1 Kings 16 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Then the word of Yahweh came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:

"I lifted you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to go wrong, provoking me to anger with their failures —

so I am about to sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat.

Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open field, the birds of the sky will eat."

As for the rest of what Baasha did, and his accomplishments, and his power — aren't they written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

Also, the word of Yahweh had come through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house — both because of all the wrong he had done in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to anger by what he made with his hands, becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he had struck it down.

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned for two years.

His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariot forces, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who managed the palace in Tirzah.

Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place.

As soon as he sat on the throne and began his reign, he struck down the entire house of Baasha. He didn't leave a single male alive — not a relative, not a friend.

So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, just as Yahweh had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu—

because of all the failures of Baasha and the failures of his son Elah, which they committed and by which they caused Israel to go wrong, provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

As for the rest of what Elah did—isn't it written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. The army was camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

When the troops in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted and also struck down the king, all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that very day in the camp.

Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.

When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortified part of the royal palace and set the palace on fire over himself, and he died —

because of his failures that he had committed, doing what was wrong in the eyes of Yahweh, walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the failure he committed by causing Israel to go wrong.

As for the rest of what Zimri did, and the plot he carried out — isn't it written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

At that point the people of Israel split in two: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath to make him king, and the other half followed Omri.

But the people who followed Omri overpowered the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died, and Omri became king.

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

He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built up the hill and named the city he built Samaria, after Shemer, the previous owner of the hill.

Omri did what was wrong in the eyes of Yahweh and acted worse than everyone who came before him.

He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and in the failures by which he caused Israel to go wrong, provoking Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

As for the rest of what Omri did, and the power he demonstrated—isn't it written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

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

Ahab son of Omri did what was wrong in the eyes of Yahweh, more than anyone who came before him.

And as if it were a trivial thing to walk in the failures of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he went and married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then went and served Baal and bowed down to him.

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

Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who came before him.

In his days, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and he set up its gates at the cost of Segub his youngest, just as Yahweh had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.