1 Kings 15; 1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 17

1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam (Nebat's son), Abijam began to rule Judah.

2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.

3 He followed the sinful example his father had set and wasn't committed to the LORD his God as his ancestor David had been.

4 But for David's sake the LORD his God made Abijam a lamp in Jerusalem. He appointed David's descendant to rule after him and protected Jerusalem.

5 The LORD did this because David did what the LORD considered right: David never failed to do anything the LORD commanded him to do his entire life (except in the matter concerning Uriah the Hittite).

6 There was war between Abijam and Rehoboam throughout their lives.

7 Isn't everything else about Abijam--everything he did--written in the official records of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 Abijam lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.

9 In Jeroboam's twentieth year as king of Israel, Asa began to rule as king of Judah.

10 He ruled 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was named Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what the LORD considered right, as his ancestor David had done.

12 He forced the male temple prostitutes out of the land and got rid of the idols his father had made.

13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she made a statue of the repulsive goddess Asherah. Asa cut the statue down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

14 Although the illegal worship sites were not torn down, Asa remained committed to the LORD his entire life.

15 He brought into the LORD's temple the silver, the gold, and the utensils he and his father had set apart as holy.

16 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel as long as they lived.

17 King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to keep anyone from going to or coming from King Asa of Judah.

18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the royal palace and turned them over to his officials. King Asa sent them to Damascus to Aram's King Benhadad, son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion.

19 He said, "There's a treaty between you and me [as] there was between your father and my father. I'm sending you a present of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone."

20 Benhadad did what King Asa requested. He sent his generals and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and the entire area around Chinneroth with the entire territory of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and lived in Tirzah.

22 Then King Asa drafted everyone in Judah and excused no one. He made them carry the stones and lumber from Ramah. Baasha had been using those to fortify the city. King Asa used the materials to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.

23 Isn't everything else about Asa--all his heroic acts, everything he did, and the cities he fortified--written in the official records of the kings of Judah? But when he was old, he had a foot disease.

24 Asa lay down in death with his ancestors. He was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor, David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.

25 Nadab, son of Jeroboam, began to rule Israel in Asa's second year as king of Judah. He ruled for two years.

26 He did what the LORD considered evil, living as his father did, leading Israel into the same sins.

27 Then Baasha, son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab. Baasha assassinated him in the Philistine city of Gibbethon while Nadab and the Israelite forces were attacking it.

28 The assassination happened in Asa's third year as king of Judah. Baasha succeeded Nadab as king of Israel.

29 As soon as he was king, he killed everyone else in Jeroboam's family. He did not spare a soul, as the LORD had spoken through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh.

30 This was because of Jeroboam's sins and the sins which he led Israel to commit. Those sins made the LORD God of Israel furious.

31 Isn't everything else about Nadab--everything he did--written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

32 There was war between Asa and Baasha as long as they lived.

33 In Asa's third year as king of Judah, Baasha, son of Ahijah, began to rule Israel in Tirzah. He ruled for 24 years.

34 He did what the LORD considered evil. He lived like Jeroboam and led Israel into committing the [same] sins.

1 The LORD spoke his word to Jehu, Hanani's son, against Baasha.

2 He said, "I raised you from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel. But you have lived like Jeroboam. You have led my people to sin, and their sins make me furious.

3 So I will destroy Baasha and his family. I will make his family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat's son).

4 Dogs will eat anyone from Baasha's [family] who dies in the city. Birds will eat anyone from his [family] who dies in the country."

5 Isn't everything else about Baasha--what he did and his heroic acts--written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

6 Baasha lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah succeeded him as king.

7 In addition, the LORD spoke his word to the prophet Jehu, Hanani's son, against Baasha and his family because of all the things Baasha did which the LORD considered evil. Baasha's actions, which made the LORD furious, were like [the sin of] Jeroboam's family. The LORD was also furious because Baasha destroyed Jeroboam's family.

8 Elah, son of Baasha, began to rule Israel in Asa's twenty-sixth year as Judah's king. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.

9 But Zimri, the general who commanded half of Elah's chariots, plotted against him. Elah was getting drunk in Tirzah at Arza's house. (Arza was in charge of the palace in Tirzah.)

