1 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 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 And
Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance
of my fathers unto thee.
4 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 But
Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that
thou eatest no bread?
6 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 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 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 And
she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among
the people:
10 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 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 They
proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 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 Then
they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 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 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 And
the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 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 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 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 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 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 And
of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall
of Jezreel.
24 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 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 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 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 And
the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 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.
