Naboth’s Vineyard 1 Brenton And Nabuthai the Jezraelite had a vineyard, near the threshingfloor of Achaab king of Samaria. BSB BSB: Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 Brenton And Achaab spoke to Nabuthai, saying, Give me thy vineyard, and I will have it for a garden of herbs, for it is near my house: and I will give thee another vineyard better than it; or if it please thee, I will give thee money, the price of this thy vineyard, and I will have it for a garden of herbs. BSB BSB: So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is 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.”
3 Brenton And Nabuthai said to Achaab, My God forbid me that I should give thee the inheritance of my fathers. BSB BSB: But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4 Brenton And the spirit of Achaab was troubled, and he lay down upon his bed, and covered his face, and ate no bread. BSB BSB: So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told 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 Brenton And Jezabel his wife went in to him, and spoke to him, saying , Why is thy spirit troubled, and why dost thou eat no bread? BSB BSB: Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
6 Brenton And he said to her, Because I spoke to Nabuthai the Jezraelite, saying, Give me thy vineyard for money; or if thou wilt, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. BSB BSB: Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’”
7 Brenton And Jezabel his wife said to him, Dost thou now thus act the king over Israel? arise, and eat bread, and be thine own master , and I will give thee the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite. BSB BSB: But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
Jezebel’s Plot 8 Brenton And she wrote a letter in the name of Achaab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who dwelt with Nabuthai. BSB BSB: Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
9 Brenton And it was written in the letters, saying, Keep a fast, and set Naboth in a chief place among the people. BSB BSB: In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
10 Brenton And set two men, sons of transgressors, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, He blessed God and the king: and let them lead him forth, and stone him, and let him die. BSB BSB: But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 Brenton And the men of his city, the elders, and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezabel sent to them, and as it had been written in the letters which she sent to them. BSB BSB: So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she had written to them.
12 Brenton And they proclaimed a fast, and set Nabuthai in a chief place among the people. BSB BSB: They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
13 Brenton And two men, sons of transgressors, came in, and sat opposite him, and bore witness against him, saying, Thou hast blessed God and the king. And they led him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died. BSB BSB: And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
14 Brenton And they sent to Jezabel, saying, Nabuthai is stoned, and is dead. BSB BSB: Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 Brenton And it came to pass, when Jezabel heard it , that she said to Achaab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, who would not sell it to thee: for Nabuthai is not alive, for he is dead. BSB BSB: 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, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”
16 Brenton And it came to pass, when Achaab heard that Nabuthai the Jezraelite was dead, that he rent his garments, and put on sackcloth. And it came to pass afterward, that Achaab arose and went down to the vineyard of Nabuthai the Jezraelite, to take possession of it. BSB BSB: And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Elijah Denounces Ahab and Jezebel 17 Brenton And the Lord spoke to Eliu the Thesbite, saying, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Brenton Arise, and go down to meet Achaab king of Israel, who is in Samaria, for he is in the vineyard of Nabuthai, for he has gone down thither to take possession of it. BSB BSB: “Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.
19 Brenton And thou shalt speak to him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast slain and taken possession, therefore thus saith the Lord, In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Nabuthai, there shall the dogs lick thy blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in thy blood. BSB BSB: Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’ Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”
20 Brenton And Achaab said to Eliu, Hast thou found me, mine enemy? and he said, I have found thee : because thou hast wickedly sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger; BSB BSB: When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.” He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.
21 Brenton behold, I bring evil upon thee: and I will kindle a fire after thee, and I will utterly destroy every male of Achaab, and him that is shut up and him that is left in Israel. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free.
22 Brenton And I will make thy house as the house of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa son of Achia, because of the provocations wherewith thou hast provoked me , and caused Israel to sin. BSB BSB: I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin.’
23 Brenton And the Lord spoke of Jezabel, saying, The dogs shall devour her within the fortification of Jezrael. BSB BSB: And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel: ‘The dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
24 Brenton Him that is dead of Achaab in the city shall the dogs eat, and him that is dead of him in the field shall the birds of the sky eat. BSB BSB: Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
Ahab’s Repentance 25 Brenton But Achaab did wickedly, in that he sold himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his wife Jezabel led him astray. BSB BSB: (Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.
26 Brenton And he did very abominably in following after the abominations, according to all that the Amorite did, whom the Lord utterly destroyed from before the children of Israel. BSB BSB: He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)
27 Brenton And because of the word, Achaab was pierced with sorrow before the Lord, and he both went weeping, and rent his garment, and girt sackcloth upon his body, and fasted; he put on sackcloth also in the day that he smote Nabuthai the Jezraelite, and went his way. BSB BSB: When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
28 Brenton And the word of the Lord came by the hand of his servant Eliu concerning Achaab, and the Lord said, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
29 Brenton Hast thou seen how Achaab has been pricked to the heart before me? I will not bring on the evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring on the evil. BSB BSB: “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”
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