1 Kings 21

¹ After these events: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

² Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard so it can be my vegetable garden, for it is close to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you its price in silver."

³ Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors!"

⁴ Ahab went to his house sullen and resentful because of the word Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him when he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors." He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and would not eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, "Why is your spirit so sullen that you are not eating?"

⁶ He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

⁷ His wife Jezebel said to him, "Is this how you exercise kingship over Israel? Get up, eat, and let your heart be glad. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

⁸ She wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city.

⁹ She wrote in the letters: "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people.

¹⁰ Seat two worthless men opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death."

¹¹ The men of his city—the elders and the nobles who lived in his city—did as Jezebel had sent word to them, as it was written in the letters she had sent them.

¹² They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.

¹³ The two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. The worthless men testified against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." They took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

¹⁴ They sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."

¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Get up, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is not alive but dead."

¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

¹⁷ The word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite:

¹⁸ "Get up, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. He is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.

¹⁹ Say to him: This is what the LORD says: Have you murdered and also taken possession? Then say to him: This is what the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours."

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He said, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the eyes of the LORD.

²¹ I am about to bring disaster on you. I will sweep away your descendants and cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel.

²² I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger and caused Israel to sin."

²³ And concerning Jezebel, the LORD also said: The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

²⁴ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and anyone who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat."

²⁵ (Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel.

²⁶ He acted most abominably by following idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about subdued.

²⁸ The word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite:

²⁹ "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days. In his son's days I will bring the disaster on his house."