1 Kings 21

1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vine-garden in Jezreel, near the house of Ahab, king of Samaria.

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

2 And Ahab said to Naboth, Give me your vine-garden so that I may have it for a garden of sweet plants, for it is near my house; and let me give you a better vine-garden in exchange, or, if it seems good to you, let me give you its value in money.

Ahab, therefore, spake unto Naboth, saying—Come! give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, for, the same, is near by my house, and let me give thee, instead thereof, a vineyard better than it, —if it be good in thine eyes, I will give thee silver to the value of this.

3 But Naboth said to Ahab, By the Lord, far be it from me to give you the heritage of my fathers.

And Naboth said unto Ahab, —Far be it from me, of Yahweh! that I should give up the inheritance of my fathers, unto thee!

4 So Ahab came into his house bitter and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, I will not give you the heritage of my fathers. And stretching himself on the bed with his face turned away, he would take no food.

So Ahab came into his house, sullen and disturbed, because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto him, that he should have said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. So he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and did eat no food.

5 But Jezebel, his wife, came to him and said, Why is your spirit so bitter that you have no desire for food?

Then came unto him Jezebel his wife, —and said unto him—Why is it, that thy spirit is sullen, that thou art, not eating food?

6 And he said to her, Because I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, and I said to him, Let me have your vine-garden for a price, or, if it is pleasing to you, I will give you another vine-garden for it: and he said, I will not give you my vine-garden.

And he said unto her—Because I spake unto Naboth, the Jezreelite, and said unto him—Come! give me thy vineyard for silver, or, if thou wouldst prefer, I will give thee a vineyard, in its stead; and he said—I will not give thee my vineyard.

7 Then Jezebel, his wife, said, Are you now the ruler of Israel? Get up, take food, and let your heart be glad; I will give you the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Then Jezebel his wife said unto him: Art, thou, still, going to carry on the kingdom over Israel? Rise! eat food, and let thy heart be merry, I, will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite!

8 So she sent a letter in Ahab's name, stamped with his stamp, to the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority with Naboth.

So she wrote letters, in the name of Ahab, and sealed them with his signet-ring, —and sent the letters unto the elders, and unto the nobles who were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

9 And in the letter she said, Let a time of public sorrow be fixed, and put Naboth at the head of the people;

Now she wrote in the letters, saying, —Proclaim ye a fast, and cause Naboth to sit at the head of the people;

10 And get two good-for-nothing persons to come before him and give witness that he has been cursing God and the king. Then take him out and have him stoned to death.

then let two reckless men take their seats before him, that they may bear witness against him, saying, Thou hast reviled God and king! then shall ye carry him forth and stone him, that he die.

11 So the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority in his town, did as Jezebel had said in the letter she sent them.

So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did just as Jezebel had sent unto them, —as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them:

12 They gave orders for a day of public sorrow, and put Naboth at the head of the people.

they proclaimed a fast, —and caused Naboth to sit at the head of the people.

13 And the two good-for-nothing persons came in and took their seats before him and gave witness against Naboth, in front of the people, saying, Naboth has been cursing God and the king. Then they took him outside the town and had him stoned to death.

Then came in the two reckless men, and sat before him, and the men bare witness against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, Naboth hath reviled God and king! So they carried him forth, outside the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

14 And they sent word to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is dead.

Then sent they unto Jezebel, saying, —Naboth is stoned and is dead.

15 Then Jezebel, hearing that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, said to Ahab, Get up and take as your heritage the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he would not give you for money, for Naboth is no longer living but is dead.

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said unto Ahab—Rise! take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for silver, for Naboth is not alive, but dead!

16 So Ahab, hearing that Naboth was dead, went down to the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite to take it as his heritage.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab arose, to go down unto the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession thereof.

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Then came the word of Yahweh unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

18 Go down to Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria; see, he is in the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite, where he has gone to take it as his heritage.

Arise! go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, —lo! he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he hath gone down, to take possession thereof.

19 Say to him, The Lord says, Have you put a man to death and taken his heritage? Then say to him, The Lord says, In the place where dogs have been drinking the blood of Naboth, there will your blood become the drink of dogs.

Then shalt thou speak unto him, saying—Thus, saith Yahweh, Hast thou committed murder, and also taken possession? Then shalt thou speak unto him, saying: Thus, saith Yahweh, In the place where the dogs have lapped up the blood of Naboth, shall the dogs lap up thy blood, even thine.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you come face to face with me, O my hater? And he said, I have come to you because you have given yourself up to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Then said Ahab unto Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he said: I have found [thee]! Because thou hast sold thyself to do the thing that is wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,

21 See, I will send evil on you and put an end to you completely, cutting off from Ahab every male child, him who is shut up and him who goes free in Israel;

Behold me! [saith he] bringing in upon thee, calamity, and I will consume after thee, —and cut off of Ahab, even the meanest, whether shut up or left at large in Israel;

22 And I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because you have made me angry, and have made Israel do evil.

and will deliver up thy house—Like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, —for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked, and caused, Israel, to sin.

23 And of Jezebel the Lord said, Jezebel will become food for dogs in the heritage of Jezreel.

Moreover also, concerning Jezebel, hath Yahweh spoken, saying, —The dogs, shall eat Jezebel, in the town-land of Jezreel:

24 Any man of the family of Ahab who comes to his death in the town will become food for the dogs; and he who comes to his death in the open country will be food for the birds of the air.

Him that dieth, of Ahab, in the city, shall, the dogs, eat, —and, him that dieth in the field, shall, the birds of heaven, eat.

25 (There was no one like Ahab, who gave himself up to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, moved to it by Jezebel his wife.

But indeed, there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —whom Jezebel his wife goaded on;

26 He did a very disgusting thing in going after false gods, doing all the things the Amorites did, whom the Lord sent out before the children of Israel.)

so that he did very abominably, in going after the manufactured gods, —according to all which the Amorites had done, whom Yahweh dispossessed from before the sons of Israel.

27 Hearing these words, Ahab, in great grief, put haircloth on his flesh and went without food, sleeping in haircloth, and going about quietly.

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

28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Then came the word of Yahweh unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

29 Do you see how Ahab has made himself low before me? because he has made himself low before me, I will not send the evil in his life-time, but in his son's time I will send the evil on his family.

Hast thou seen that Ahab hath humbled himself, before me? Because he hath humbled himself before me, I will not bring in the calamity in his days, In the days of his son, will I bring in the calamity upon his house.