And the people who were encamped heard say, Zimri has conspired, and has also smitten the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

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

and died for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did to make Israel to sin.

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

In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, [and reigned] twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah.

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

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

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

And 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 Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him

And Ahab made the Asherah. And Ahab did yet more to provoke LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho. He laid the foundation of it with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates of it with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of LORD, which he spok

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said to Ahab, As LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

And the word of LORD came to him, saying,

And it shall be, that thou shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

So he went and did according to the word of LORD, for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan.

And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

And the word of LORD came to him, saying,

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.

So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I may drink.

And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

And she said, As LORD thy God lives, I do not have a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse. And, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it,

And Elijah said to her, Fear not, go and do as thou have said. But make me of it a little cake first, and bring it forth to me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.

For thus says LORD, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not be used up, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that LORD sends rain upon the earth.

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah. And she, and he, and her house, ate [many] days.

The jar of meal was not used up, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

And she said to Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Thou have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son!

And he said to her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

And he cried to LORD, and said, O LORD my God, have thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn by slaying her son?

And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

And LORD hearkened to the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, See, thy son lives.

And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou are a man of God, and that the word of LORD in thy mouth is truth.

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.

And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And the famine was severe in Samaria.

And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the fountains of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the beasts.

So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

And he said, How have I sinned that thou would deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me?

As LORD thy God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek thee. And when they said, He is not here, he took an oath from the kingdom and nation that they did not find thee.

And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of LORD will carry thee where I know not. And so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will kill me. But I thy servant fear LORD from my you

And Elijah said, As LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?

Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.

So Ahab sent to all the sons of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.

And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, How long do ye go limping between the two sides? If LORD be God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of LORD, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fi

And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first, for ye are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is meditating, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.

And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the [evening] oblation, but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

And Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of LORD that was thrown down.

And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the word of LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.

And with the stones he built an altar in the name of LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

And he said, Do it the second time, and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time, and they did it the third time.

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the [evening] oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou are God in Israel, and

and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

And Elijah said to Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain.

So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.

And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, a cloud rises out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Make ready [thy chariot], and get thee down, that the rain not stop thee.

And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

And the hand of LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life. And he came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough, now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my

And he lay down and slept under a juniper tree, and, behold, a [heavenly] agent touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat.

And the agent of LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat because the journey is too great for thee.

And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

And he came to a cave there, and lodged there. And, behold, the word of LORD came to him, and he said to him, What are thou doing here, Elijah?

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice to him, and said, What are thou doing here, Elijah?

And LORD said to him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when thou come, thou shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

And thou shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel. And thou shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah to be prophet in thy place.

And it shall come to pass, that he who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill. And he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill.

Yet I have reserved [for me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.

So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat who was plowing with twelve yoke [of oxen] before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him, and cast his mantle upon him.

And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee?

And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered to

And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. And there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-hadad,

And the king of Israel answered and said, It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king, I am thine, and all that I have.

And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-hadad, saying, I indeed sent to thee, saying, Thou shall deliver to me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy sons.

But I will send my servants to thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it a

Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks mischief, for he sent to me for my wives, and for my sons, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I did not deny him

And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do thou not hearken, nor consent.

Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou sent for to thy servant at the first I will do, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

And Ben-hadad sent to him, and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

And it came to pass, when [Ben-hadad] heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions, that he said to his servants, Set [yourselves in array]. And they set [themselves in array] against the city.

And, behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus says LORD, Have thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day, and thou shall know that I am LORD.

Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. And after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, being seven thousand.

And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.

And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself. And mark, and see what thou do, for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their god is a god of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

And do this thing: Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place.

And number thee an army, like the army that thou have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. And we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened to their voice, and did

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

And the sons of Israel were mustered, and were supported, and went against them. And the sons of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids, but the Syrians filled the country.

And a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, Thus says LORD, Because the Syrians have said, LORD is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude

And they encamped one opposite the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined. And the sons of Israel killed of the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day.

But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.