Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth^(A) the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel,^(B) close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

³ But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance^(C) of my ancestors.”

⁴ So Ahab went home, sullen and angry^(D) because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused^(E) to eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?”

⁶ He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

⁷ Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard^(F) of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸ So she wrote letters^(G) in Ahab’s name, placed his seal^(H) on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. ⁹ In those letters she wrote:

¹¹ So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast^(K) and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. ¹³ Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.^{(L) 14} Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard^(M) of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸ “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’^(N) Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,^(O) dogs^(P) will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”^(Q)

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold^(R) yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. ²¹ He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male^(S) in Israel—slave or free.^{[a](T) 22} I will make your house^(U) like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’^(V)

²³ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs^(W) will devour Jezebel by the wall of^[b] Jezreel.’

²⁴ “Dogs^(X) will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds^(Y) will feed on those who die in the country.”

²⁵ (There was never^(Z) anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites^(AA) the Lord drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth^(AB) and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.^(AC)

²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled^(AD) himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day,^(AE) but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”^(AF)

1 The word of the Lord that came^(A) to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,^(B) Jotham,^(C) Ahaz^(D) and Hezekiah,^(E) kings of Judah,^(F) and during the reign of Jeroboam^(G) son of Jehoash^[a] king of Israel:^(H)

Hosea’s Wife and Children

² When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous^(I) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness^(J) to the Lord.” ³ So he married Gomer^(K) daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,^(L) because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. ⁵ In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.^(M)”

⁶ Gomer^(N) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),^(O) for I will no longer show love to Israel,^(P) that I should at all forgive them. ⁷ Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow,^(Q) sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God,^(R) will save them.”

⁸ After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,^(S) Gomer had another son. ⁹ Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.^[b](T)

¹⁰ “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.^(U) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’^{(V) 11} The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together;^(W) they will appoint one leader^(X) and will come up out of the land,^(Y) for great will be the day of Jezreel.^[c](Z)

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,^(A) who share in the heavenly calling,^(B) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge^(C) as our apostle and high priest.^{(D) 2} He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.^{(E) 3} Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,^(F) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.^{(G) 5} “Moses was faithful as a servant^(H) in all God’s house,”^[a](I) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as the Son^(J) over God’s house. And we are his house,^(K) if indeed we hold firmly^(L) to our confidence and the hope^(M) in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷ So, as the Holy Spirit says:^(N)

¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.^{(T) 13} But encourage one another daily,^(U) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.^{(V) 14} We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold^(W) our original conviction firmly to the very end.^{(X) 15} As has just been said:

¹⁶ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?^{(Z) 17} And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?^{(AA) 18} And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest^(AB) if not to those who disobeyed?^{(AC) 19} So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.^(AD)

Psalm 116

Saying 4

Saying 5

Saying 6