1 Kings 21

1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, near by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard that I may have it for a garden of herbs because it is near to 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.

3 And Naboth said to Ahab, Jehovah forbid it of me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee.

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 himself down upon 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 thy spirit so sad that thou eat no bread?

6 And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to 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.

7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, Do thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry. I will give thee 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, and who dwelt with Naboth.

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

10 And set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, Thou cursed God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him to death.

11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.

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

13 And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him. And the base fellows bore witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth cursed God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones.

14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

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.

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.

17 And the word of Jehovah 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 And thou shall speak to him, saying, Thus says Jehovah, Have thou killed and also taken possession? And thou shall speak to him, saying, Thus says Jehovah, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Have thou found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found thee because thou have sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel.

22 And I will make thy 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 thou have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.

23 And Jehovah spoke also of Jezebel, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.

24 He who dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat, and he who dies in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat.

25 (But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did whom Jehovah cast out before the sons of Israel.)

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28 And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 See thou how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles 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.