1 Kings 21
21
Naboth’s Vineyard
1Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”
3But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
4So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
5“What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
6“I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
7“Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”
8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. 12They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death. 14The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” 16So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.
17But the Lord said to Elijah,#21:17 Hebrew Elijah the Tishbite; also in 21:28. 18“Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. 19Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
20“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.
“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. 21So now the Lord says,#21:21 As in Greek version; Hebrew lacks So now the Lord says. ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! 22I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
23“And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.#21:23 As in several Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate (see also 2 Kgs 9:26, 36); most Hebrew manuscripts read at the city wall.’
24“The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
25(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26His worst outrage was worshiping idols#21:26 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung. just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
27But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
28Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: 29“Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”
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1 Kings 21: NLT
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1 Kings 21
21
Ahab and Naboth’s Vineyard
1Some time passed after these events. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard; it was in Jezreel # Jdg 6:33; 1Kg 18:45 next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. # 1Kg 20:1 2So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard # 1Sm 8:14 so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is right next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
3But Naboth said to Ahab, “I will never give my fathers’ inheritance # Lv 25:23; Nm 36:7 to you.”
4So Ahab went to his palace resentful and angry # 1Kg 20:43 because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had told him. He had said, “I will not give you my fathers’ inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, # 2Kg 20:2 and didn’t eat any food. # 1Sm 28:23
5Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat? ”
6“Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite,” he replied. “I told him: Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard! ’ ”
7Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Now, exercise your royal power over Israel. Get up, eat some food, and be happy. For I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” # 1Sm 8:14 8So she wrote letters # 2Sm 11:14 in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. # Est 3:12; 8:8,10 She sent the letters to the elders # 1Kg 20:7 and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9In the letters, she wrote:
Proclaim a fast # 1Sm 7:5-6; 2Ch 20:2-4 and seat Naboth at the head of the people. 10Then seat two wicked men # Dt 13:13 opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king! ” # Ex 20:16; 23:1; Dt 5:20; Ac 6:11 Then take him out and stone him to death. # Lv 24:15-16
11The men of his city, the elders and nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had commanded them, as was written in the letters she had sent them. 12They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. 13The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed God and the king! ” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14Then they sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” # Lv 24:16
15When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite who refused to give it to you for silver, # 1Kg 21:2-3 since Naboth isn’t alive, but dead.” 16When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.
The Lord’s Judgment on Ahab
17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: # 1Kg 17:2,8 18“Get up and go to meet Ahab king of Israel, # 1Kg 18:1 who is in Samaria. # 1Kg 16:29; 2Ch 22:9 You’ll find him in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered # Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17 and also taken possession? ’ # Lv 25:23 Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick your blood! ’ ” # 1Kg 22:38
20Ahab said to Elijah, “So, you have caught me, my enemy.” # 1Kg 18:17
He replied, “I have caught you because you devoted # 2Kg 17:17; Rm 7:14 yourself to do what is evil in the Lord’s sight. 21This is what the Lord says: # LXX; MT omits This is what the Lord says ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will sweep away your descendants:
I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males, # Lit eliminate Ahab’s one who urinates against the wall
both slave and free, in Israel; # 2Kg 9:8
22I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam # 1Kg 14:10-11 son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha # 1Kg 16:3-4 son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin. # 1Kg 12:30 23The Lord also speaks of Jezebel: The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land # Some Hb mss, Syr, Tg, Vg, 2Kg 9:36; other Hb mss, LXX read the rampart at Jezreel: # 2Kg 9:10,30-37
24He who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,
and he who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.’ ” # 1Kg 14:11; 16:4
25Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him. # 1Kg 16:30-33 26He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols # 2Kg 17:12 as the Amorites # Gn 15:16; 2Kg 21:11 had, whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth # Gn 37:34; 2Sm 3:31; 2Kg 6:30 and walked around subdued. 28Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, # 2Kg 20:19; 2Ch 32:26 because he has humbled himself before Me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.” # 2Kg 9:25-37; 10:6-11
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