וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֶל־יֵהוּא בֶן־חֲנָנִי עַל־בַּעְשָׁא לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Yehu son of Hanani, one of those prophets about whom nothing is known other than their name, concerning Baasha, saying:

יַעַן אֲשֶׁר הֲרִימֹתִיךָ מִן־הֶעָפָר וָאֶתֶּנְךָ נָגִיד עַל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ יָרָבְעָם וַתַּחֲטִא אֶת־עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַכְעִיסֵנִי בְּחַטֹּאתָם

Although I raised you from the dust, as you were previously a commoner, and placed you as ruler over My people Israel, you have nonetheless followed the way of Yorovam and caused My people Israel to sin, to anger Me with their sins.

הִנְנִי מַבְעִיר אַחֲרֵי בַעְשָׁא וְאַחֲרֵי בֵיתוֹ וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־בֵּיתְךָ כְּבֵית יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט

Behold, I will eliminate Baasha and his house; I will render your house like the house of Yorovam son of Nevat. Your family will be exterminated, just as you did to Yorovam’s house.

הַמֵּת לְבַעְשָׁא בָּעִיר יֹאכְלוּ הַכְּלָבִים וְהַמֵּת לוֹ בַּשָּׂדֶה יֹאכְלוּ עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם

Baasha’s dead in the city the dogs will eat, and his dead in the field, where there are no dogs, the predatory birds of the heavens will eat.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי בַעְשָׁא וַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וּגְבוּרָתוֹ הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the matters concerning Baasha, and that which he did, and his might, as he was a man of war (see 15:17), are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּעְשָׁא עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּתִרְצָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֵלָה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Baasha lay with his fathers, and he was buried in Tirtza; Ela his son reigned in his place.

וְגַם בְּיַד יֵהוּא בֶן־חֲנָנִי הַנָּבִיא דְּבַר־ה' הָיָה אֶל־בַּעְשָׁא וְאֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וְעַל כָּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה בְּעֵינֵי ה' לְהַכְעִיסוֹ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו לִהְיוֹת כְּבֵית יָרָבְעָם וְעַל אֲשֶׁר־הִכָּה אֹתוֹ

Also by means of the prophet Yehu son of Hanani was the word of the Lord concerning Baasha, and concerning his house, because of all the evil that he performed in the eyes of the Lord, to anger Him with his handiwork, being that his house was like the house of Yorovam, and because he smote him, Yorovam’s son. Baasha had betrayed and murdered his king. This revolt would have been justified had he brought about a change in the style of leadership and the spiritual state of the people; however, as Baasha continued in Yorovam’s sinful ways, his betrayal of the kings and his murder of Yorovam’s son were deemed severe transgressions.

בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֵׁשׁ שָׁנָה לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ אֵלָה בֶן־בַּעְשָׁא עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתִרְצָה שְׁנָתָיִם

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Ela son of Baasha reigned over Israel in Tirtza for two years.

וַיִּקְשֹׁר עָלָיו עַבְדּוֹ זִמְרִי שַׂר מַחֲצִית הָרָכֶב וְהוּא בְתִרְצָה שֹׁתֶה שִׁכּוֹר בֵית אַרְצָא אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַבַּיִת בְּתִרְצָה

During the reign of Baasha, a successful military man, no rebellion broke out. And yet all this changed when his son Ela inherited the throne, as his servant Zimri, commander of half the chariots, conspired against him and led an organized revolt. Chariots were the ancient equivalent of tanks, as they served a similar military function, and thus the captain of half the royal force of chariots was clearly a high-ranking officer. The conspiracy occurred while he, Ela, was in Tirtza, drinking himself drunk in the house of Artza, who was the officer in charge of the household of the king in Tirtza.

וַיָּבֹא זִמְרִי וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיְמִיתֵהוּ בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֶׁבַע לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו

Zimri came and smote him, and put him to death, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and he, Zimri, reigned in his place.

וַיְהִי בְמָלְכוֹ כְּשִׁבְתּוֹ עַל־כִּסְאוֹ הִכָּה אֶת־כָּל־בֵּית בַּעְשָׁא לֹא־הִשְׁאִיר לוֹ מַשְׁתִּין בְּקִיר וְגֹאֲלָיו וְרֵעֵהוּ

When he became king, as he sat on his throne, he smote the entire house of Baasha. New kings of Israel would typically take pains to eliminate the previous dynasty. He did not leave one who urinates against the wall of his, he did not leave alive any male family member, or his relatives, or even any of his friends.

