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¹Now the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:

²“Because I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, angering me with their sins,

³take note: I will eradicate Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

⁴Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone who is his and dies in the field, the birds will eat.”

⁵The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

⁶Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

⁷But through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani the word of the LORD also had come against Baasha and against his house because of all the evil he had done in the LORD’s sight. His actions angered the LORD, and Baasha’s house became like the house of Jeroboam, because he had struck it down.

⁸In the twenty-sixth year of Judah’s King Asa, Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.

⁹His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household at Tirzah.

¹⁰In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, killing him. Then Zimri became king in his place.

¹¹When he became king, as soon as he was seated on his throne, Zimri struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, including his kinsmen and his friends.

¹²So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu.

¹³This happened because of all the sins of Baasha and those of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit, angering the LORD God of Israel with their worthless idols.

¹⁴The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines.

¹⁶When these troops heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king, then all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that very day in the camp.

¹⁷Omri along with all Israel marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.

¹⁸When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down over himself. He died

¹⁹because of the sin he committed by doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight and by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit.

²⁰The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he instigated, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²¹At that time the people of Israel were divided: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.

²²However, the people who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

²³In the thirty-first year of Judah’s King Asa, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah,

²⁴then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Samaria based on the name Shemer, the owner of the hill.

²⁵Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight; he did more evil than all who were before him.

²⁶He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat in every respect and continued in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, angering the LORD God of Israel with their worthless idols.

²⁷The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²⁸Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

²⁹Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

³⁰But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight more than all who were before him.

³¹Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not enough, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and bow in worship to him.

³²He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

³³Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to anger the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

³⁴During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest, he finished its gates, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!”

²Then the word of the LORD came to him:

³“Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

⁴You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

⁵So he proceeded to do what the LORD commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

⁶The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi.

⁷After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him:

⁹“Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.”

¹⁰So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”

¹¹As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

¹²But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked — only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

¹³Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son,

¹⁴for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.’”

¹⁵So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.

¹⁶The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Elijah.

¹⁷After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing.

¹⁸She said to Elijah, “Man of God, why are you here? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”

¹⁹But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?”

²¹Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!”

²²So the LORD listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.

²³Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”

²⁴Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD’s word from your mouth is true.”

¹After a long time, the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land.”

²So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

³Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the LORD

⁴and took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD’s prophets.

⁵Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.”

⁶They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

⁷While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸“It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’”

⁹But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

¹⁰As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

¹¹“Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’

¹²But when I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

¹³Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the LORD, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water.

¹⁴Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵Then Elijah said, “As the LORD of Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?”

¹⁸He replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the LORD’s commands and followed the Baals.

¹⁹Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

²⁰So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

²¹Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

²³Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.

²⁴Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire, he is God.” All the people answered, “That’s fine.”

²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

²⁶So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.

²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!”

²⁸They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them.

²⁹All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the LORD’s altar that had been torn down:

³¹Elijah took twelve stones — according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”  —

³²and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.

³³Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.”

³⁴Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time.

³⁵So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

³⁶At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things.

³⁷Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸Then the LORD’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!”

⁴⁰Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

⁴¹Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”

⁴²So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees.

⁴³Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴On the seventh time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’”

⁴⁵In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel.

⁴⁶The power of the LORD was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.