THE FIRST BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
1 Kings 21 ©
Ahab covets to buy Naboth’s vineyard, v. 1, etc. Whereunto Naboth refuses to yield, 3. Jezebel promises to deliver the same to Ahab, 7. She causes Naboth to be stoned, 8. Ahab takes possession of the vineyard, 15. Hereupon is foretold by Elijah the ruin both of him, and of those that belong unto him, 17. Which, in regard Ahab makes some outward show of sorrow and repentance, 27. Is delayed, 29.
AND it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in 1Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of 2herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem 3good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
And Naboth said to Ahab, 4The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
And Ahab came into his house 5heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and 6turned away his face, and would eat no 7bread.
¶But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now 8govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be 9merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto 10the elders and to the 11nobles that were in 12his city, 13dwelling with Naboth.
And she wrote in the letters, saying, 14Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth 15on high among the people:
And set two men, 16sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst 17blaspheme God and the king. And then 18carry him out, and 19stone him, that he may die.
And the men 20of his city, even 21the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had 22sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth 23on high among the people.
And there came in two men, 24children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did 25blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
¶And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take 26possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
¶And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the 27Tishbite, saying,
Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, 28which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, 29Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the 30place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
And Ahab said to Elijah, 31Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast 32sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
Behold,a I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him 33that pisseth against the wall, and him 34that is shut up and left in Israel,
And will make thine house likeb the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and likec the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, 35The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
36Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shalld eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
¶But theree was none like unto Ahab, which did sell 37himself 38to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
And he did very abominably in following 39idols, according to all things as did the 40Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, 41that he rent his 42clothes, and put sackcloth upon his 43flesh, and fasted, and 44lay in sackcloth, and went 45softly.
And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, 46I will not bring the evil in his days: but 47in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.