Old/New Testament
21 After all this took place, Ahab, the king of Samaria, 2 made a request to Naboth, the Jezreelite, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel right next to Ahab’s palace.
Ahab: Your vineyard is near my house. Why don’t you hand it over to me so I can make a vegetable garden out of it? I will trade you a better vineyard for it, or I can pay you, if you prefer.
Naboth: 3 I’m sorry, the Eternal forbids that I give away any of my ancestors’ inheritance, even to you.[a]
4 Ahab, frustrated and upset by Naboth’s reply, went back into his house. Naboth the Jezreelite had replied, “I will not hand over my ancestors’ inheritance to you.” Ahab went to bed that night without eating anything. 5 Jezebel, his wife, noticed this.
Jezebel: What is wrong with you? Why are you not eating anything? This isn’t like you.
Ahab: 6 I made a request to Naboth the Jezreelite: “Hand over your vineyard to me, and I will pay you for it. Or I can trade you an even better vineyard for it.” But he said, “I will not hand over my vineyard to you. The Lord forbids it.”
Jezebel: 7 Are you not the king of all Israel? You can have anything you want. Get up, and eat some bread. Let your heart be glad, for I will get Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard for you.
8 Jezebel composed letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and pressed his seal on them. She sent all these letters to the leaders and noblemen who lived in the city with Naboth.
Jezebel’s Letters: 9 Declare a time of fasting for all the people. Put Naboth before all the people, 10 and have two worthless men with questionable morals sit before him. Instruct these two base men to give testimony against Naboth by saying, “You, Naboth, blasphemed both God and the king.” After this testimony has been given, take Naboth outside and kill him with stones.
11 The leaders and noblemen of the city did just as Jezebel instructed them in the letters. 12 They declared a time of fasting for all the people and they seated Naboth before all the people. 13 The two worthless men sat in front of Naboth and bore witness against him by saying, “Naboth blasphemed both God and the king.” Then they brought him outside and killed him with stones.
Two Men (to Jezebel): 14 Naboth has been executed by stoning.
Jezebel (hearing the news): 15 Get up, Ahab. Go and take Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard as your own—the one he would not give you for money. It is now yours for the taking, for Naboth is now dead.
16 When Ahab learned Naboth was no longer alive, Ahab got up and made his way down to Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard to take it as his own.
Ahab’s willingness to sell himself cheaply for things outside of God’s will strikes again. But this time, the true source of Ahab’s wickedness is revealed. God knows that it is Jezebel, Ahab’s foreign wife, who is the root of the evil. Intending to regain Ahab’s devotion once and for all, God sends Elijah with His message instead of an unknown prophet. Although God’s mission is successful, Elijah is left with a powerful enemy.
17 Meanwhile, the word of the Eternal One visited Elijah the Tishbite.
Eternal One: 18 Get up, and go find Ahab (Israel’s king) in Samaria. Naboth has been killed because of the work of Jezebel. Right now, Ahab is in Naboth’s vineyard, claiming it as his own. 19 Tell him, “This is the message of the Eternal One: ‘Are you a murderer and a thief?’” Tell him, “This is the message of the Eternal One: ‘Beware. The dogs will slurp up your blood in the very spot where they licked up Naboth’s blood.’”
Ahab (replying to Elijah): 20 Have you discovered what I have done, my enemy?
Elijah: I have only discovered what you have done because you have sold your soul to wickedness in the Eternal’s eyes. 21 He says, “I will send evil against you and blow you away. I will also separate you from every man in Israel—both free and enslaved. You will be all alone. 22 I will destroy your house just as I did Jeroboam’s house (Nebat’s son) and Baasha’s house (Ahijah’s son). I will do this because your wickedness has provoked My wrath and because you have caused the Israelites to live sinful lives.”
23 The Eternal also has said a word about Jezebel. He has said, “Jezebel will be devoured by dogs at the wall[b] in Jezreel.” 24 Any of Ahab’s servants who die in the city will be devoured by ravenous dogs, and any of Ahab’s servants who die in the fields will be devoured by ravenous birds of heaven.
