1 Kings
21:1 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.
21:2 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.
21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the
inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
21:4 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.
21:5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit
so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
21:6 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.
21:7 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.
21:8 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.
21:9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on
high among the people:
21:10 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.
21:11 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.
21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
21:13 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.
21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
21:15 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.
21:16 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.
21:17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
21:18 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.
21:19 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.
21:20 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.
21:21 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,
21:22 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.
21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel
by the wall of Jezreel.
21:24 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.
21:25 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.
21:26 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.
21:27 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.
21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
21:29 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.
