15During the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah for seven days. At the time, the troops were encamped at Gibbethon of the Philistines. 16When the troops who were encamped there learned that Zimri had committed treason and had struck down the king, that very day, in the camp, all Israel acclaimed the army commander Omri king over Israel. 17Omri and all Israel then withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18When Zimri saw that the town was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and burned down the royal palace over himself. And so he died—19because of the sins which he committed and caused Israel to commit, doing what was displeasing to the LORD and following the ways of Jeroboam. 20The other events of Zimri’s reign, and the treason which he committed, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
21Then the people of Israel split into two factions: a part of the people followed Tibni son of Ginath to make him king, and the other part followed Omri. 22Those who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath; Tibni died and Omri became king.
23In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri became king over Israel—for twelve years. He reigned in Tirzah six years. 24Then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; he built [a town] on the hill and named the town which he built Samaria, after Shemer, the owner of the hill.
25Omri did what was displeasing to the LORD; he was worse than all who preceded him. 26He followed all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the sins which he committed and caused Israel to commit, vexing the LORD, the God of Israel, with their futilities. 27The other events of Omri’s reign, [and] his actions, and the exploits he performed, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 28Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and his son Ahab succeeded him as king.
29Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, and Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. 30Ahab son of Omri did what was displeasing to the LORD, more than all who preceded him. 31Not content to follow the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Phoenicians, and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32He erected an altar to Baal in the temple of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made a sacred post. Ahab did more to vex the LORD, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel who preceded him.
34During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite fortified Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of Abiram his first-born, and set its gates in place at the cost of Segub his youngest, in accordance with the words that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.b
17 Elijah the Tishbite, an inhabitant of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there will be no dew or rain except at my bidding.”
2 The word of the LORD came to him: 3“Leave this place; turn eastward and go into hiding by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4You will drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5He proceeded to do as the LORD had bidden: he went, and he stayed by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening, and he drank from the wadi.
7 After some time the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8And the word of the LORD came to him: 9“Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there; I have designated a widow there to feed you.” 10So he went at once to Zarephath. When he came to the entrance of the town, a widow was there gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please bring me a little water in your pitcher, and let me drink.” 11As she went to fetch it, he called out to her, “Please bring along a piece of bread for me.” 12“As the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I have nothing baked, nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am just gathering a couple of sticks, so that I can go home and prepare it for me and my son; we shall eat it and then we shall die.” 13“Don’t be afraid,” said Elijah to her. “Go and do as you have said; but first make me a small cake from what you have there, and bring it out to me; then make some for yourself and your son. 14For thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: The jar of flour shall not give out and the jug of oil shall not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the ground.” 15She went and did as Elijah had spoken, and she and he and her household had food for a long time. 16The jar of flour did not give out, nor did the jug of oil fail, just as the LORD had spoken through Elijah.
17After a while, the son of the mistress of the house fell sick, and his illness grew worse, until he had no breath left in him. 18She said to Elijah, “What harm have I done you, O man of God, that you should come here to recall my sin and cause the death of my son?” 19“Give me the boy,” he said to her; and taking him from her arms, he carried him to the upper chamber where he was staying, and laid him down on his own bed. 20He cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, will You bring calamity upon this widow whose guest I am, and let her son die?”
21Then he stretched out over the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, saying, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life return to his body!” 22The LORD heard Elijah’s plea; the child’s life returned to his body, and he revived. 23Elijah picked up the child and brought him down from the upper room into the main room, and gave him to his mother. “See,” said Elijah, “your son is alive.” 24And the woman answered Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD is truly in your mouth.”
18 Much later, in the third year,a the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go, appear before Ahab; then I will send rain upon the earth.” 2Thereupon Elijah set out to appear before Ahab.
The famine was severe in Samaria. 3Ahab had summoned Obadiah, the steward of the palace. (Obadiah revered the LORD greatly. 4When Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and provided them with food and drink.) 5And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we shall find some grass to keep horses and mules alive, so that we are not left without beasts.”
6They divided the country between them to explore it, Ahab going alone in one direction and Obadiah going alone in another direction. 7Obadiah was on the road, when Elijah suddenly confronted him. [Obadiah] recognized him and flung himself on his face, saying, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?” 8“Yes, it is I,” he answered. “Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!” 9But he said, “What wrong have I done, that you should hand your servant over to Ahab to be killed? 10As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to look for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that you could not be found. 11And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here!’ 12When I leave you, the spirit of the LORD will carry you off I don’t know where; and when I come and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has revered the LORD from my youth. 13My lord has surely been told what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred of the prophets of the LORD, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and drink. 14And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord: Elijah is here.’ Why, he will kill me!”
15Elijah replied, “As the LORD of Hosts lives, whom I serve, I will appear before him this very day.”
16Obadiah went to find Ahab, and informed him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17When Ahab caught sight of Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” 18He retorted, “It is not I who have brought trouble on Israel, but you and your father’s House, by forsaking the commandments of the LORD and going after the Baalim.
