21:1 | After this the following episode took place.* Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.* |
21:2 | Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer,* I will pay you silver for it.”* |
21:3 | But Naboth replied to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance.”* |
21:4 | So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said,* “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.”* He lay down on his bed, pouted,* and would not eat. |
21:5 | Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, “Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?” |
21:6 | He answered her, “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not sell you my vineyard.’”* |
21:7 | His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel!* Get up, eat some food, and have a good time.* I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” |
21:8 | She wrote out orders,* signed Ahab’s name to them,* and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders* to the leaders* and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city.* |
21:9 | This is what she wrote:* “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. |
21:10 | Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” |
21:11 | The men of the* city, the leaders* and the nobles who lived there,* followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them.* |
21:12 | They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. |
21:13 | The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him* outside the city and stoned him to death.* |
21:14 | Then they reported to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”* |
21:15 | When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she* said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he’s dead.” |
21:16 | When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead,* he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. |
21:17 | The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite:* |
21:18 | “Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. |
21:19 | Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’” |
21:20 | When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him,* “So, you have found me, my enemy!” Elijah* replied, “I have found you, because you are committed* to doing evil in the sight of* the Lord. |
21:21 | The Lord says,* ‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster* on you. I will destroy you* and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.* |
21:22 | I will make your dynasty* like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.’* |
21:23 | The Lord says this about Jezebel, ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall* of Jezreel.’ |
21:24 | As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones* who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” |
21:25 | (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed* to doing evil in the sight of* the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel.* |
21:26 | He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols,* just like the Amorites* whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.) |
21:27 | When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. |
21:28 | The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,* |
21:29 | “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse* before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.”* |