¶ Kings Nadab and Baasha's Reigns
A reading from the book of 1 Kings.
🔇 Silence
Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa, King of Judah. And he reigned over Israel two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. Beesha, the son of Ahija, of the house of Isakar, conspired against him. And Basha struck him down at Gibbathan, which belonged to the Philistines. For Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbathan.
So Beasha killed him in the third year of Esau, king of Judah, and reigned in his place. and as soon as he was king He killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed until he had destroyed it. According to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah, the shallow knight. It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned, and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Beasha, King of Israel all their days. In the third year of Asa, king of Judah, Basha, the son of Ahija, began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty four years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
And the word of the Lord came the Jehu, the son of Hananai, against Baeshah, saying, Since I exalted you out of the dust of the And made you leader over my people Israel. And you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins. Behold, I will utterly sweep away Bearsha and his house. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
Any one belonging to Beasha who dies in the city, the dog shall eat, and any one of his who dies in the field, the birds of the heavens shall eat. Now the rest of the Acts of Beasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Basha slept with his fathers, and was buried at Tirzah, and Eli his son reigned in his place. Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha.
and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands. in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it.
¶ Succession of Elah, Zimri, Omri
In the twenty sixth year of Asa, King of Judah, Elah, son of Basha, began to reign over Israel in Tizah, and he reigned two years. But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzad, drinking himself drunk in the house of Ozar, who was over the household in Tirzah, Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him in the twenty seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.
When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Beasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baesha. According to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Besha by Jehu the prophet. For all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah, his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.
Now 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? In the twenty seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, and the troops who were encamped heard it, said Zimbri has conspired, and he has killed the king, Therefore all Israel made Amri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.
So Amri went up from Gibaton, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tiza. And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire and died. Because of his sins that he committed doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin.
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Timnai, the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Amri. But the people who followed Amri overcame the people who followed Timni, the son of Gina. So Tibnai died, and Amri became king.
In the thirty first year of Asa, king of Judah, Amri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirsa. He bought the heel of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, And he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. Amrod did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him.
For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel to anger by their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Amri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Amri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place.
¶ Ahab's Reign and Elijah's Ministry
In the thirty eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Amri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Amri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty two years. And Ahab the son of Amri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him, and as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He took for his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbel, king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him.
He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria, and Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did 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 of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abarim, his firstborn, And set up his gates at the cost of his younger son, Sigub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua, the son of Nun.
Now Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbi in Gilead said to Ahab. As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word. And the word of the Lord came to him. Depart from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Carith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Careth, that is, east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
¶ Elijah's Miracles in Zarephath
Then the word of the Lord came to him. Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you. So he arose and went to Zarephab, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Bring me a little water in a vessel that I may drink.
And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. And Elijah said to her
Do not fear, go and do as you have said. But first, make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, the jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth. And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
The jar of flour was not spit, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. After this, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill, and his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son. And he said to her, Give me your son.
And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord. O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn by killing her son? Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord. O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again, And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and delivered 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 truth.