The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 21
1 After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel,
next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give
me your vineyard, that I may have it for
a garden of herbs, because it is near my
house; and I will give you for it a better
vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to
you, I will give you its worth in money.”
3 Naboth said to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance
of my fathers to you!”
4 Ahab came into his house sullen and
angry because of the word which Naboth
the Jezreelitehadspokentohim,forhehad
said, “I will not give you the inheritance of
my fathers.” He laid himself down on his
bed, and turned away his face, and would
eat no bread.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and
said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that
you eat no bread?”
6 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 another
vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘I will not
give you my vineyard.’ ”
7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you
now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise,
and eat bread, and let your heart be merry.
I will give you 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 to the elders and to the nobles who
were in his city, who lived with Naboth.
9 She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among
the people.
10 Set two men, wicked fellows, before
him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then
carry him out, and stone him to death.”
11 The men of his city, even the elders
and the nobles who lived in his city, did as
Jezebel had instructed them in the letters
which she had written and sent to them.
12 They proclaimeda fast, andsetNaboth
on high among the people.
13 The two men, the wicked fellows,
came in and sat before him. The wicked
fellows testified against him, even against
Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!”
Then they carried him out of the city and
stoned him to death with stones.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying,
“Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 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 When Ahab heard that Naboth was
dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take
possession of it.
17 Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of
Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he
is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has
gone down to take possession of it.
19 You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken
possession?” ’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahwehsays, “Inthe place where dogs
licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick
your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found
me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have
sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight.
21 Behold, I will bring evil on you, and
will utterly sweep you away and will cut
off from Ahab everyone who urinates
against a wall,† and him who is shut up and
him who is left at large in Israel.
22 I will make your house like the house
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like
the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for
the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel
to sin.”
23 Yahweh also spoke of Jezebel, saying,
“The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart
of Jezreel.
24 The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab
in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat
he who dies in the field.”
25 But there was no one like Ahab, who
sold himself to do that which was evil
in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife
stirred up.
26 He did very abominably in following
idols, according to all that the Amorites
did, whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.
27 When Ahab heard those words, he
tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body,
fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about
despondently.
28 Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the
Tishbite, saying,
29 “See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself
before me, I will not bring the evil in his
days; but I will bring the evil on his house
in his son’s day.”