וַיַּשְׁמֵד זִמְרִי אֵת כָּל־בֵּית בַּעְשָׁא כִּדְבַר ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֶל־בַּעְשָׁא בְּיַד יֵהוּא הַנָּבִיא

Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha in accordance with the word of the Lord, which He spoke concerning Baasha by means of Yehu the prophet. Like Baasha himself, Zimri did not do this in order to comply with the prophecy, but rather for his own political reasons. Nevertheless, his actions fulfilled the prophet’s statement in its entirety.

אֶל כָּל־חַטֹּאות בַּעְשָׁא וְחַטֹּאות אֵלָה בְנוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ וַאֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיאוּ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַכְעִיס אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַבְלֵיהֶם

This occurred for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Ela his son, who sinned and who caused Israel to sin, to anger the Lord, God of Israel, with their futilities, their superstitions and worthless forms of ritual worship, instead of engaging in the proper worship of God.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֵלָה וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלוֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the matters concerning Ela and everything that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וָשֶׁבַע שָׁנָה לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ זִמְרִי שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בְּתִרְצָה וְהָעָם חֹנִים עַל־גִּבְּתוֹן אֲשֶׁר לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned a mere seven days in Tirtza, the city of his rebellion. Evidently, Ela did not reign for two full years, as he ascended to the throne in Asa’s twenty-sixth year (verse 8). The people were encamped at the time against Gibeton, which belonged to the Philistines. The attempt to conquer Gibeton, which was perhaps considered a national nuisance, had continued since the days of Nadav son of Yorovam (15:27).

וַיִּשְׁמַע הָעָם הַחֹנִים לֵאמֹר קָשַׁר זִמְרִי וְגַם הִכָּה אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּמְלִכוּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־עָמְרִי שַׂר־צָבָא עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא בַּמַּחֲנֶה

The encamped people, the soldiers who were there, heard, saying: Zimri conspired and also smote the king. All Israel crowned Omri, commander of the army, who was apparently in command of the encampment near Gibeton, as king over Israel that day in the camp. By crowning their commander, they felt that they were expressing the will of the army. The rebellious Zimri, by contrast, did not have a strong base of support.

וַיַּעֲלֶה עָמְרִי וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמּוֹ מִגִּבְּתוֹן וַיָּצֻרוּ עַל־תִּרְצָה

Omri went up from Gibeton, and all Israel, the soldiers who were laying siege to the Philistines, came with him, and they besieged Tirtza, where the new king was located.

וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹת זִמְרִי כִּי־נִלְכְּדָה הָעִיר וַיָּבֹא אֶל־אַרְמוֹן בֵּית־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׂרֹף עָלָיו אֶת־בֵּית־ מֶלֶךְ בָּאֵשׁ וַיָּמֹת

It was when Zimri saw that the city was captured, and realized that he had no chance against Omri’s army, that he went into the castle of the king’s palace; he burned the king’s palace upon himself with fire, and he died. He committed suicide in order to end his life in an impressive, dramatic fashion.

עַל חַטֹּאתָיו אֲשֶׁר חָטָא לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' לָלֶכֶת בְּדֶרֶךְ יָרָבְעָם וּבְחַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְהַחֲטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל

Zimri was thereby punished because of his sins that he sinned, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the way of Yorovam and his sin that he had done to cause Israel to sin. Besides the rebellion itself, during his extremely brief reign Zimri demonstrated no intention of changing course from Yorovam’s path.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי זִמְרִי וְקִשְׁרוֹ אֲשֶׁר קָשָׁר הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the matters concerning Zimri, and his conspiracy that he conspired, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? Later in the book of Kings, Zimri is cited as the prototype for a rebel whose only success was killing the previous king.

אָז יֵחָלֵק הָעָם יִשְׂרָאֵל לַחֵצִי חֲצִי הָעָם הָיָה אַחֲרֵי תִבְנִי בֶן־גִּינַת לְהַמְלִיכוֹ וְהַחֲצִי אַחֲרֵי עָמְרִי

Then the people of Israel were divided in half: Half the people followed Tivni son of Ginat to crown him, and the other half followed Omri.

וַיֶּחֱזַק הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אַחֲרֵי עָמְרִי אֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אַחֲרֵי תִּבְנִי בֶן־גִּינַת וַיָּמָת תִּבְנִי וַיִּמְלֹךְ עָמְרִי

The struggle over the monarchy led to actual warfare between the two sides. The people following Omri prevailed in battle over the people following Tivni son of Ginat. Tivni died, probably on the battlefield, and Omri became king over Israel.

בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ עָמְרִי עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בְּתִרְצָה מָלַךְ שֵׁשׁ־שָׁנִים

In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri reigned over Israel twelve years. The war between Omri’s supporters and those of Tivni lasted about four years (see verse 15). It is clear from the chronology below that the years of Omri’s reign are counted from even before the time that he defeated Tivni. He reigned in the capital city of Tirtza for six of those years.

