1 Kings 21
1 Forsothe after these wordis, in that tyme, the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, `that was in Jezrael, was bisidis the paleis of Achab, kyng of Samarye.
And it comes to pass after these things, a vineyard has been to Naboth the Jezreelite, that [is] in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab king of Samaria,
2 Therfor Achab spak to Naboth, and seide, Yyue thou to me the vyner, that Y make to me a gardyn of wortis, for it is nyy, and nyy myn hows; and Y schal yyue to thee a betere vyner for it; ethir if thou gessist it more profitable to thee, Y schall yyue the prijs of siluer, as myche as it is worth.
and Ahab speaks to Naboth, saying, “Give your vineyard to me, and it is for a garden of green herbs for me, for it [is] near by my house, and I give to you a better vineyard than it in its stead; if [this is] good in your eyes, I give to you its price [in] silver.”
3 To whom Naboth answeride, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y yyue not to thee the eritage of my fadris.
And Naboth says to Ahab, “Far be it from me, by YHWH, my giving the inheritance of my fathers to you”;
4 Therfor Acab cam in to his hows, hauynge indignacioun, and gnastyng on the word which Naboth of Jezrael hadde spoke to him, and seide, Y schal not yyue to thee the eritage of my fadirs. And Achab castide doun him silf in to his bed, and turnede awei his face to the wal, and ete not breed.
and Ahab comes to his house, sulky and angry, because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite has spoken to him when he says, “I do not give the inheritance of my fathers to you,” and he lies down on his bed, and turns around his face, and has not eaten bread.
5 Forsothe Jezabel, his wijf, entride to hym, and seide to hym, What is this thing, wherof thi soule is maad sory? and whi etist thou not breed?
And his wife Jezebel comes to him, and speaks to him, “Why [is] this [that] your spirit [is] sulky, and you are not eating bread?”
6 Which answeride to hir, Y spak to Naboth of Jezrael, and Y seide to hym, Yyue thi vyner to me for money takun, ethir if it plesith thee, Y schal yyue to thee a betere vyner for it. And he seide, Y schal not yyue to thee my vyner.
And he says to her, “Because I speak to Naboth the Jezreelite, and say to him, Give your vineyard to me for money, or if you desire, I give a vineyard to you in its stead; and he says, I do not give my vineyard to you.”
7 Therfor Jezabel, his wijf, seide to hym, Thou art of greet auctorite, and thou gouernest wel Israel; rise thou, and ete breed, and be thou `pacient, ethir coumfortid; Y schal yyue to thee the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael.
And his wife Jezebel says to him, “You now execute rule over Israel! Rise, eat bread, and let your heart be glad—I give the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to you.”
8 Therfor sche wroot lettris in the name of Achab, and seelide tho with the ryng of hym; and sche sente to the grettere men in birthe, and to the beste men, that weren in the citee of hym, and dwelliden with Naboth.
And she writes letters in the name of Ahab, and seals with his seal, and sends the letters to the elderly and to the nobles who are in his city, those dwelling with Naboth,
9 Sotheli this was the sentence of the lettre; Preche ye fastyng, and make ye Naboth to sitte among the firste men of the puple;
and she writes in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and cause Naboth to sit at the head of the people,
10 and sende ye priueli twei men, the sones of Belial, ayens hym, and sey thei fals witnessyng, Naboth blesside God and the kyng; and lede ye out hym, and stoon ye him, and die he so.
and cause two men—sons of worthlessness—to sit opposite him, and they testify of him, saying, You have blessed [[or cursed]] God and [the] king; and they have brought him out, and stoned him, and he dies.”
11 Therfor hise citeseyns, the grettere men in birthe, and the beste men that dwelliden with hym in the citee, diden as Jezabel hadde comaundid, and as it was writun in the lettris, whiche sche hadde sent to hem.
And the men of his city, the elderly and the nobles who are dwelling in his city, do as Jezebel has sent to them, as written in the letters that she sent to them,
12 Thei prechiden fastyng, and maden Naboth to sitte among the firste men of the puple;
they have proclaimed a fast, and caused Naboth to sit at the head of the people,
13 and whanne twey men, sones of the deuel, weren brouyt, thei maden hem to sitte ayens hym, and thei, that is, as men of the deuel, seiden witnessyng ayens him bifor al the multitude, Naboth blesside God and the kyng; for which thing thei ledden hym with out the citee, and killiden him with stoonys.
and two men—sons of worthlessness—come in, and sit opposite him, and the men of worthlessness testify of him, even Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth blessed [[or cursed]] God and [the] king”; and they take him out to the outside of the city, and stone him with stones, and he dies;
14 And thei senten to Jezabel, and seiden, Naboth is stoonyd, and is deed.
and they send to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth was stoned, and is dead.”
