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

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

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.”

And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

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

And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

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 heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

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 to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

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 unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee 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.”

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee 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 the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

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 she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on 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, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

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, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto 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.

And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

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 is 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.”

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: 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.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up 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,

And 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, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down 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.’”’”

And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

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, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work 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.

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

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 thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast 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.’

And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, 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.”

Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air 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.

But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

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.

And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

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.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

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.”

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.