Midrasz do Królów I 16:78

And so you find that Israel did everything that he had said to them in the days of the judges, as stated (in Jud. 10:6): <AGAIN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD> AND SERVED THE BAALS AND THE ASTARTES. So also Jeroboam, as stated (in I Kings 12:28–29): SO THE KING TOOK COUNSEL AND MADE TWO CALVES OF GOLD <….> THEN HE SET ONE IN BETHEL AND THE OTHER HE {SET} [PUT] IN DAN. Moreover, he did not allow Israel to go up to Jerusalem. Instead he said: These are your Gods, O Israel. So also Ahab sinned and made Israel sin more than all he wicked ones who came before him. (I Kings 16:30:) AND AHAB [BEN OMRI] DID MORE EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD THAN ALL WHO <HAD COME> BEFORE HIM. You yourself know that he sold himself to idolatrous worship, as stated (in I Kings 21:25): <INDEED THERE WAS NO ONE> LIKE AHAB WHO SOLD HIMSELF TO DO EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. He also made them forget the name of the Holy One. How? He blotted out the references <to the Divine Name> and wrote in their place, <e.g.,> "And Baal spoke," "In the beginning Baal," "And Baal said." And for all the whole Torah he did likewise. That is what the prophet says (in Jer. 23:27): THE ONES WHO INTEND TO MAKE MY PEOPLE FORGET MY NAME. But Menasseh did more than all of them, as stated (in II Chron 33:7; cf. II Kings 21:7): AND HE SET UP A SCULPTURED IMAGE <WHICH HE HAD MADE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD>…. (II Chron. 33:6 // II KINGS 21:6): AND HE HAD HIS SONS PASS THROUGH FIRE {FOR MOLECH} IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM. HE ALSO PRACTICED SOOTHSAYING, AUGURY, [SORCERY,] NECROMANCY, AND WIZARDRY. [HE DID MUCH EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD TO PROVOKE HIM TO ANGER.] And how <did he do it>? Molech was in the valley of Ben-hinnom.⁶Cf. Lam. R. 1:9 (36). It took place outside of Jerusalem and in a remote place. There was also an image <there> with the face of a calf and with its hands extended like a human [whose hands are open to receive] something from one's friend. Then they heated it until its hands became like fire. It also had seven latticed gates,⁷Qanqalim. Probably from the Gk.: kingklis, or the Lat.: cancelli, but Buber, n. 5, suggests the word comes from coenacula, which means “upper rooms.” with <the image> behind the innermost of them. Each and every one would enter in accordance with his offering. Whoever offered a bird entered the first lattice gate. With a goat he entered the second lattice gate; with a lamb, the third; with a calf, the fourth; with a bullock, the fifth; with a bull, the sixth. To whoever was offering his child the idol priests would say that there is none higher than that. He entered within the seventh lattice gate. Then he went and kissed it, as stated (in Hos. 13:2): THOSE WHO SACRIFICE A HUMAN BEING KISS CALVES. Then the idol priests would take his child from him and put the young child⁸Tinoq. “Young child” rather than “infant” here, because a parallel description in Lam. R. suggests that the offering might be an offspring somewhat older than an infant. upon the hands of Molech, while they took the drums and beat on them, so that the father would not hear the voice of his child. Then they pressed the young child's entrails upon it, while the young child screamed until <its spirit> left its body in the hands of <the idol>. R Judah the Levite said: That is what is written (in Jer. 7:31): AND THEY HAVE BUILT THE HIGH PLACES OF TOPHETH, WHICH ARE IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM <TO BURN THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS IN THE FIRE>. What is the meaning of TOPHETH? That they beat on their drums (tuppim, sing.: toph). What is the meaning of HINNOM? That the idol priests said to Molech, when the young child screamed (rt.: NHM): May it be pleasing to you! May it be appealing to you! Look at how fervent they were for idolatry! The Holy One said: It is on account of the evil drive (yetser hara) that you have sinned and gone into exile; but in the age to come I am rooting it (i.e., the evil drive) out of you,⁹Cf. Deut. R. 2:30. as stated (in Ezek. 36:26): I WILL REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE FROM YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH.

... Another explanation. “And all the work that king Solomon had wrought in the house of the Lord was finished.” (Melachim I 7:51) What does ‘all the work’ mean? It was built by itself, rising and floating up – thus it does not say when the house was built, but rather “And the house, when it was in building…” (Melachim I 6:7) “…was built of stone finished at the quarry (masa)…” (ibid.) What does ‘finished at the quarry’ (masa nivne) mean? R’ Brechia said: the stone picked itself up (nosah atzma), rose up and was built by itself. This is what Shlomo said in his song “I have surely built You a house to dwell in…” (Melachim I 8:13) He says ‘I have surely built’, meaning ‘I built a building and the stones rose up and flew into place themselves’. If you are shocked that the Holy One would do such a thing for a single righteous person, “And a stone was brought and placed on the mouth of the pit…” (Daniel 6:18) And where did they get a rock in Bavel? Our Rabbis said that it rolled all the way from the land of Israel and came in an instant. So if the Holy One did such a thing for flesh and blood, are you surprised that He would do so for the building of a house to the Holy One?

