21:1 And it came to pass after these things, [that] Naboth the
Jezreelite had a vineyard, which [was] in Jezreel, hard by the
palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
21:2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard,
that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it [is] near
to my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than
it; [or] if it seemeth good to thee, I will give thee the worth
of it in money.
21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I
should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee.
21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy 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 himself down upon his bed, and turned away
his face, and would eat no bread.
21:5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is
thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
21:6 And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the
Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or
else, if it pleaseth thee, I will give thee [another] vineyard
for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
21:7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, Dost thou now govern the
kingdom of Israel? arise, [and] eat bread, and let thy heart be
merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
21:8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed [them] with
his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles
that [were] in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
21:9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and
set Naboth on high among the people:
21:10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear
witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the
king. And [then] carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
21:11 And the men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles
who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent
to them, [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had
sent to them.
21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the
people.
21:13 And there came in two men, children 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
blasphemed God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of
the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and
is dead.
21:15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was
stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he
refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but
dead.
21:16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead,
that Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the
Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
21:17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite,
saying,
21:18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who [is] in
Samaria: behold, [he is] in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he
is gone down to possess it.
21:19 And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus saith the LORD,
Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt
speak to him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where
dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even
thine.
21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O my enemy?
And he answered, I have found [thee]: because thou hast sold
thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away
thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab the males, and him
that is shut up and left in Israel,
21:22 And will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for
the provocation with which thou hast provoked [me] to anger,
and made Israel to sin.
21:23 And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying, the dogs shall
eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and
him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
21:25 But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work
wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife
instigated.
21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according
to all [things] as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out
before the children of Israel.
21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he
rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted,
and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite,
saying,
21:29 Seest 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 son's days will I bring the evil upon his
house.
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