1 Kings

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

1Then the LORD gave a message to Jehu, the son of Hanani. It was against King Baasha.

2Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

2God said, "I lifted you out of the dirt. I made you the leader of my people Israel. But you have lived the same bad way Jeroboam did. You led my people Israel into sin. Their sins have made me angry.

3Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

3So I will sweep away Baasha and his whole family. I will do to your family what I did to Jeroboam's family.

4Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

4Dogs will eat anyone in Baasha's family who dies in the city. Birds will eat anyone who dies out in the fields."

5Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

5The other things Baasha did, and how strong he was, are written down. They are in the book called the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

6So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

6Then Baasha died, like his fathers before him. He was buried in the town of Tirzah. His son Elah became king after him.

7And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.

7The LORD had sent that message through the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. The message was against Baasha and his family. It came because of all the evil Baasha did. He made God angry with the things he made and did. He acted just like Jeroboam's family. He had also killed off Jeroboam's family.

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

8Asa was king of Judah. In his twenty-sixth year, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel. He ruled from Tirzah for two years.

9And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.

9One of Elah's own officers turned against him. His name was Zimri, and he led half the king's chariots. Elah was in Tirzah at the house of Arza, who ran the palace. Elah was there getting drunk.

10And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

10Zimri walked in, struck Elah down, and killed him. This was in Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Then Zimri became king in Elah's place.

11And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

11As soon as Zimri sat on the throne, he killed Baasha's whole family. He did not leave one man alive, not a relative and not a friend.

NoteThe old King James wording here is "him that pisseth against a wall." It was a rough old way of saying "every male."

12Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

12So Zimri destroyed Baasha's whole family. This happened just as the LORD had said through the prophet Jehu.

13For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

13It happened because of the sins of Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, and they led Israel to sin too. They made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry with their worthless idols.

14Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

14The other things Elah did are written down. They are in the book called the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

15In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

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

16And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

16The soldiers in the camp heard the news. Zimri had made a secret plan and had killed the king. So that very day, all Israel made Omri their king. Omri was the commander of the army.

17And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

17Omri and all the Israelites left Gibbethon. They marched to Tirzah and surrounded the city.

18And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died,

18Zimri saw that the city had been taken. So he went into the strong part of the palace. He set the palace on fire around himself, and he died there.

19For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

19This happened because of the sins Zimri had done. He did evil in the LORD's sight. He lived the same bad way Jeroboam did, and he led Israel to sin.

20Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

20The other things Zimri did, and the plan he made against the king, are written down. They are in the book called the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

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

21Then the people of Israel split into two groups. Half wanted Tibni, the son of Ginath, to be king. Half wanted Omri.

22But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

22But Omri's side was stronger than Tibni's side. So Tibni died, and Omri became king.

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

23In Asa's thirty-first year as king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel. He ruled twelve years, and six of them were in Tirzah.

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

24Omri bought a hill from a man named Shemer. He paid two talents of silver for it. He built a city on the hill. He named the city Samaria, after Shemer, who had owned the hill.

NoteA talent was a large weight of silver, about 75 pounds. Two talents was a lot of money.

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

25But Omri did evil in the LORD's sight. He was worse than every king before him.

26For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

26He lived just the way Jeroboam son of Nebat had lived. He did Jeroboam's sins and led Israel to sin. He made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry with their worthless idols.

27Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

27The other things Omri did, and how strong he was, are written down. They are in the book called the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

28So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

28Then Omri died, like his fathers before him. He was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king after him.

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

29In Asa's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for twenty-two years.

30And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

30Ahab son of Omri did evil in the LORD's sight. He was worse than every king before him.

31And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

31Doing Jeroboam's sins was not enough for him. He also married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Then Ahab served the god Baal and worshiped him.

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

32Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria. Inside it, he set up an altar for Baal.

33And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

33Ahab also set up a tall wooden pole for the goddess Asherah. Ahab made the LORD, the God of Israel, angrier than any king before him.

NoteThe King James Bible says Ahab made "a grove." That does not mean a group of trees. It means a wooden pole set up to honor the goddess Asherah.

34In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

34While Ahab was king, a man named Hiel from Bethel rebuilt the city of Jericho. It cost him his oldest son, Abiram, when he laid the base of the walls. It cost him his youngest son, Segub, when he set up the gates. This happened just as the LORD had said long before through Joshua, son of Nun.

Note"He laid the foundation thereof in Abiram" means building the city cost him that son's life.