< Kings III 21 >

1 And Achaab numbered the young men the heads of the districts, and they were two hundred and thirty: and afterwards he numbered the people, [even] every man fit for war, seven thousand.
Dekat istana Raja Ahab di Yizreel ada sebidang kebun anggur kepunyaan orang yang bernama Nabot.
2 And he went forth at noon, an the son of Ader was drinking [and] getting drunk in Socchoth, he and the kings, [even] thirty and two kings, his allies.
Suatu hari Ahab berkata kepada Nabot, "Berikanlah kebun anggurmu itu kepadaku, sebab kebun itu dekat dengan istanaku. Aku ingin menanam sayur-sayuran di situ. Kau akan mendapat kebun anggur yang lebih baik sebagai gantinya, atau kalau kau mau, aku akan membelinya dengan harga yang layak."
3 And the young men the heads of the districts went forth first; and they send and report to the king of Syria, saying, There are men come forth out of Samaria.
Nabot menjawab, "Kebun anggur ini pusaka nenek moyang saya. Demi Allah, saya tidak boleh memberikannya kepada Tuan!"
4 And he said to them, If they come forth peaceably, take them alive; and if they come forth to war, take them alive:
Dengan hati yang kesal dan marah karena mendengar apa yang dikatakan Nabot kepadanya, Ahab pulang lalu berbaring di tempat tidurnya dengan memalingkan mukanya dan tak mau makan.
5 and let not the young men the heads of the districts go forth of the city. And the force that was behind them
Izebel istrinya pergi kepadanya dan bertanya, "Mengapa engkau kesal? Mengapa tak mau makan?"
6 smote each one the man next to him; and each one a second time smote the man next to him: and Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; and the son of Ader, [even] the king of Syria, escapes on the horse of a horseman.
Ahab menjawab, "Saya tidak senang dengan Nabot. Saya minta kepadanya supaya ia menjual kebun anggurnya kepada saya, atau saya menukarnya dengan kebun anggur yang lain, jika itulah yang dikehendakinya, tetapi ia tidak mau!"
7 And the king of Israel went forth, and took all the horses and the chariots, and smote [the enemy] with a great slaughter in Syria.
"Kau kan raja di Israel!" sahut Izebel. "Bangunlah sekarang dan makanlah. Senangkanlah hatimu, sebab saya akan memberikan kebun anggur Nabot itu kepadamu!"
8 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said, Strengthen thyself, and observe, and see what thou shalt do; for at the return of the year the son of Ader king of Syria comes up against thee.
Maka Izebel menulis surat atas nama Ahab dan membubuhi segel raja pada surat itu. Surat itu dikirimnya kepada pemimpin-pemimpin dan tokoh-tokoh masyarakat di Yizreel.
9 And the servants of the king of Syria, even they said, The God of Israel [is] a God of mountains, and not a God of valleys; therefore has he prevailed against us: but if we should fight against them in the plain, verily we shall prevail against them.
Inilah isi surat itu, "Umumkanlah supaya rakyat berpuasa dan suruhlah mereka berkumpul! Dalam pertemuan itu berikanlah kepada Nabot tempat duduk yang terhormat.
10 And do thou this thing: Send away the kings, each one to his place, and set princes in their stead.
Suruhlah dua orang jahat duduk menghadapnya dan menuduh dia bahwa ia telah mengutuk Allah dan raja. Lalu bawalah dia ke luar kota, dan lemparilah dia dengan batu sampai mati!"
11 And we will give thee [another] army according to the army that was destroyed, and cavalry according to the cavalry, and chariots according to the chariots, and we will fight against them in the plain, and we shall prevail against them. And he hearkened to their voice, and did so.
Perintah Izebel itu dilaksanakan oleh para pemimpin dan tokoh-tokoh masyarakat Yizreel.
12 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that the son of Ader reviewed Syria, and went up to Apheca to war against Israel.
Mereka mengumumkan supaya rakyat berpuasa. Kemudian mereka menyuruh orang berkumpul dan Nabot diberi tempat yang terhormat.
13 And the children of Israel were numbered, and came to meet them: and Israel encamped before them as two little flocks of goats, but Syria filled the land.
Dua penjahat duduk berhadapan dengan Nabot, dan di depan umum mereka menuduh dia bahwa ia telah mengutuki Allah dan raja. Karena itu ia dibawa ke luar kota lalu dilempari dengan batu sampai mati.
14 And there came the man of God, and said to the king of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Because Syria has said, The Lord God of Israel [is] a God of the hills, and he [is] not a God of the valleys, therefore will I give this great army into thy hand, and thou shalt know that I [am] the Lord.
Berita tentang pelaksanaan pembunuhan Nabot disampaikan kepada Izebel.