וַיִּקֶן אֶת־הָהָר שֹׁמְרוֹן מֵאֶת שֶׁמֶר בְּכִכְּרַיִם כָּסֶף וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הָהָר וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שֵׁם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה עַל שֶׁם־שֶׁמֶר אֲדֹנֵי הָהָר שֹׁמְרוֹן

Thus far, the kings of Israel had continued Yorovam’s tradition by ruling in the same city. Omri decided to mark his reign by establishing a new capital city. He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built up the hill, and he called the name of the city that he built after Shemer master of the hill, Samaria. Omri’s enterprise was a great success, as the city of Samaria stood for many years. Omri was a strong and fierce man, both in his role as captain of the army and as king. He also improved his kingdom’s foreign relations and expanded his empire, perhaps seeking to rival Solomon’s kingdom in size. According to the Mesha Stele, Omri conquered cities in Moav, and archaeological findings in Samaria likewise reveal a variety of vessels imported from other countries.

וַיַּעֲשֶׂה עָמְרִי הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' וַיָּרַע מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר לְפָנָיו

Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and he did more evil than, worse than, all who preceded him.

וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּכָל־דֶּרֶךְ יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט וּבְחַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַכְעִיס אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַבְלֵיהֶם

He followed the entire way of Yorovam son of Nevat, and his sins that he had caused Israel to sin, angering the Lord, God of Israel, with their futilities.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי עָמְרִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וּגְבוּרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the matters concerning Omri that he did, and his mighty deeds that he performed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

וַיִּשְׁכַּב עָמְרִי עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן וַיִּמְלֹךְ אַחְאָב בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Omri lay with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria; Ahav his son became king in his place.

וְאַחְאָב בֶּן־עָמְרִי מָלַךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁמֹנֶה שָׁנָה לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ אַחְאָב בֶּן־עָמְרִי עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה

Ahav son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahav son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria, which had become the official capital city, for twenty-two years.

וַיַּעַשׂ אַחְאָב בֶּן־עָמְרִי הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר לְפָנָיו

Ahav son of Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord beyond all who preceded him.

וַיְהִי הֲנָקֵל לֶכְתּוֹ בְּחַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה אֶת־אִיזֶבֶל בַּת־אֶתְבַּעַל מֶלֶךְ צִידֹנִים וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעֲבֹד אֶת־הַבַּעַל וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לוֹ

The least of his evils was his continuing with the sins of Yorovam the son of Nevat. It was as though the sinful ways of Yorovam were trivial to those of Ahav, as he added new transgressions of his own: He took as a wife Izevel daughter of Etbaal king of the Sidonians. Ahav’s marriage to the daughter of an important king from near Israel’s border indicates that he was not content to solidify his rule over his kingdom, but he sought to broaden its foreign relations as well. However, these relations affected the religious culture inside his kingdom, and thus he, Ahav, went and served the Baal and prostrated himself to it. His wife worshipped the Baal, and Ahav adopted this idolatrous worship upon his marriage. When Yorovam had introduced his form of idolatry, he had presented it as a form of the Israelite religion. Those who followed him thus considered themselves to be a legitimate branch of the nation that worshipped the God of Israel. Ahav, by contrast, not only adopted new customs but actually worshipped a different god altogether.

וַיָּקֶם מִזְבֵּחַ לַבָּעַל בֵּית הַבַּעַל אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן

He established an altar to the Baal in the house of the Baal that he built in Samaria. He did not treat the worship of the Baal as a temporary, marginal affair; rather, he constructed a small temple for the Baal within his capital city.

וַיַּעַשׂ אַחְאָב אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרָה וַיּוֹסֶף אַחְאָב לַעֲשׂוֹת לְהַכְעִיס אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכֹּל מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנָיו

Ahav made a sacred tree; and Ahav did more evil to anger the Lord, God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel who preceded him.

בְּיָמָיו בָּנָה חִיאֵל בֵּית הָאֱלִי אֶת־יְרִיחֹה בַּאֲבִירָם בְּכֹרוֹ יִסְּדָהּ וּבִשְׂגוּב צְעִירוֹ הִצִּיב דְּלָתֶיהָ כִּדְבַר ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן

In his days, Hiel the Beitelite, from Beit El, built the city of Jericho on the border of the Kingdom of Israel, which had been left in ruins since Joshua destroyed it. Joshua had decreed that the city must never be rebuilt, and he cursed anyone who would build it with the death of all his sons. Hiel disregarded the curse and rebuilt Jericho anyway, and he suffered accordingly: With Aviram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and when he laid the foundation for the city, his firstborn son Aviram died. And with Seguv his youngest he established its gates. When the walls of the city were completed, his youngest son died. This was in accordance with the word of the Lord that He spoke by means of Joshua son of Nun.