Naboth’s Vineyard 1 UST King Ahab’ s main palace was in the city of Samaria. But he also had a palace in the city of Jezreel. Near that palace there was a vineyard. Naboth the Jezreelite owned that vineyard. Shortly after he returned from fighting the Arameans, 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 UST Ahab went to Naboth and said to him,“Your vineyard is close to my palace. I would like to buy it so that I can use the land for a vegetable garden. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard somewhere else, or if you prefer, I will pay you what your vineyard is worth in silver.” 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 UST But Naboth replied,“I inherited that land from my ancestors{ and the law of Moses does not allow me to sell it}. Yahweh would be very displeased with me if I sold that land to you{, so I will not sell it}!” BSB BSB: But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4 UST Ahab became angry and depressed when Naboth told him that he would not sell him the vineyard that he had inherited from his ancestors. Ahab went home and lay down on his bed. He turned his face toward the wall, and he refused to eat anything. 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 UST His wife Jezebel came and asked him,“Why are you so depressed? Why are you refusing to eat anything?” BSB BSB: Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
6 UST Ahab replied,“I am depressed and not eating because of what happened when I spoke with Naboth the Jezreelite. I told him that I wanted his vineyard. I said,‘I will buy it from you for silver, or I will give you another vineyard in exchange for it.’ But he told me that he would not let me have it.” 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 UST Jezebel replied,“You are the king of Israel{, so you can have whatever you want}! Now get up and eat some food, and do not let what Naboth said bother you. I will get his vineyard for you.” 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 UST Then Jezebel wrote letters and signed Ahab’ s name on them{ as if he had written them himself}. She used his official seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and other important men who lived with Naboth in Jezreel. 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 UST This is what she wrote in the letters:“Declare that the people of Jezreel must not eat anything on a certain day{ because someone has committed a crime and it is more important for the people of the community to investigate that crime than to eat}. Tell the people to gather in the city square, and have Naboth sit in front of them{ as a person whom people have accused of committing a crime}. BSB BSB: In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
10 UST Then get two very dishonest men and seat them opposite him{ as witnesses against him}. Tell those men to testify that they heard Naboth cursing God and me, King Ahab.{ Declare that he is guilty, and} take Naboth out of the city and kill him by throwing stones at him.” 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 UST The older leaders and other important men of Naboth’ s city received the letters, and they did exactly what Jezebel had told them to do in the letters that she wrote. 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 UST They declared that on a certain day, the people of Jezreel should not eat anything. They gathered the people in the city square and made Naboth sit in front of them. BSB BSB: They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
13 UST They brought in two very dishonest men and had them sit opposite Naboth{ as witnesses against him}. There in front of the assembly they claimed that they had heard Naboth curse God and the king.{ The leaders declared that he was guilty, so} the people took him outside the city and killed him by throwing stones at him. 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 UST Then those leaders sent messengers to Jezebel to tell her,“We have executed Naboth by stoning him.” BSB BSB: Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 UST When Jezebel learned that the leaders had executed Naboth by stoning him, she told Ahab,“That man Naboth who refused to sell his vineyard to you is dead. So you can go and take possession of that land.” 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 UST When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went right away to the vineyard to claim that he now owned 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 UST Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah the Tishbite. He told him, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 UST “I want you to go right away and speak to Ahab, the king of Israel, whose main palace is in Samaria. He is now in Jezreel, and he has gone to the vineyard that belongs to a man whose name is Naboth. He has gone there to claim that he now owns 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 UST Give Ahab this message from me. Tell him that I say,‘I know that you have murdered Naboth and taken his land!’ Give him this further message from me. Tell him that I say,‘When Naboth died, dogs came and licked up his blood. You are also going to die, and dogs will lick up your blood in that same place. Yes, this will happen to you!’” 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 UST { So Elijah went to meet with Ahab, and} Ahab said to him,“You have caught me, and you are here to avenge the crime I committed.” Elijah answered,“Yes, I have caught you, because you are willingly doing things that Yahweh says are wrong. 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 UST So this is what Yahweh says to you:‘I am going to make something terrible happen to you{ and your whole family}. I am going to destroy all of you. I will allow someone to kill all of the males in your household, whether they are family members or servants, no matter where they live 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 UST I will allow someone to kill your entire family, just as people killed the entire families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. I will do this because you have caused me to become very angry and because you have led the Israelite people 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 UST Yahweh has also told me that your wife Jezebel is going to die and that dogs will eat her body near the outer wall of Jezreel. BSB BSB: And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel: ‘The dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
24 UST Dogs will eat the bodies of any members of your household who die in cities. Scavenger birds will eat the bodies of any members of your household who die in the countryside.” 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 UST No other king did things that Yahweh had said were wrong as willingly as Ahab did. His wife Jezebel urged him to do those wrong things. 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 UST The Amorites who lived in Canaan worshiped idols and lived in very disgusting ways as a result. That is why Yahweh took their land from them and gave it to the Israelites. Ahab did those same disgusting things. 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 UST When Ahab heard the message from Yahweh that Elijah had spoken,{ to show that he was sorry for all the sins that he had committed,} he tore his clothes. He also wore clothes made from rough, uncomfortable cloth, and he did not eat anything. He kept wearing those rough clothes even when he got into bed to sleep. He also walked very quietly. 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 UST Then Yahweh said to Elijah, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
29 UST “As you are aware, Ahab is acting very humbly now because he wants me to see{ that he is sorry for the evil things he has done}. So I am not going to destroy his family while he is still alive. I am going to destroy his family after he dies and his son becomes king.” 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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