The Divided Kingdom

because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD and following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

As for the rest of the acts of Zimri and the treason he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

At that time the people of Israel were divided: Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath as king, and half supported Omri.

But the followers of Omri proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.

But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.

For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

As for the rest of the acts of Omri, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place.

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.

However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.

First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt 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 that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah:

“Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.

Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:

“Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”