25. Then JEROBOAM built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived in it; and he went out from there, and built Penuel.

26. JEROBOAM said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to David's house.

27. If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in The LORD's house at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."

28. So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"

29. He set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

30. This thing became a sin; for the people went even as far as Dan to worship before the one there.

31. He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32. JEROBOAM ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

33. He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar, to burn incense.

33. After this thing JEROBOAM didn't return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.

34. This thing became sin to the house of JEROBOAM, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.

9. but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back;

10. therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of JEROBOAM, and will cut off from JEROBOAM everyone who urinates on a wall, he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of JEROBOAM, as a man sweeps away dung, until it is all gone.

11. The dogs will eat he who belongs to JEROBOAM who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field: for the LORD has spoken it."'

12. Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter into the city, the child will die.

13. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of JEROBOAM will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward The LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of JEROBOAM.

14. Moreover the LORD will raise up a king for himself over Israel, who will cut off the house of JEROBOAM. This is the day! What? Even now.

15. For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.

16. He will give Israel up because of the sins of JEROBOAM, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin."

2. "Because I exalted you out of the dust, and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of JEROBOAM, and have made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

3. behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make your house like the house of JEROBOAM the son of Nebat.

4. The dogs will eat Baasha's descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field, the birds of the sky will eat."

5. Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

6. Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his place.

7. Moreover The LORD's word came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in The LORD's sight, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of JEROBOAM, and because he struck him.

8. In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years.

9. His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah;

10. 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.

11. When he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he attacked all the house of Baasha. He didn't leave him a single one who urinates on a wall among his relatives or his friends.

12. Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to The LORD's word, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

13. for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and with which they made Israel to sin, to provoke The LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

14. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15. In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16. The people who were encamped heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

17. Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

18. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortified part of the king's house, and burned the king's house over him with fire, and died,

19. for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in The LORD's sight, in walking in the way of JEROBOAM, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

20. Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

21. Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

22. But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23. In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel for twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah.

24. He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25. Omri did that which was evil in The LORD's sight, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.

26. For he walked in all the way of JEROBOAM the son of Nebat, and in his sins with which he made Israel to sin, to provoke The LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

27. Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

28. So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

29. In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

30. Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in The LORD's sight above all that were before him.

31. As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of JEROBOAM the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.

For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for JEROBOAM and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office to The LORD.