The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. bHis mother’s name was cMaachah the granddaughter of dAbishalom.

  3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; ehis heart was not 1loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.

  4Nevertheless ffor David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem;

  5because David gdid what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, hexcept in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

  6iAnd there was war between 2Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

  7jNow the rest of the acts of Abijam, 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 Abijam and Jeroboam.

  8kSo Abijam 3rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place.

  Asa Reigns in Judah

  (2 Chr. 14:1—16:14)

  9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.

  10And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom.

  11lAsa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David.

  12mAnd he banished the 4perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

  13Also he removed nMaachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of 5Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and oburned it by the Brook Kidron.

  14pBut the 6high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s qheart was loyal to the LORD all his days.

  15He also brought into the house of the LORD the things which his father rhad dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.

  16Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

  17And sBaasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built tRamah, uthat he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

  18Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to vBen-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in wDamascus, saying,

  19“Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

  20So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and xsent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked yIjon, zDan, aAbel Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

  21Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in bTirzah.

  22cThen King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built dGeba of Benjamin, and eMizpah.

  23The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But fin the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

  24So Asa 7rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. gThen hJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

  Nadab Reigns in Israel

  25Now iNadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.

  26And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in jhis sin by which he had made Israel sin.

  27kThen Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at lGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

  28Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

  29And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to mthe word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,

  30nbecause of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

  31Now 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?

  32oAnd there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

  Baasha Reigns in Israel

  33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years.

  34He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in pthe way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

  1 Kings 16

  The Reigns of Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab

  1Then the word of the LORD came to aJehu the son of bHanani, against cBaasha, saying:

  2d“Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and eyou have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins,

  3“surely I will ftake1 away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like gthe house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

  4“The dogs shall eat hwhoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.”

  5Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, iare they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

  6So Baasha 2rested with his fathers and was buried in jTirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.

  7And also the word of the LORD came by the prophet kJehu the son of Hanani against Baasha 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 lhe killed them.

  Elah Reigns in Israel

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

  9mNow his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, nsteward3 of his house in Tirzah.

  10And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

  11Then 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 Baasha; he odid not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.

  12Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, paccording to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

  13for all the sins of Baasha 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 qwith their 4idols.

  14Now 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?

  Zimri Reigns in Israel

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

  16Now 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.

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

  18And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was 5taken, that he wen
t into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house 6down upon himself with fire, and died,

  19because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, sin walking in the tway of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

  20Now 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?

  Omri Reigns in Israel

  21Then 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.

  22But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned.

  23In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in uTirzah.

  24And 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, vSamaria,7 after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill.

  25wOmri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him.

  26For he xwalked 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 yidols.8

  27Now 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?

  28So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place.

  Ahab Reigns in Israel

  29In the thirty-eighth 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 twenty-two years.

  30Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

  31And 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, zthat he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the aSidonians; band he went and served Baal and worshiped him.

  32Then he set up an altar for Baal in cthe temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

  33dAnd Ahab made a 9wooden image. Ahab edid more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

  34In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation 10with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, faccording to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.

  1 Kings 17

  Elijah Proclaims a Drought

  1And Elijah the Tishbite, of the ainhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, b“As the LORD God of Israel lives, cbefore whom I stand, dthere shall not be dew nor rain ethese years, except at my word.”

  2Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

  3“Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

  4“And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the fravens to feed you there.”

  5So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

  6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

  7And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

  Elijah and the Widow

  8Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

  9“Arise, go to gZarephath, which belongs to hSidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

  10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”

  11And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

  12So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a 1jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and idie.”

  13And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.

  14“For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’ ”

  15So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

  16The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.

  Elijah Revives the Widow’s Son

  17Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so 2serious that 3there was no breath left in him.

  18So she said to Elijah, j“What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

  19And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

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

  21kAnd he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.”

  22Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he lrevived.

  23And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”

  24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this mI know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”

  1 Kings 18

  Elijah’s Message to Ahab

  1And it came to pass after amany days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and bI will send rain on the earth.”

  2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.

  3And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was 1in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.

  4For so it was, while Jezebel 2massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)

  5And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.”

  6So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

  7Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he crecognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”

  8And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”

  9So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?

  10“As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you.

  11“And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here” ’!

  12“And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that dthe Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared
the LORD from my youth.

  13“Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

  14“And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me!”

  15Then Elijah said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.”

  16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

  17Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, e“Is that you, O ftroubler of Israel?”

  18And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, gin that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.

  19“Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on hMount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, iand the four hundred prophets of 3Asherah, who 4eat at Jezebel’s table.”

  Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory

  20So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and jgathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.

  21And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, lfollow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

  22Then Elijah said to the people, m“I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; nbut Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

  23“Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.

  24“Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who oanswers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, 5“It is well spoken.”

  25Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

  26So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, 6hear us!” But there was pno voice; no one answered. Then they 7leaped about the altar which they had made.