1 Kings 21

21 ¹ Now after these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my house. In its place I will give you a better vineyard, or if you prefer, I will pay you its value in silver."

³ But Naboth said to Ahab, "Far be it from me, before our Father, that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers!" ¹ 1 v3 Under our Father's law, family land was a lasting trust handed down through generations and was never to be sold off for good; Naboth refused not out of stubbornness but out of faithfulness.

⁴ So Ahab went into his house sullen and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him: "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat. ⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, "Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?"

⁶ He replied, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said, 'Sell me your vineyard for money, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

⁷ Then Jezebel his wife said to him, "Is this how you rule over Israel? Get up, eat something, and cheer up. I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

Jezebel's Deadly Scheme

⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth's city with him. ⁹ In the letters she wrote: "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people." ¹⁰ "Then seat two scoundrels opposite him to testify against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death."

¹¹ The men of his city, the elders and nobles who lived there, did just as Jezebel had directed them in the letters she had sent. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Then the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him, and they testified against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth has cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned to death."

¹⁵ As soon as 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, which he refused to sell you. Naboth is no longer alive; he is dead."

¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

The Father Sends Elijah to Ahab

¹⁷ Then the word of our Father came to Elijah the Tishbite:

¹⁸ "Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it." ¹⁹ Tell him, 'This is what our Father says: Have you murdered a man and also seized his property?' Then tell him, 'This is what our Father says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth's blood, the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours.'

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!" "I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of our Father."

²¹ "I am about to bring disaster on you. I will sweep you away and cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free." ²² "I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and caused Israel to sin."

²³ And concerning Jezebel our Father also spoke: "The dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." ²⁴ "Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the sky will eat."

Ahab Humbles Himself

²⁵ There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of our Father, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He acted most detestably by going after idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom our Father drove out before the people of Israel.

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and walked about meekly.

²⁸ Then the word of our Father came to Elijah the Tishbite:

²⁹ "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime; I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."