I Regum 21
1 Post verba autem hæc, tempore illo vinea erat Naboth Iezrahelitæ, quæ erat in Iezrahel, iuxta palatium Achab regis Samariæ.
King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel [city]. Near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man from that city whose name was Naboth.
2 Locutus est ergo Achab ad Naboth, dicens: Da mihi vineam tuam, ut faciam mihi hortum olearum, quia vicina est, et prope domum meam, daboque tibi pro ea vineam meliorem: aut si commodius tibi putas, argenti pretium, quanto digna est.
One day, Ahab [went to] Naboth and said to him, “Your vineyard is close to my palace. I would like to buy it, so that I can plant some vegetables there. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard [somewhere else], or if you prefer, I will pay you for your vineyard.”
3 Cui respondit Naboth: Propitius sit mihi Dominus, ne dem hereditatem patrum meorum tibi.
But Naboth replied, “That land belonged to my ancestors, [so I want to keep it]. I hope that Yahweh will never allow me to give that land to you!”
4 Venit ergo Achab in domum suam indignans, et frendens super verbo, quod locutus fuerat ad eum Naboth Iezrahelites, dicens: Non dabo tibi hereditatem patrum meorum. Et proiiciens se in lectulum suum, avertit faciem suam ad parietem, et non comedit panem.
So Ahab became very sullen and angry because of what Naboth had said. He went home and lay down on his bed. He turned his face toward the wall, and he refused to eat anything.
5 Ingressa est autem ad eum Iezabel uxor sua, dixitque ei: Quid est hoc, unde anima tua contristata est? et quare non comedis panem?
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so depressed? Why are you refusing to eat anything?”
6 Qui respondit ei: Locutus sum Naboth Iezrahelitæ, et dixi ei: Da mihi vineam tuam, accepta pecunia: aut, si tibi placet, dabo tibi vineam meliorem pro ea. Et ille ait: Non dabo tibi vineam meam.
Ahab replied, “I talked to Naboth, that man from Jezreel. I told him that [I wanted] his vineyard. [I said, ] ‘I will buy it from you, or I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But he refused [to let me have it].”
7 Dixit ergo ad eum Iezabel uxor eius: Grandis auctoritatis es, et bene regis regnum Israel. Surge, et comede panem, et æquo animo esto, ego dabo tibi vineam Naboth Iezrahelitæ.
His wife replied, “You are [RHQ] the king of Israel, [so you can get whatever you want] Get up, and eat some food and do not worry [about what Naboth said]. I will get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
8 Scripsit itaque litteras ex nomine Achab, et signavit eas annulo eius, et misit ad maiores natu, et optimates, qui erant in civitate eius, et habitabant cum Naboth.
Then Jezebel wrote some letters, and she signed Ahab’s name on them. She used his official seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and other important men who lived in Naboth’s town.
9 Litterarum autem hæc erat sententia: Prædicate ieiunium, et sedere facite Naboth inter primos populi,
This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a day when all the people will [gather together and] (fast/abstain from eating food). Give to Naboth an important place to sit among them.
10 et submittite duos viros filios Belial contra eum, et falsum testimonium dicant: Benedixit Deum et regem: et educite eum, et lapidate, sicque moriatur.
Then find two men who always cause trouble. Give them places to sit opposite/facing him. Tell these men to testify that they heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. Then take Naboth out of the city and kill him by throwing stones at him.”
11 Fecerunt ergo cives eius maiores natu et optimates, qui habitabant cum eo in urbe, sicut præceperat eis Iezabel, et sicut scriptum erat in litteris quas miserat ad eos:
The leaders [received the letters and] did what Jezebel had written in the letters for them to do.
12 prædicaverunt ieiunium, et sedere fecerunt Naboth inter primos populi.
They declared a day on which the people would all (fast/abstain from food). And they gave Naboth a seat in a place where honored people sat, in front of the people.
13 Et adductis duobus viris filiis diaboli, fecerunt eos sedere contra eum: at illi, scilicet ut viri diabolici, dixerunt contra eum testimonium coram multitudine: Benedixit Naboth Deum et regem: quam ob rem eduxerunt eum extra civitatem, et lapidibus interfecerunt.
Two men who always caused trouble sat opposite/facing Naboth. While everyone was listening, they stated that they had heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. So the people seized Naboth. They took him outside the city and killed him [by throwing] stones at him.
14 Miseruntque ad Iezabel, dicentes: Lapidatus est Naboth, et mortuus est.
Then those leaders sent a message to Jezebel, saying “We have executed Naboth.”