10 Zimri entered Arza's house, attacked Elah, and killed him in Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Zimri succeeded Elah as king [of Israel].

11 At the beginning of Zimri's reign, as soon as he was on his throne, he killed Baasha's entire family. He didn't spare any of Baasha's male relatives or friends.

12 So Zimri destroyed Baasha's entire family, as the LORD had spoken through the prophet Jehu.

13 This was for all the sins committed by Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, led Israel to sin, and made the LORD God of Israel furious because of their worthless idols.

14 Isn't everything else about Elah--everything he did--written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

15 In Asa's twenty-seventh year as Judah's king, Zimri ruled for seven days in Tirzah while the army was camped near the Philistine city of Gibbethon.

16 When the army heard that Zimri had plotted [against the king] and killed him, the Israelite troops in the camp made Omri, the commander of the army, king of Israel.

17 Omri and the Israelite troops with him left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.

18 When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the stronghold in the royal palace and burned down the palace over his own head. He died

19 because of the sins he had committed--the things the LORD considered evil. Zimri lived like Jeroboam and led Israel to sin.

20 Isn't everything else about Zimri and his plot written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

21 Then the army of Israel was divided into two factions. Half of the army followed Tibni, son of Ginath, and wanted to make him king. The [other] half followed Omri.

22 But the half which followed Omri was stronger than the half which followed Tibni, Ginath's son. Tibni died, and Omri became king.

23 Omri began to rule Israel in Asa's thirty-first year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years, 6 of them in Tirzah.

24 Omri bought a hill from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver. He fortified the hill and built the city of Samaria on it. He named the city after its former owner, Shemer.

25 Omri did what the LORD considered evil. He did more evil things than all [the kings] before him.

26 He lived exactly like Jeroboam (Nebat's son). He sinned and led Israel to sin with worthless idols, and the Israelites made the LORD God of Israel furious.

27 Isn't everything else about Omri--what he did and his heroic acts--written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

28 Omri lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab succeeded him as king.

29 Ahab, son of Omri, began to rule Israel in Asa's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 22 years in Samaria.

30 Ahab, son of Omri, did what the LORD considered evil. He was worse than all [the kings] who were before him.

31 It wasn't enough that he committed the same sins as Jeroboam (Nebat's son). He also married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Ahab then served and worshiped Baal.

32 He built the temple of Baal in Samaria and set up an altar there.

33 Ahab made poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He did more to make the LORD God of Israel furious than all the kings of Israel who came before him.

34 In Ahab's time Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Laying the foundation cost him his firstborn son, Abiram. Setting up the city doors cost him his youngest son, Segub. The LORD had spoken this through Joshua, son of Nun.

1 Asa's son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king. Jehoshaphat strengthened himself [to wage war] against Israel.

2 He put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and placed military posts in Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, who lived in the old way like his ancestor David. Jehoshaphat didn't dedicate his life to serving other gods--the Baals.

4 Instead, he dedicated his life to his ancestor's God and lived by God's commands. Jehoshaphat did not do what Israel was doing.

5 So the LORD established Jehoshaphat's power over the kingdom. All the people of Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had a lot of riches and honor.

6 He had the confidence to live the way the LORD wanted him to live. He also got rid of the illegal places of worship and poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah in Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign, he sent his officers Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah.

8 With them were the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, Tob Adonijah, and the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

9 They taught in Judah. They had the Book of the LORD's Teachings with them when they taught the people in all the cities of Judah.

10 Fear of the LORD came to all the kingdoms around Judah. As a result, they didn't wage war against Jehoshaphat.

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

12 So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built fortresses and cities where supplies were stored in Judah.

13 He had large supplies of food in the cities of Judah and an army of professional soldiers with him in Jerusalem.

14 The following is a breakdown of these soldiers. They are listed by families. Judah's regimental commanders were Commander Adnah (with 300,000 fighting men),

15 next to him Commander Jehohanan (with 280,000),

16 and next to him Amasiah, Zichri's son, who volunteered to serve the LORD (with 200,000 fighting men).

17 From Benjamin there was the fighting man Eliada (with 200,000 armed men with bows and shields),

18 and next to him was Jehozabad (with him was an army of 180,000 armed men).

19 These were the men who served the king in addition to those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout Judah.