1 Kings 21

1 After these things Naboth the Izreelite had a vineyarde in Izreel, hard by the palace of Ahab King of Samaria.

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.

2 And Ahab spake vnto Naboth, saying, Giue me thy vineyarde, that I may make mee a garden of herbes thereof, because it is neere by mine house: and I will giue thee for it a better vineyarde then it is: or if it please thee, I will giue thee the worth of it in money.

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.

3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord keepe me from giuing the inheritance of my father vnto thee.

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.

4 Then Ahab came into his house heauie and in displeasure, because of the word which Naboth the Izreelite had spoken vnto him. for hee had sayde, I will not giue thee the inheritance of my fathers, and he lay vpon his bed, and turned his face and would eate no bread.

And he said to them, If they come forth peaceably, take them alive; and if they come forth to war, take them alive:

5 Then Iezebel his wife came to him and said vnto him, Why is thy spirit so sad that thou eatest no bread?

and let not the young men the heads of the districts go forth of the city. And the force that was behind them

6 And he said vnto her, Because I spake vnto Naboth the Izreelite, and sayd vnto him, Giue me thy vineyard for money, or if it please thee, I will giue thee another vineyard for it: but he answered, I wil not giue thee my vineyarde.

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.

7 Then Iezebel his wife sayde vnto him, Doest thou nowe gouerne the kingdome of Israel? vp, eate bread, and be of good cheere, I will giue thee the vineyard of Naboth the Izreelite.

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.

8 So she wrote letters in Ahabs name, and sealed them with his seale, and sent the letters vnto the Elders, and to the nobles that were in his citie dwelling with Naboth.

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.

9 And shee wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaime a fast, and set Naboth among the chiefe of the people,

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.

10 And set two wicked men before him, and let them witnesse against him, saying, Thou diddest blaspheme God and the King: then cary him out, and stone him that he may dye.

And do thou this thing: Send away the kings, each one to his place, and set princes in their stead.

11 And the men of his citie, euen the Elders and gouernours, which dwelt in his citie, did as Iezebel had sent vnto them: as it was written in the letters, which she had sent vnto them.

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.

12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth among the chiefe of the people,

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.

13 And there came two wicked men, and sate before him: and the wicked men witnessed against Naboth in the presence of the people saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the King. Then they caried him away out of the citie, and stoned him with stones, that he dyed.

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.

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

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.

15 And when Iezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, Iezebel sayd to Ahab, Vp, and take possession of the vineyarde of Naboth the Izreelite, which he refused to giue thee for money: for Naboth is not aliue, but is dead.

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.

16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose to go downe to the vineyard of Naboth the Izreelite, to take possession of it.

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.

17 And the word of the Lord came vnto Eliiah the Tishbite, saying,

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.

18 Arise, goe downe to meete Ahab King of Israel, which is in Samaria. loe, he is in the vineyarde of Naboth, whither he is gone downe to take possession of it.

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.

19 Therefore shalt thou say vnto him, Thus sayth the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also gotten possession? And thou shalt speake vnto him, saying, Thus sayth the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs licke euen thy blood also.

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.

20 And Ahab sayd to Eliiah, Hast thou found mee, O mine enemie? And he answered, I haue found thee: for thou hast solde thy selfe to worke wickednes in the sight of the Lord.

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.

21 Beholde, I will bring euill vpon thee, and wil take away thy posteritie, and wil cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, as well him that is shut vp, as him that is left in Israel,

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.

22 And I wil make thine house like the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the sonne of Ahiiah, for the prouocation wherewith thou hast prouoked, and made Israel to sinne.

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.

23 And also of Iezebel spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eate Iezebel, by the wall of Izreel.

And he finds another man, and says, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, and in smiting wounded [him].

24 The dogs shall eate him of Ahabs stocke, that dyeth in the citie: and him that dyeth in the fieldes, shall the foules of the ayre eate.

And the prophet went and stood before the king of Israel by the way, and bound his eyes with a bandage.

25 (But there was none like Ahab, who did fell him selfe, to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord: whom Iezebel his wife prouoked.

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.

26 For he did exceeding abominably in following idoles, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.)

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.

27 Nowe when Ahab heard those wordes, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth vpon him and fasted, and lay in sackecloth and went softely.

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.

28 And the worde of the Lord came to Eliiah the Tishbite, saying,

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.

29 Seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me? because he submitteth himselfe before me, I will not bring that euill in his dayes, but in his sonnes dayes wil I bring euill vpon his house.

And the king of Israel departed confounded and discouraged, and came to Samaria.