1 Kings 21

¹After these things , Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel , next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria .

²Ahab 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 .”

³Naboth said to Ahab, “May the LORD forbid me , that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you !”

⁴Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him , for he had 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 .

⁵But Jezebel his wife came to him , and said to him , “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread ?”

⁶He 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 .’”

⁷Jezebel 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 .”

⁸So 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 .

⁹She wrote in the letters , saying, “Proclaim a fast , and set Naboth on high among the people .

¹⁰Set 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 .”

¹¹The 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 .

¹²They proclaimed a fast , and set Naboth on high among the people .

¹³The 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 .

¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead .”

¹⁵When 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 .”

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

¹⁷The LORD ’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 .

¹⁹You shall speak to him , saying , ‘The LORD says , “Have you killed and also taken possession ?”’ You shall speak to him , saying , ‘The LORD says , “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth , dogs will lick your blood , even yours.”’”

²⁰Ahab 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 the LORD ’s sight .

²¹Behold , 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 .[#21:21 or, male]

²²I 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 .”

²³The LORD also spoke of Jezebel, saying , “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel .

²⁴The 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 .”

²⁵But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the LORD ’s sight , whom Jezebel his wife stirred up .

²⁶He did very abominably in following idols , according to all that the Amorites did , whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel .

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

²⁸The LORD ’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 .”