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time after these events occurred, an incident took place: Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it for a vegetable garden, since it is near my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you its value in money.”
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4 So Ahab went to his palace resentful and sullen because 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 any food.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, “Why are you so upset? Why won’t you eat any food?”
6 He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said, ‘Give 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 my vineyard to you’.”
7 Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Is this how you exercise authority over Israel? Get up and eat something, and be cheerful. I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. Then she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 In those letters she wrote:
Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth at the head of the people. 10 But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.
11 So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them, just as it was written in the letters she had sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly of people. 13 Then two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels 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 with stones. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 When 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 that he refused to sell you for money; for Naboth is no longer alive, but 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.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. He is in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says, “Have you committed a murder and also taken possession?” Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick up your blood—even yours” ’.”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“Yes, I have found you,” he replied. ‘Because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, 21 I will bring disaster on you and consume your descendants: I will cut off from Ahab every man who urinates against a wall and every slave. 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 “The Lord also said of Jezebel: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel’.
24 ‘He who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and he who dies in the open country the birds of the air will eat’.”
25 (But there was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because his wife Jezebel incited him. 26 He acted most abominably, following idols in like manner to the Amorites, whom the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.)
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his bbody, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
28 Then the word of the Lord 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, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”