15 And they encamp one over against the other before them seven days. And it came to pass on the seventh day that the battle drew on, and Israel smote Syria, [even] a hundred thousand footmen in one day.
Segera setelah Izebel menerima berita itu berkatalah ia kepada Ahab, "Nabot sudah mati. Sekarang pergilah ambil kebun anggur itu yang tidak mau dijualnya kepadamu."
16 And the rest fled to Apheca, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men that were left: and the son of Ader fled, and entered into an inner chamber, into a closet.
Ahab segera pergi dan mengambil kebun anggur itu menjadi miliknya.
17 And he said to his servants, I know that the kings of Israel are merciful kings: let us now put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and let us go forth to the king of Israel, if by any means he will save our souls alive.
Lalu kata TUHAN kepada Elia, nabi dari Tisbe itu,
18 So they girt sackcloth upon their loins, and put ropes upon their heads, and said to the king of Israel, Thy servant the son of Ader says, Let our souls live, I pray thee. And he said, Does he yet live? He is my brother.
"Ahab, raja Samaria itu sekarang ada di kebun anggur Nabot hendak mengambil kebun itu menjadi miliknya. Jadi, pergilah ke sana,
19 And the men divined, and offered drink-offerings; and they caught the word out of his mouth, and said, Thy brother the son of Ader. And he said, Go ye in and fetch him. And the son of Ader went out to him, and they cause him to go up to him into the chariot.
dan sampaikan kepadanya bahwa Aku, TUHAN, berkata begini, 'Sudah membunuh, merampas lagi! Karena itu darahmu akan dijilat anjing di tempat anjing-anjing menjilat darah Nabot!'"
20 And he said to him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore to thee; and thou shalt make streets for thyself in Damascus, as my father made streets in Samaria; and I will let thee go with a covenant. And he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
Ketika Ahab melihat Elia, ia berkata, "Hai musuh, akhirnya kau mendapat aku!" "Benar," sahut Elia. "Karena Tuan dengan tekad melakukan yang jahat pada pemandangan TUHAN,
21 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray, And the man would not smite him.
maka inilah yang dikatakan TUHAN kepada Tuan, 'Aku akan mendatangkan bencana ke atasmu. Kau akan Kusingkirkan, dan setiap orang laki-laki dalam keluargamu, tua dan muda, akan Kulenyapkan.
22 And he said to him, Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, therefore, behold, as thou departest from me, a lion shall smite thee: and he departed from him, and a lion found him, and smote him.
Keluargamu akan menjadi seperti keluarga Raja Yerobeam anak Nebat dan seperti keluarga Raja Baesa anak Ahia, karena engkau sudah menyebabkan orang Israel berbuat dosa sehingga membangkitkan kemarahan-Ku.'
23 And he finds another man, and says, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded [him].
Dan mengenai Izebel, TUHAN berkata bahwa badannya akan dimakan anjing di dalam kota Yizreel.
24 And the prophet went and stood before the king of Israel by the way, and bound his eyes with a bandage.
Siapa saja dari anggota keluargamu yang mati di kota akan dimakan anjing, dan yang mati di luar kota akan dimakan burung."
25 And it came to pass as the king passed by, that he cried aloud to the king, and said, Thy servant went out to war, and, behold, a man brought [another] man to me, and said to me, Keep his man; and if he should by any means escape, then thy life shall go for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Tidak pernah ada orang yang dengan tekad melakukan yang jahat pada pemandangan TUHAN seperti yang dilakukan oleh Ahab. Semua kejahatan itu dilakukannya atas dorongan Izebel, istrinya.
26 And it came to pass, that thy servant looked round this way and that way, and the man was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, Behold, thou hast also destroyed snares [set] for me.
Ahab melakukan dosa-dosa yang sangat hina: ia menyembah berhala seperti yang dilakukan orang Amori, yaitu orang-orang yang telah diusir TUHAN keluar dari negeri Kanaan pada waktu orang Israel memasuki negeri itu.
27 And he hasted, and took away the bandage from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was one of the prophets.
Setelah Elia selesai berbicara, Ahab menyobek pakaiannya dan memakai kain karung sebagai tanda penyesalan, lalu berpuasa. Pada waktu tidur pun ia memakai kain karung, dan kalau berjalan, mukanya murung terus.
28 And he said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast suffered to escape out of thine hand a man appointed to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
TUHAN berkata kepada Nabi Elia,
29 And the king of Israel departed confounded and discouraged, and came to Samaria.
"Sudahkah kaulihat bagaimana Ahab merendahkan diri di hadapan-Ku? Karena itu, Aku tidak akan mendatangkan bencana selama ia masih hidup. Pada masa anaknya barulah Aku mendatangkan bencana itu ke atas keluarganya."

< Kings III 21 >