Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Kings chapter
16. Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the
son of Hanani against Basha saying, Inasmuch
as I lifted you out of the dust and made you
ruler over my people Israel, and you have walked
in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people
Israel sin to provoke me to anger with their
sins. Surely I will take away the posterity of
Basha and the posterity of his house, and I will
make your house like the house of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs
to Basha and dies in the city, and the birds
of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.
Now the rest of the acts of Basha, what he did,
and his might, are they not written in the book
of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So
Basha rested with his fathers and was buried
in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.
And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet
Jehu the son of Hanani against Basha and his
house because of all the evil that he did in
the sight of the Lord in provoking him to anger
with the work of his hands in being like the
house of Jeroboam and because he killed them.
In the 26th year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the
son of Basha became king over Israel and reigned
two years in Tirzah. Now his servant Zimri, commander
of half his chariots, conspired against him as
he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the
house of Arzah, steward of his house 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. Then it came
to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he
was seated on his throne, that he killed all
the household of Basha. He did not leave him
one male, neither of his relatives nor of his
friends. Thus Zimri destroyed all the household
of Basha, according to the word of the Lord,
which he spoke against Basha by Jehu the prophet.
For all the sins of Basha and the sins of Elah
his son, by which they had sinned and by which
they had made Israel sin, in 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 27th
year of Asa king of Judah. Zimri had reigned
in Tirzah seven days, and the people were encamped
against Gebeton, which belonged to the Philistines.
Now the people who were encamped heard it said,
Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.
So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the
army, king over Israel that day in the camp.
Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from
Gebeton, and they besieged Tirzah. And it happened
when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that
he went into the citadel of the king's house,
and burned the king's house down upon himself
with fire, and died. Because of the sins which
he had committed in doing evil in the sight of
the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam,
and in his sin which he had committed to make
Israel sin. Now 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? Then the people of Israel were divided
into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni,
the son of Ginnat, to make him king, and half
followed Omri. But the people who followed Omri
prevailed over the people who followed Tibni,
the son of Ginnat. So Tibni died and Omri reigned.
In the thirty -first year of Asa king of Judah,
Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve
years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah, and he
bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two
talents of silver. Then he built on the hill,
and called the name of the city which he built
Samaria, after the name of Shemer, owner of the
hill. Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
and did worse than all who were before him. For
he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made
Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel
to anger with their idols. Now the rest of the
acts of Omri which he did, and the might that
he showed, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Omri
rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria.
Then Ahab his son reigned in his place. In the
38th year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son
of Omri became king over Israel. And Ahab the
son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22
years. Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the
sight of the Lord, more than all who were before
him. And it came to pass, as though it had been
a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife
Jezebel the daughter of Edbaal, king of the Sidonians.
And he went and served Baal and worshipped him.
Then he set up an altar of Baal in the temple
of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab
made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke
the Lord 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
with Abiram, his firstborn, and with his youngest
son, Segub, he set up its gates. According to
the word of the Lord, which he had spoken through
Joshua, the son of Nun. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.