1 Kings 21

Revised Geneva Translation

21 After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.

² And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may make myself a garden of herbs from it, because it is nearby my house. And I will give you a better vineyard for it than what you have. Or if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money.”

³ And Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD keep me from giving the inheritance of my father to you.”

⁴ Then Ahab came into his house, heavy and in displeasure because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him. For he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay upon his bed and turned his face and would eat no bread.

⁵ Then Jezebel, his wife, came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”

⁶ And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.’” but he answered, “I will not give you my vineyard.”

⁷ Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Up! Eat bread and be of good cheer. I will deliver to you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

⁹ And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth among the chief of the people.

¹⁰ “And set two wicked men before him. And let them witness against him, saying, ‘You blasphemed God and the king!’ Then carry him out and stone him so that he may die.”

¹¹ And the men of the city, the elders and governors who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.

¹² They proclaimed a fast and set Naboth among the chief of the people.

¹³ And two wicked men came and sat before him. And the wicked men witnessed against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth blasphemed God and the king!” Then they carried him away out of the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.

¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

¹⁵ And when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Up! Take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to give you for money. For Naboth is not alive, but is dead.”

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

¹⁷ And the Word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

¹⁸ “Arise! Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria, lo, in the vineyard of Naboth. He has gone down to take possession of it.

¹⁹ “Therefore, you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Have you killed and also gotten possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood also.”’”

²⁰ And Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you. For you have sold yourself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD.

²¹ ‘Behold, I will bring misery upon you, and will take away your posterity, and will cut off every male in Israel from Ahab, him who is shut up as well as him who is left in Israel.

²² ‘And I will make your House like the House of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the House of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked and made Israel sin.’”

²³ And also, the LORD spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

²⁴ “The dogs shall eat him of Ahab’s stock who dies in the city. And him who dies in the fields shall the birds of the air eat.”

²⁵ (But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, and whom Jezebel, his wife, provoked.

²⁶ For he had acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.)

²⁷ Now, when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth upon himself, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

²⁸ And the Word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

²⁹ “Do you see how Ahab is humbled before Me? Because he submits himself before Me, I will not bring that misery in his days. But I will bring misery upon his House in his sons’ days.”