this message for Baasha:
2 I raised you up from the dust and made you a leader over my people Israel, but you walked in Jeroboam's ways, making my people Israel sin, making me angry with their sins.
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"I took you from nothing - a complete nobody - and set you up as the leader of my people Israel, but you plodded along in the rut of Jeroboam, making my people Israel sin and making me seethe over their sin.
3 So look, I am about to set fire to Baasha and his household, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, Nebat's son.
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And now the consequences - I will burn Baasha and his regime to cinders, the identical fate of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
4 Dogs will eat any of Baasha's family who die in town. Birds will eat any who die in the country.
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Baasha's people who die in the city will be eaten by scavenger dogs; carrion crows will eat the ones who die in the country."
5 Now the rest of Baasha's deeds, what he did, and his powerful acts, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?
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The rest of Baasha's life, the record of his regime, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
6 Baasha lay down with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah succeeded him as king.
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Baasha died and was buried with his ancestors in Tirzah. His son Elah was king after him.
7 But the LORD's word came through the prophet Jehu, Hanani's son, concerning Baasha and his house. It concerned everything evil in the LORD's eyes that Baasha had done, angering the Lord by his actions so that he would end up just like the house of Jeroboam. The message was also about how the Lord attacked Baasha.
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That's the way it was with Baasha: Through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani, God's word came to him and his regime because of his life of open evil before God and his making God so angry - a chip off the block of Jeroboam, even though God had destroyed him.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Judah's King Asa, Elah, Baasha's son, became king over Israel. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.
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In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began his rule. He was king in Tirzah only two years.
9 Zimri, his officer who led half the chariots, plotted against him. Elah was at Tirzah, getting drunk at the house of Arza, who had charge over the palace at Tirzah.
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One day when he was at the house of Arza the palace manager, drinking himself drunk, Zimri, captain of half his chariot-force, conspired against him.
10 Zimri came, attacked, and killed Elah in the twenty-seventh year of Judah's King Asa. Zimri succeeded him as king.
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Zimri slipped in, knocked Elah to the ground, and killed him. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri then became the king.
11 Once Zimri became king and sat on the throne, he attacked all of Baasha's house. He didn't spare anyone who urinates on a wall, whether relative or friend.
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Zimri had no sooner become king than he killed everyone connected with Baasha, got rid of them all like so many stray dogs - relatives and friends alike.
12 Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha in agreement with the LORD's word that had been spoken by the prophet Jehu to Baasha.
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Zimri totally wiped out the family of Baasha, just as God's word delivered by the prophet Jehu had said
13 This happened because of all Baasha's sins, as well as the sins of his son Elah and because they caused Israel to sin. They angered Israel's God, the LORD, with their insignificant idols.
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- wages for the sins of Baasha and his son Elah; not only for their sins but for dragging Israel into their sins and making the God of Israel angry with their stupid idols.
14 The rest of Elah's deeds and all that he did, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?
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The rest of Elah's life, what he said and did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Judah's King Asa, Zimri became king. He ruled in Tirzah for seven days. The army was camped at Gibbethon in Philistia.
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Zimri was king in Tirzah for all of seven days during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa king of Judah. The Israelite army was on maneuvers near the Philistine town of Gibbethon at the time.
16 They heard the news: "Zimri has plotted against the king and killed him." Right then, in the camp, the whole Israelite army made their general Omri king of Israel.
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When they got the report, "Zimri has conspired against the king and killed him," right there in the camp they made Omri, commander of the army, king.
17 Omri and the entire army then went up from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.
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Omri and the army immediately left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.
18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fort of the royal palace and burned it down on top of himself. So he died.
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When Zimri saw that he was surrounded and as good as dead, he entered the palace citadel, set the place on fire, and died.
19 This happened because of the sins Zimri had committed by doing evil in the LORD's eyes and by walking in Jeroboam's ways and the sin he had done by causing Israel to sin.
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It was a fit end for his sins, for living a flagrantly evil life before God, walking in the footsteps of Jeroboam, sinning and then dragging Israel into his sins.
20 The rest of Zimri's deeds and the plot he carried out, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?
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As for the rest of Zimri's life, along with his infamous conspiracy, it's all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
21 At this time the people of Israel were split in two. One half of the people followed Tibni, Ginath's son, making him king; the other half followed Omri.
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After that the people of Israel were split right down the middle: Half favored Tibni son of Ginath as king, and half wanted Omri.
22 Omri's side was stronger than those who followed Tibni, Ginath's son. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
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Eventually the Omri side proved stronger than the Tibni side. Tibni ended up dead and Omri king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Judah's King Asa, Omri became king of Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of which were in Tirzah.
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Omri took over as king of Israel in the thirty-first year of the reign of Asa king of Judah. He ruled for twelve years, the first six in Tirzah.
24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two kikkars of silver. He fortified the hill and named the town that he built there after Shemer, the previous owner of the hill of Samaria.
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He then bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver. He developed the hill and named the city that he built Samaria, after its original owner Shemer.
25 Omri did evil in the LORD's eyes, more evil than anyone who preceded him.
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But as far as God was concerned, Omri lived an evil life - set new records in evil.
26 He walked in all the ways and sins of Jeroboam, Nebat's son, because he caused Israel to sin. They angered Israel's God, the LORD, with their worthless idols.
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He walked in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who not only sinned but dragged Israel into his sins, making God angry - such an empty-headed, empty-hearted life!
27 The rest of Omri's deeds and his powerful acts, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?
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The rest of Omri's life, the mark he made on his times, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
28 Omri lay down with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab succeeded him as king.
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Omri died and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab was the next king after him.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Judah's King Asa, Ahab, Omri's son, became king of Israel. He ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years
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Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri was king over Israel for twenty-two years. He ruled from Samaria.
30 and did evil in the LORD's eyes, more than anyone who preceded him.
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Ahab son of Omri did even more open evil before God than anyone yet - a new champion in evil!
31 Ahab found it easy to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, Nebat's son. He married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, who was the king of the Sidonians. He served and worshipped Baal.
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It wasn't enough for him to copy the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat; no, he went all out, first by marrying Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then by serving and worshiping the god Baal.
32 He made an altar for Baal in the Baal temple he had constructed in Samaria.
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He built a temple for Baal in Samaria, and then furnished it with an altar for Baal.
33 Ahab also made a sacred pole and did more to anger the LORD, the God of Israel, than any of Israel's kings who preceded him.
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Worse, he went on and built a shrine to the sacred whore Asherah. He made the God of Israel angrier than all the previous kings of Israel put together.
34 During Ahab's time, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He set up its foundations at the cost of his oldest son Abiram. He hung its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub. This fulfilled the LORD's word spoken through Joshua, Nun's son.
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It was under Ahab's rule that Hiel of Bethel refortified Jericho, but at a terrible cost: He ritually sacrificed his firstborn son Abiram at the laying of the foundation, and his youngest son Segub at the setting up of the gates. This is exactly what Joshua son of Nun said would happen.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.