Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Moreover by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.

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

His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah.

And Zimri went in and struck him, and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

It happened, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he struck all the house of Baasha: he did not leave him a single one who urinates on a wall, neither of his relatives, nor of his friends.

Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

The people who were encamped heard it said, "Zimri has conspired, and has also struck the king." Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

It happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel 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 the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Then 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.

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

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

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.

Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.

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 the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

In the thirty-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-two years.

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

It happened, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.

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

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

In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho: he laid its foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

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

And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

So he went and did according to the word of the LORD; for he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, that is near the Jordan.

The word of the LORD came to him, saying,

So he got up and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering wood. And he called to her, and said, "Please bring me a little water in a pitcher, that I may drink."

And as she was going to get it, he called to her, and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

She said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have anything baked, except a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a jug. Behold, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

And Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said. But make me of it a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for yourself and for your son.

For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not empty, neither shall the jug of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah. And she, and he, and her household, ate for a long time.

The jar of flour did not empty, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.

It happened after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

And she said to Elijah, "What do we have in common, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son."

And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him out of her lap and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed.

The LORD listened 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 room into the house and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."

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

And it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."

And Ahab summoned Obadiah, the steward of the house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.

For so it was, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals."

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

As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they did not find you.

It will happen, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I do not know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can't find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

Wasn't it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."

It happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and you have followed the Baals.

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

So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you keep limping between two positions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.

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

You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the god who answers by fire, he is God." All the people answered, "It is well said."

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no voice, nor any who answered. And they limped about the altar they had made.

And when midday was past, they prophesied until the offering up of the offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.

Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me"; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.

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

And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed.

It happened at the time of the offering up of the offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.

Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

And Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of a heavy rain."

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

It happened at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, "Go up, tell Ahab, 'Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn't stop you.'"

The hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

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

He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

The angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you."

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

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

He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

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. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

You shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place.

It shall happen, that he who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

So he departed 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 on him.

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 served him.

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.

He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, "Thus says Ben Hadad,

The king of Israel answered, "It is according to your saying, my lord, O king. I am yours, and all that I have."

but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away."'"

Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, "Please notice how this man seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I did not deny him."

Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do.'" The messengers departed, and brought him back the message.

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 who follow me."

The king of Israel answered, "Tell him, 'Do not let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.'"

Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"

Ahab said, "By whom?" He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'By the young men of the governors of the districts.'" Then he said, "Who shall begin the battle?" He answered, "You."

Then he mustered the young men of the governors of the districts, and they were two hundred and thirty-two. After them, he mustered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

the young men of the governors of the districts went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, "Men are coming out from Samaria."

He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive."

So these went out of the city, the young men of the governors of the districts, and the army which followed them.