8 Hello and welcome to our daily Bible reading. Today we are looking at 1 Kings, chapters 15 and 16. There was a southern kingdom made up of Judah including Jerusalem and a northern kingdom which was Israel. A bijum reigned over Judah 3 years. The bijum died and his son Asa reigned over Judah for 41 years. Nadab reigned over Israel for 2 years. Beyasha struck Nadab down and began his reign over Israel in the 3rd year. Asa was king of Judah. Beyasha died. His son Elah began to reign over Israel in the 26th year Asa was king of Judah. Zimra struck Elah down and began his reign over Israel in the 27th year Asa was king of Judah. The people of Israel made Amra king over Israel in the 31st year Asa was king of Judah. Amra died. His son Ahab began his reign over Israel the 38th year Asa was king of Judah. Follow along with me as a beginner read. Again, we are beginning in 1 Kings, chapter 15 verse 1. Now in the 18th year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a bijum began his reign over Judah. He reigned for 3 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Mayaka, the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord, his God, gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem, because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Now there was war between Reabbom and Jeroboam all the days of his life. The rest of the acts of Abijum and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. And there was war between Abijum and Jeroboam. And Abijum slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In the 20th year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Mayaka, the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. He put away the male cult, prostitutes, out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed Mayaka his mother from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asa. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook, Kidron, but the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. And he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver and gold and vessels. And there was war between Asa and Beasha, king of Israel all their days. Beasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben Haidad, the son of Tabramon, the son of Hesian, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, "Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Beasha, king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me." And Ben Haidad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Adjan, Dan, Abel Bath, Mayaka, and all canaryth with all the land of Naphtala. And when Beasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Terza. Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Beasha had been building, and with them, king Asa built Giba, a Benjamin and Misspa. Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age, he was diseased in his feet, and Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father, and Jehoshaphat, his son, rained in his place. Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa, king of Judah, and he rained over Israel two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. Beasha, the son of Ahajah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and Beasha struck him down at Gibbathun, which belonged to the Philistines for Nadab, and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbathun. So Beasha killed him in the third year of Asa, king of Judah, and rained in his place. And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahajah, the shallow knight. It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned, and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel. The rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Beasha, king of Israel, all their days. In the third year of Asa, king of Judah, Beasha, the son of Ahajah, began to reign over all Israel at Terza, and he rained twenty-four years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin, which he made Israel to sin. Chapter 17 And the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Haneini, against Beasha, saying, "Since I exalted you out of the dust, and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly sweep away Beasha in his house, and I will make your house, like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Anyone belonging to Beasha who dies in the city, the dog shall eat, and any one of his who dies in the field, the birds of the heavens shall eat. Now the rest of the acts of Beasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Beasha slept with his fathers, and was buried at Terza, and Ela, his son, rained in his place. Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu, the son of Haneini, against Beasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, and being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it. In the 26th year of Asa, king of Judah, Ela, the son of Beasha, began to reign over Israel in Terza, and he rained two years, but his servant Zimra, commander of half his chariots, inspired against him. When he was at Terza, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Terza, Zimra came in and struck him down and killed him, in the 27th year of Asa, king of Judah, and rained in his place. When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Beasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. Thus, Zimra destroyed all the house of Beasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Beasha by Jehu, the prophet, for all the sins of Beasha and the sins of Ela, his son, which they sinned, and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Ela, 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, Zimra, rained seven days in Terza. Now the troops were encamped against Gibithon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the troops who were encamped heard it said, Zimra has conspired, and he has killed the king. And before all Israel made Amra, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. So Amra went up from Gibithon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Terza. And when Zimra saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him, with fire and died. Because of his sin that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. Now the rest of the acts of Zimra, and the conspiracy that he made, 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 Timnath, the son of Gennath, to make him king in half-followed Amra. But the people who followed Amra overcame the people who followed Timnath, the son of Gennath. So Timnath died, and Amra became king. In the 31st year of Asa, king of Judah, Amra began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years, six years he reigned in Terza. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. Amra did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in the sin that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Amra that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of kings of Israel? When Amra slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place. In the 38th year of Asa, king of Judah, Ahab the son of Amra began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Amra reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years, and Ahab the son of Amra did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ephbel, king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal and the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria, and Ahab made in Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. In his days, Hael of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abarim, his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son, Sigab, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of none.
