211 Kings 21

Naboth's Vineyard

1Near King Ahab's palace in Jezreel there was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth.Select 1 Kings 21:1

2One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard; it is close to my palace, and I want to use the land for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price.”Select 1 Kings 21:2

3“I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors,” Naboth replied. “The Lord forbid that I should let you have it!”Select 1 Kings 21:3

4Ahab went home, depressed and angry over what Naboth had said to him. He lay down on his bed, facing the wall, and would not eat.Select 1 Kings 21:4

5His wife Jezebel went to him and asked, “Why are you so depressed? Why won't you eat?”Select 1 Kings 21:5

6He answered, “Because of what Naboth said to me. I offered to buy his vineyard or, if he preferred, to give him another one for it, but he told me that I couldn't have it!”Select 1 Kings 21:6

7“Well, are you the king or aren't you?” Jezebel replied. “Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!”Select 1 Kings 21:7

8Then she wrote some letters, signed Ahab's name to them, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the officials and leading citizens of Jezreel.Select 1 Kings 21:8

9The letters said: “Proclaim a day of fasting, call the people together, and give Naboth the place of honor.Select 1 Kings 21:9

10Get a couple of scoundrels to accuse him to his face of cursing God and the king. Then take him out of the city and stone him to death.”Select 1 Kings 21:10

11The officials and leading citizens of Jezreel did what Jezebel had commanded.Select 1 Kings 21:11

12They proclaimed a day of fasting, called the people together, and gave Naboth the place of honor.Select 1 Kings 21:12

13The two scoundrels publicly accused him of cursing God and the king, and so he was taken outside the city and stoned to death.Select 1 Kings 21:13

14The message was sent to Jezebel: “Naboth has been put to death.”Select 1 Kings 21:14

15As soon as Jezebel received the message, she said to Ahab, “Naboth is dead. Now go and take possession of the vineyard which he refused to sell to you.”Select 1 Kings 21:15

16At once Ahab went to the vineyard to take possession of it.Select 1 Kings 21:16

17Then the Lord said to Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe,Select 1 Kings 21:17

18“Go to King Ahab of Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard, about to take possession of it.Select 1 Kings 21:18

19Tell him that I, the Lord, say to him, ‘After murdering the man, are you taking over his property as well?’ Tell him that this is what I say: ‘In the very place that the dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will lick up your blood!’”Select 1 Kings 21:19

20When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, “Have you caught up with me, my enemy?” “Yes, I have,” Elijah answered. “You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight.Select 1 Kings 21:20

21So the Lord says to you, ‘I will bring disaster on you. I will do away with you and get rid of every male in your family, young and old alike.Select 1 Kings 21:21

22Your family will become like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have stirred up my anger by leading Israel into sin.’Select 1 Kings 21:22

23And concerning Jezebel, the Lord says that dogs will eat her body in the city of Jezreel.Select 1 Kings 21:23

24Any of your relatives who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures.” (Select 1 Kings 21:24

25There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the Lord's sight as Ahab—all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.Select 1 Kings 21:25

26He committed the most shameful sins by worshiping idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the people of Israel advanced.)Select 1 Kings 21:26

27When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed.Select 1 Kings 21:27

28The Lord said to the prophet Elijah,Select 1 Kings 21:28

29“Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime; it will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family.”Select 1 Kings 21:29