< 1 Kings 21 >
1 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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 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 Now she wrote in the letters, saying, —Proclaim ye a fast, and cause Naboth to sit at the head of the people;
10 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 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 proclaimed a fast, —and caused Naboth to sit at the head of the people.
13 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 Then sent they unto 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 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 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 Then came the word of Yahweh unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
18 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 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 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 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 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 Moreover also, concerning Jezebel, hath Yahweh spoken, saying, —The dogs, shall eat Jezebel, in the town-land of Jezreel:
24 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 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 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 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 came the word of Yahweh unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
29 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.
