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

Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside 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.”

Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “ Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price 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.”

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

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.

So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate 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 to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating 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.’”

So he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘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 now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; 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 letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living 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.

Now she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of 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 seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘ You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” Jezebel’s Plot

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.

So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had 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 seated Naboth at the head of 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.

Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.

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

Then they sent word 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.”

When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you 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.

When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab 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, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of 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.’”’”

You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “ Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “ In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up 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.

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.

Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free 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 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.

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

Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘ The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district 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.”

The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will 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.

Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

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 acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons 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.

It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.

28 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,

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 has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”