15 Forsothe it was doon, whanne Jezabel hadde herd Naboth stonyd and deed, sche spak to Achab, Rise thou, take thou in possessioun the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, which nolde assente to thee, and yyue it for money takun; for Naboth lyueth not, but is deed.
And it comes to pass, at Jezebel’s hearing that Naboth has been stoned, and is dead, that Jezebel says to Ahab, “Rise, possess the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, that he refused to give to you for money, for Naboth is not alive but dead.”
16 And whanne Achab hadde herd this, that is, Naboth deed, he roos, and yede doun in to the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, to haue it in possessioun.
And it comes to pass, at Ahab’s hearing that Naboth is dead, that Ahab rises to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to possess it.
17 Therfor the word of the Lord was maad to Elie of Thesbi,
And the word of YHWH is to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 and seide, Rise thou, go doun in to the comyng of Achab, kyng of Israel, which is in Samarie; lo! he goith doun to the vyner of Naboth, that he haue it in possessioun.
“Rise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who [is] in Samaria—behold, in the vineyard of Naboth, to where he has gone down to possess it,
19 And thou schalt speke to hym, and `thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, Thou hast slayn, ferthermore and thou hast take in possessioun; and aftir these thingis thou schalt adde, In this place, wherynne doggis lickiden the blood of Naboth, thei schulen licke also thi blood.
and you have spoken to him, saying, Thus said YHWH: Have you murdered, and also possessed? And you have spoken to him, saying, Thus said YHWH: In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs lick your blood, even yours.”
20 And Achab seyde to Elie, Whether thou hast founde me thin enemy? Which Elie seide, Y haue founde, for thou art seeld that thou schuldist do yuel in the siyt of the Lord.
And Ahab says to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he says, “I have found—because of your selling yourself to do evil in the eyes of YHWH;
21 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal brynge yn on thee yuel, and Y schal kitte awey thin hyndrere thingis, and Y schal sle of Achab a pissere to the wal, and prisoned, and the laste in Israel;
behold, I am bringing calamity on you, and have taken away your posterity, and cut off from Ahab those sitting on the wall, and restrained, and left, in Israel,
22 and Y schal yyue thin hows as the hows of Jeroboam, sone of Naboth, and as the hows of Baasa, sone of Ahia; for thou didist to excite me to wrathfulnesse, and madist Israel to do synne.
and given up your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked [Me], and cause Israel to sin.
23 But also the Lord spak of Jezabel, and seide, Doggis schulen ete Jezabel in the feeld of Jesrael;
And YHWH has also spoken of Jezebel, saying, The dogs eat Jezebel in the bulwark of Jezreel;
24 if Achab schal die in the citee, doggis schulen ete hym; sotheli if he schal die in the feeld, briddis of the eyr schulen ete hym.
the dogs eat him who dies of Ahab in a city, and [the] bird of the heavens eats him who dies in a field;
25 Therfor noon other was sich as Achab, that was seeld to do yuel in the siyt of the Lord; for Jezabel his wijf excitide hym;
surely there has been none like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, whom his wife Jezebel has moved,
26 and he was maad abhomynable, in so myche that he suede the ydols that Ammorreis maden, which Ammorreis the Lord wastide fro the face of the sones of Israel.
and he does very abominably to go after the idols, according to all that the Amorite did whom YHWH dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel.”
27 Therfor whanne Achab hadde herd these wordis, he to-rente his cloth, and hilide his fleisch with an hayre, and he fastide, and slepte in a sak, and yede with the heed cast doun.
And it comes to pass, at Ahab’s hearing these words, that he tears his garments, and puts sackcloth on his flesh, and fasts, and lies in sackcloth, and goes gently.
28 The word of the Lord was maad to Elie of Thesbi, and seide,
And the word of YHWH is to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Whethir thou hast not seyn Achab maad low bifor me? Therfor for he is maad low for the cause of me, Y schal not brynge yn yuel in hise daies, but in the daies of his sone Y schal bryng yn yuel to his hows.
“Have you seen that Ahab has been humbled before Me? Because that he has been humbled before Me, I do not bring in the calamity in his days; I bring in the calamity on his house in the days of his son.”