And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said: “Who are these?” (ibid., v. 8). R. Judah the son of Shalum asked: Is it possible that he did not recognize them? Had they not sat and studied the law with him every day? Yet now he asked “Who are these?” even though they had ministered to him during the seventeen years he had resided in Egypt. Did he actually not recognize them? The fact is that he foresaw that Jeroboam the son of Nebat and Ahab the son of Omri would descend from Ephraim, and that they would become idolaters.¹⁰Jeroboam made two calves of gold, placing one in Beth-El, and the other in Dan (I Kings 12:28). Ahab married the Phoenician princess Jezebel, who introduced the worship of Baal and Astarte into the northern kingdom. And he went and served Baal and worshipped him (I Kings 16:31). It was for this reason the Holy Spirit departed from him. When Joseph realized this, he prostrated himself before the Holy One, blessed be He, and pleaded for mercy, saying: “Master of the Universe, if they are worthy to be blessed, do not turn away and cause me to be turned away today disgraced.” Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, restored the Holy Spirit to Jacob, and he blessed them. Whence do we know this? From the fact that it is written: And I, I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms (Hos. 11:3), that is, I restored the Holy Spirit to Jacob for the sake of Ephraim.

Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “With the rise of the righteous the people rejoice, and with the rule of the wicked the people sigh.” (Proverbs 29:2). When the righteous achieve prominence, there is joy and happiness in the world; there is joy [va]¹⁰The word king [melekh] is preceded with the prefix vav heh. Va is an expression of joy. in the world: “And the King [vehamelekh] David” (II Samuel 3:31), va that David reigned; “and the King [vehamelekh] Solomon” (I Kings 2:45) va that Solomon reigned; “and the King [vehamelekh] Asa” (I Kings 15:22), va that Asa reigned. This is regarding kings of Israel; from where [do we know] regarding kings of the nations of the world? As it is stated: “And Cyrus the King [vehamelekh]” (Ezra 1:4), va that Cyrus reigned.
But when the wicked achieve prominence, woe [vai],¹¹The word reign [yimlokh] is preceded with the prefix vav yod. Vai is an expression of woe. sighing, and enflamed wrath are in the world. “Ahab son of Omri reigned [vayimlokh] over Israel” (I Kings 16:29), vai that Ahab son of Omri reigned. “Hoshe’a son of Ela…reigned [vayimlokh]” (II Kings 15:30), vai that Hoshe’a son of Ela reigned. “Zedekiah son of Yoshiyahu reigned [vayimlokh]” (Jeremiah 37:1), vai that Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned. Regarding kings of the nations of the world, it is as it is written: “It was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1), vai that Aḥashverosh reigned.

Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “With the rise of the righteous the people rejoice, and with the rule of the wicked the people sigh.” (Proverbs 29:2). When the righteous achieve prominence, there is joy and happiness in the world; there is joy [va]¹⁰The word king [melekh] is preceded with the prefix vav heh. Va is an expression of joy. in the world: “And the King [vehamelekh] David” (II Samuel 3:31), va that David reigned; “and the King [vehamelekh] Solomon” (I Kings 2:45) va that Solomon reigned; “and the King [vehamelekh] Asa” (I Kings 15:22), va that Asa reigned. This is regarding kings of Israel; from where [do we know] regarding kings of the nations of the world? As it is stated: “And Cyrus the King [vehamelekh]” (Ezra 1:4), va that Cyrus reigned.
But when the wicked achieve prominence, woe [vai],¹¹The word reign [yimlokh] is preceded with the prefix vav yod. Vai is an expression of woe. sighing, and enflamed wrath are in the world. “Ahab son of Omri reigned [vayimlokh] over Israel” (I Kings 16:29), vai that Ahab son of Omri reigned. “Hoshe’a son of Ela…reigned [vayimlokh]” (II Kings 15:30), vai that Hoshe’a son of Ela reigned. “Zedekiah son of Yoshiyahu reigned [vayimlokh]” (Jeremiah 37:1), vai that Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned. Regarding kings of the nations of the world, it is as it is written: “It was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1), vai that Aḥashverosh reigned.

Izevel, the daughter of Etba"al king of the Tzidonim and the wife of Achav, at the first time that she was brought before Achav taught him the ways of idol worshippers and because of her he was brought to become an idolater.

Whence do we learn (the duty of) showing loving-kindness to mourners? From Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal. The palace of Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, was near the market-place. When any corpse was carried through the market-place, she would go forth from her palace, and she clapped with the palms of her hands and praised with her mouth, and she followed the corpse ten steps. Concerning her, Elijah, be he remembered for good, prophesied (and said): "In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel" (2 Kings 9:36). But over the limbs which were (employed in) showing loving-kindness, the dogs had no power, as it is said, "And they went || to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands" (2 Kings 9:35).

"With his first-born son shall he lay its foundations, and with his youngest shall he plant its gates." And thus is it written (I Kings 16:34) "In his (Achav's) days Chiel of Beth-el built Jericho. With his first-born son he laid its foundations, and with his youngest son he planted its gates." I might think that (Joshua swore thus) unintentionally; it is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "according to the word of the L-rd that He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun."