1Ahab is sore displeased at being refused the vineyard of Naboth. 5Jezebel comforteth him, and procureth Naboth to be stoned to death upon a false accusation of blasphemy. 15She sendeth Ahab to take possession of the vineyard. 17Elijah is sent to meet him, and denounceth God's judgments against Ahab and Jezebel for their wickedness. 27Ahab humbling himself before God, the punishment is deferred to his son's days.
1AND it came to pass after athese things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in bJezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
a ch. 18; 20. Ezr. 9.13,14. b Ju. 6.33. 1Sa. 29.1. ch. 18.45. 2Ki. 9.21,30; 10.7,11. Jos. 17.16.
2And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, cGive me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or , if it 1seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
1Heb. be good in thine eyes.
c 1Sa. 8.14. 1Jn. 2.16. 1Ti. 6.9,10. Ex. 20.17. De. 5.21.
3And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that dI should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
d Le. 25.23. Nu. 36.7. Eze. 46.18.
4And Ahab came into his house eheavy 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 flaid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
e ch. 20.43. Es. 5.13. Job 5.2. 1Ti. 6.9,10. v.2. f v.5. 2Sa. 13.2,4.
5¶But gJezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
g ch. 16.31; 18.4; 19.2; 11.4. v.25. Ge. 3.6. Ec. 7.26. Pr. 22.14; 23.27.
6And he said unto her, hBecause 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.
h v.2. Job 5.2. Pr. 14.30. 1Ti. 6.9,10.
7And Jezebel his wife said unto him, iDost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
i 1Sa. 8.14. Da. 5.19.
8So she jwrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto kthe elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
j Es. 3.12. k De. 21.2. Ju. 8.14. ch. 10.1; 20.7. Ru. 4.2.
9And she wrote in the letters, saying, lProclaim a fast, and set Naboth 2on high among the people:
2Heb. in the top of the people.
l Is. 58.4. Lu. 20.47. Jn. 18.28. Mat. 2.8.
10And set two men, msons of Belial, before him, to nbear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then ocarry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
m De. 13.13. 1Sa. 2.12. 2Sa. 23.6. v.13. n De. 19.15. Le. 24.14-16. Ac. 6.11,13. o Jos. 7.24. Mar. 15.20.
11And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, pdid as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
p Ex. 1.17. 1Sa. 22.18; 23.20. Pr. 29.12. Ac. 5.20. Le. 19.15. De. 27.19.
12They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial qwitnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did rblaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him swith stones, that he died.
q De. 19.18,19. Pr. 19.9. Mar. 14.56-58. r Job 1.5; 2.9. Ac. 6.11,13. Lu. 23.2. s 2Ki. 9.26. Jos. 7.24,25. Nu. 15.32,36.
14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, tNaboth is stoned, and is dead.
t Ec. 8.14; 9.1,2.
15¶And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, utake possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
u v.7,13.
16And 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.
17¶And the vword of the LORD came to Elijah wthe Tishbite, saying,
v 2Ki. 9.26. Ps. 9.12; 10.11-15. He. 3.13. w ch. 17.1.
18Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in xSamaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
x ch. 16.24.
19And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, yHast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, zIn the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
y 2Sa. 12.9. Ge. 4.9-12. Hab. 2.9-12. z 2Sa. 12.11. ch. 22.38. 2Ki. 9.25,26. Ps. 9.12,15,16; 7.15,16.
20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O amine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee : because thou hast bsold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
a ch. 18.17; 22.8. Am. 5.10. Ga. 4.16. b 2Ki. 17.17. Ep. 4.19. Ge. 13.13. v.25. Ro. 7.14.
21Behold, cI will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
c ch. 14.10; 15.29; 16.3,4,11; 22.34-38. 2Ki. 1; 9; 10.
22And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the *provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and dmade Israel to sin.
*provocation-defiance.
d ch. 14.16.
23And eof Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the 3wall of Jezreel.
3Or, ditch. 2Ki. 9.36. 2Sa. 20.15.
e 2Ki. 9.36. Ps. 9.15,16; 7.16; 140.11. Pr. 1.31; 5.22; 13.21. Is. 3.11. Ro. 3.8,9.
24Him fthat dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
f ch. 14.11; 16.4. Je. 15.3. v.21,22.
25¶But there gwas none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom hJezebel his wife 4stirred up.
4Or, incited.
g ch. 16.30-33. v.20. 2Ki. 3.2. h Ge. 3.6; 6.2,5. ch. 11.1,4. 2Co. 6.14. Ec. 7.26. Pr. 22.14; 23.27.
26And he did very abominably in following idols, according to iall things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
i Le. 18; 20. 2Ki. 16; 21. Ge. 15.16.
27And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he jrent his clothes, and kput sackcloth upon his flesh, and lfasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
j Ge. 37.29,34. 2Ki. 6.30; 18.37; 22.11. Jonah 3.6. Is. 38.15; 37.1. Ac. 24.25. 2Co. 7.10. k ch. 20.31. l 2Sa. 12.16.
28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29mSeest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his nson's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
m Ps. 78.34-37. Jonah 3.6-10. n 2Ki. 1; 6; 9; 10. ch. 11.12,35.