In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son
of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And
his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against
him: now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of
Arza, which was over the household in Tirzah: and Zimri went in and
smote him, and killed him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to
pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he
smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man child,
neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy
all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he
spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha,
and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they
made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger
with their vanities.

{371}{372}

[Illustration]
MOUNT HERMON.

Mount Hermon, the great mountain barrier of northern Palestine,
rises 9,200 feet above the sea. In the picture the range can be seen
dimly, the ravines being filled with snow.
[End illustration]

{373}

ZIMRI.

(There was wild work in Tirzah for a few days after Zimri killed the
king. He followed up his advantage by assassinating all the children
of Elah, so the house of Baasha, like the house of Jeroboam, was
speedily exterminated. But Zimri's triumph was very short-lived. For
just one week he wore the purple. Then the army returned and fell upon
him. He went into the palace to defend himself, but finding his cause
hopeless, he burned the palace over his own head, and perished in the
flames. His name became a synonym for treachery in Israel, so that
later, when Jezebel looked from her lattice and saw her foe Jehu
below, she called out to him with the taunt, "Is it peace, thou
'Zimri,' thou master's murderer?")

In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign
seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon,
which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped
heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also murdered the king:
wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over
Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all
Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when
Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the
king's h