15 Factum est autem, cum audisset Iezabel lapidatum Naboth, et mortuum, locuta est ad Achab: Surge, et posside vineam Naboth Iezrahelitæ, qui noluit tibi acquiescere, et dare eam accepta pecunia: non enim vivit Naboth, sed mortuus est.
When Jezebel found out that Naboth had been killed, she told Ahab, “Naboth is dead. Now you can go and take possession of the vineyard that he refused to sell to you.”
16 Quod cum audisset Achab, mortuum videlicet Naboth, surrexit, et descendebat in vineam Naboth Iezrahelitæ, ut possideret eam.
When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went to the vineyard to claim that he now owned it.
17 Factum est igitur sermo Domini ad Eliam Thesbiten, dicens:
Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah the prophet. He said,
18 Surge, et descende in occursum Achab regis Israel, qui est in Samaria: ecce ad vineam Naboth descendit, ut possideat eam:
“Go to Samaria and talk to Ahab, the king of Israel. He is in the vineyard of a man named Naboth. He has gone there to claim that he now owns it.
19 et loqueris ad eum, dicens: Hæc dicit Dominus: Occidisti, insuper et possedisti. Et post hæc addes: Hæc dicit Dominus: In loco hoc, in quo linxerunt canes sanguinem Naboth, lambent quoque sanguinem tuum.
Tell Ahab that this is what I, Yahweh, say to him: ‘You have murdered Naboth and taken his land.’ So I am telling you this: ‘In the same place where [Naboth died and] dogs came and licked up Naboth’s blood, [you will die and] the dogs will lick up your blood, too!’”
20 Et ait Achab ad Eliam: Num invenisti me inimicum tibi? Qui dixit: Inveni, eo quod venundatus sis, ut faceres malum in conspectu Domini.
So when Elijah met with Ahab, Ahab said to him, “You, my enemy, have found me!” [RHQ] Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you. You have never stopped doing the things that Yahweh says are wrong.
21 Ecce ego inducam super te malum, et demetam posteriora tua, et interficiam de Achab mingentem ad parietem, et clausum et ultimum in Israel.
So this is what Yahweh says to you: ‘I will soon get rid of you. I will kill you, and I will also kill every male in your household, including those who are slaves and those who are not slaves.
22 Et dabo domum tuam sicut domum Ieroboam filii Nabat, et sicut domum Baasa filii Ahia: quia egisti, ut me ad iracundiam provocares, et peccare fecisti Israel.
Your family will all be killed, just like the family of King Jeroboam and like the family of King Baasha were killed. I will get rid of you because you have caused me to become very angry, and you have also led the Israeli people to sin.’
23 Sed et de Iezabel locutus est Dominus, dicens: Canes comedent Iezabel in agro Iezrahel.
Yahweh has also told me that [your wife] Jezebel [will be killed, and] dogs in Jezreel will eat her corpse.
24 Si mortuus fuerit Achab in civitate, comedent eum canes: si autem mortuus fuerit in agro, comedent eum volucres cæli.
The [dead bodies of the] members of your family who die in this city [will not be buried, they] will be eaten by dogs, and [the corpses of] those who die in the fields will be eaten by vultures.”
25 Igitur non fuit alter talis sicut Achab, qui venundatus est ut faceret malum in conspectu Domini: concitavit enim eum Iezabel uxor sua,
There was no man no man like Ahab who always did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. His wife Jezebel incited/urged him to do [many of] those things.
26 et abominabilis factus est, in tantum ut sequeretur idola, quæ fecerant Amorrhæi, quos consumpsit Dominus a facie filiorum Israel.
The most abominable/detestable thing that Ahab did was to worship idols, just like the Amor people-group had done. And that is why Yahweh took the Amor people’s land from them and gave it to the Israelis.
27 Itaque cum audisset Achab sermones istos, scidit vestimenta sua, et operuit cilicio carnem suam, ieiunavitque et dormivit in sacco, et ambulavit demisso capite.
After Elijah finished talking to Ahab, Ahab tore his clothes [to show that he was sorry for all the sins that he had committed]. He put on rough clothes that were made from sacks, and he refused to eat anything. He even wore those rough clothes made from sacks when he slept, to show that he was sorry.
28 Et factus est sermo Domini ad Eliam Thesbiten, dicens:
Then Yahweh said this to Elijah:
29 Nonne vidisti humiliatum Achab coram me? quia igitur humiliatus est mei causa, non inducam malum in diebus eius, sed in diebus filii sui inferam malum domui eius.
“I have seen [RHQ] that Ahab is now very sorry for all the evil things that he has done. So the things that I promised to do to his [family] will not happen while he is still alive. I will cause them to happen after his son becomes king. Then those things will happen to his family.” [MTY]
