1 N ow Naboth the Jezreelite had a field of grape-vines in Jezreel beside the family of Ahab king of Samaria.

Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, close beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria; and after these things,

2 A hab said to Naboth, “Give me your grape-field. I want it for a vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better field for it. Or I will pay for it with money, if you like.”

Ahab said to Naboth, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money.

3 B ut Naboth said to Ahab, “May the Lord keep me from giving you what I have received from my fathers.”

Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you.

4 A hab went into his house sad and angry because of Naboth the Jezreelite saying to him, “I will not give you what I have received from my fathers.” And Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away and would not eat.

And Ahab came into his house resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would eat no food.

5 H is wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so troubled that you are not eating food?”

But Jezebel his wife came and said to him, Why is your spirit so troubled that you eat no food?

6 H e said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said to him, ‘Give me your grape-field for money. Or I will give you another field for it, if you like.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my grape-field.’”

And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not give you my vineyard.

7 J ezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now rule over Israel? Get up, eat food, and let your heart be filled with joy. I will give you the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Jezebel his wife said to him, Do you not govern Israel? Arise, eat food, and let your heart be happy. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

8 S o she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and put the mark of his name on them. She sent letters to the leaders and the king’s sons who were living with Naboth in his city.

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal and sent them to the elders and nobles who dwelt with Naboth in his city.

9 S he wrote in the letters, saying, “Tell the people that it is a time when they should not eat. And put Naboth in front of the people.

And in the letters she said, Proclaim a fast and set Naboth up high among the people.

10 S eat two men of no worth beside him. And have them speak against him, saying, ‘You spoke against God and the king.’ Then take him out and kill him with stones.”

And set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, You cursed and renounced God and the king. Then carry him out and stone him to death.

11 S o the leaders and king’s sons who lived in Naboth’s city did just as Jezebel had written to them in the letters she had sent.

And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who dwelt there, did as Jezebel had directed in the letters sent them.

12 T hey told the people that it was a time when they should not eat. And they put Naboth in front of the people.

They proclaimed a fast and set Naboth on high among the people.

13 T hen the two men of no worth came in and sat beside him. These men spoke against Naboth in front of the people, saying, “Naboth spoke against God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and killed him with stones.

Two base fellows came in and sat opposite him and they charged Naboth before the people, saying, Naboth cursed and renounced God and the king. Then he was carried out of the city and stoned to death.

14 T hen they sent news to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been killed with stones. He is dead.”

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is dead.

15 W hen Jezebel heard that Naboth had been killed with stones, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite for your own, the field he would not sell to you. For Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

Then Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to sell you, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16 W hen Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down and take for his own the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite.

When Ahab heard that, he arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

17 T hen the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 “ Get ready and go down to Samaria to meet Ahab king of Israel. He is in Naboth’s grape-field. He has gone down to take it for his own.

Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel in Samaria. He is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to possess it.

19 A nd you will speak to him, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says, “Have you killed and also taken away?” And you will speak to him, saying, “This is what the Lord says, ‘The dogs will drink up your blood in the place where the dogs drank up the blood of Naboth.’”’”

Say to him, Thus says the Lord: Have you killed and also taken possession? Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours.

20 A hab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O you who hate me?” Elijah answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord.

And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

21 S ee, I will bring trouble upon you. I will destroy you. I will kill every male of Ahab in Israel, both those who are servants and those who are free.

See, I will bring evil on you and utterly sweep away and cut off from Ahab every male, bond and free,

22 I will make your house like the family of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha the son of Ahijah. Because you have made Me angry, and have made Israel sin.

And will make your household like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the household of Baasha son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger and made Israel to sin.

23 A nd the Lord has spoken about Jezebel, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the land of Jezreel.’

Also the Lord said of Jezebel: The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24 T he dogs will eat anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city. The birds of the air will eat anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the field.”

Any belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and any who dies in the field the birds of the air shall eat.

25 T here was no one who sold himself to do what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord like Ahab did. His wife Jezebel moved him to do it.

For there was no one who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab, incited by his wife Jezebel.

26 H e did what was hated by following false gods. He did all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out in front of the people of Israel.

He did very abominably in going after idols, as had the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites.

27 W hen Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and dressed in cloth made from hair, and would not eat. He lay dressed in cloth made from hair, and went about very sad.

When Ahab heard those words of Elijah, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his flesh, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went quietly.

28 T hen the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 “ Do you see how Ahab has got rid of his pride before Me? Because he has gotten rid of his pride, I will not bring trouble to him while he is alive. But I will bring trouble upon his house in his son’s days.”

Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before Me? Because he humbles himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his lifetime, but in his son’s day I will bring the evil upon his house.