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1 Kings

Naboth's Vineyard: Ahab and Jezebel's Crime and Punishment

21
Chapter 21
1 And it was after these words that a vineyard belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, who was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, and it will be to me a Garden of Eden vegetable garden because it is near my house, and I will give you in its place a better vineyard; if it is good in your eyes, I will give you silver as the price of it." 3 Naboth said to Ahab, "Far be it from me before the LORD for me to give you the inheritance of my fathers." 4 And Ahab came to his house sullen and wrathful over the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him—for he had said, "No, I will not give you the covenantal inheritance of my fathers"—and he lay down on his bed and turned his face and did not eat bread. 5 Then Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "What is this? Your spirit has turned aside, and you are not eating bread." 6 He said to Elijah, "I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you desire, I will give you a vineyard in its place.' And he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'" 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, "You now will do kingship over Israel. Rise, eat bread, and it will be good your heart. I will give to you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." 8 She wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal and sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were sitting in his city with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the scrolls, saying, "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people." 10 And they shall seat two people, sons of Belial, opposite him, and they shall testify against him, saying, "He blessed God and king." And they shall bring him out and they shall stone him and he shall die. 11 The men of his city, the elders and nobles of Israel who were sitting in his city, did as Jezebel had commanded them in the letters she had sent them. 12 Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. 13 Then the two men, sons of Belial, came and sat opposite him. And the men of Belial testified against him before the people, saying, "Naboth blessed God and king." And they brought him outside the city and stoned him with stones, and he died. 14 They sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth was stoned and he died." 15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and he had died, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Rise, possess the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give to you for silver, for Naboth is not alive, for he is dead." 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to possess it. 17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying. 18 Rise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. He has gone down to the vineyard of Naboth there to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, "Thus says the LORD: You have murdered and also you have inherited." And you shall speak to him, saying, "Thus says the LORD: In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood, also you." 20 And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" And he said, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD." 21 Behold, I am bringing evil upon you, and I will sweep away after you, and I will cut off from Ahab the one urinating against the wall and the one restrained and the one abandoned in Israel. 22 And I will give your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahiah to the anger that you have provoked and you have sinned Israel. 23 The LORD also spoke to Jezebel, saying, "The dogs will eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel." 24 In the city the dogs will eat Ahab's corpse, and in the field the birds of the heavens will eat the corpse. 25 There was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, who his wife Jezebel incited. 26 And he was exceedingly detestable in walking after the idols just as all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD dispossessed from before the sons of Israel. 27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his garments, put sackcloth on his flesh, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and walked slowly. 28 The word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 29 "Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; in the days of his son I will bring the evil upon his house."