25 There was no one in Israel like Ahab who sold himself and decided to commit evil in the Eternal’s eyes because his wife, Jezebel, manipulated him to evil. 26 Ahab was incredibly wicked, giving his life over to idols as the Amorites (whom the Eternal handed to the Israelites) had done. 27 When Ahab heard all of this, he ripped off his clothing, dressed himself in sackcloth, and entered into a time of fasting. He rested in depression, wearing only sackcloth.
28 The word of the Eternal One visited Elijah the Tishbite.
Eternal One: 29 Have you witnessed Ahab’s repentance? He has shed his pride and wickedness and humbled his heart before Me. Therefore I will not send evil against his house while he is still alive; instead I will send it during the lifetime of his son.
22 Three years went by without Aram and Israel fighting at all. 2 During the third year, Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, approached Israel’s king.
Ahab (to his servants): 3 Don’t you remember that Ramoth-gilead is ours? But we have done nothing to take it back from Aram’s king.
4 (to Jehoshaphat) I am going to wage war against Ramoth-gilead. Will you join me?
Jehoshaphat: I am with you. I will do what you do. My troops will be your troops; my horses will be your horses. 5 But first, ask the Eternal for His wisdom and guidance in this matter.
6 Israel’s king assembled the 400 prophets.
Ahab: Should I wage war against Ramoth-gilead or not?
Prophets: Yes, you should. The Lord will give the king victory in this matter.
Jehoshaphat: 7 I need counsel. Is there a prophet of the Eternal present whom we can ask for advice?
Ahab: 8 There is one prophet of the Eternal, but I despise him. He prophesies terrible things about me instead of good things. His name is Micaiah (Imlah’s son).
Jehoshaphat: The king shouldn’t speak as such; he is the Lord’s prophet.
9 Israel’s king summoned a commander and gave him instructions to find Micaiah (Imlah’s son) quickly.
10 At the threshing floor inside the gate of Samaria, Israel’s king and Jehoshaphat (Judah’s king) were both sitting on their own thrones wearing ornate royal robes holding court while all the prophets were spouting out prophesies in their presence. 11 Zedekiah (Chenaanah’s son) had crafted iron horns for himself and spoke.
Zedekiah: This is the Eternal’s message: “Take these horns to gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.”
Prophets: 12 Travel to Ramoth-gilead, and flourish. The Eternal One will hand it over to the king.
Commander (to Micaiah): 13 The prophets’ message is pleasing to the king. May your message be as pleasing as theirs.
Micaiah: 14 As certain as the Eternal, I will say only what He commands me to say—nothing more and nothing less.
Ahab (as Micaiah approached him): 15 Micaiah, should we or should we not wage war against Ramoth-gilead? We need your final say either way.
Micaiah: Do as you say, and be successful. The Eternal One will give it to the king.
Ahab: 16 How many times are you going to make me ask you to give me a true message from the Eternal?
Micaiah: 17 I saw a vision of Israel. In it, Israel was spread all throughout the mountains, wandering aimlessly. They were like lost sheep without a shepherd to guide them. In the vision, the Eternal said, “These sheep have no shepherd. May they all go back to their own homes and live in peace.”
Ahab (to Jehoshaphat): 18 Didn’t I warn you? Didn’t I say that he would give unfavorable prophecies toward me?
Micaiah: 19 You should heed the Eternal’s message. I saw a vision of the Eternal One sitting on His throne with the heavenly army surrounding Him on all sides. 20 In the vision, the Eternal said, “Who will be the one to entice Ahab into battle at Ramoth-gilead so he may die there?” Everyone had a different opinion about who should do the task.
21 Right then, a spirit revealed itself to the Eternal and said, “I will do it. I will draw Ahab into battle.”
22 The Eternal One asked, “How do you plan on doing this?”
The spirit answered, “I will become a spirit of deception within the words of his prophets.”
The Eternal spoke again, “I like this idea. You will succeed at drawing him into battle. Proceed quickly.” 23 Therefore, the Eternal has placed a spirit of deception in the mouths of all your prophets, and He has sent destruction upon you. You will lose.
24 Zedekiah (Chenaanah’s son) hit Micaiah on the cheek.
Zedekiah: That’s impossible. How is it that the Eternal’s Spirit communicated to you without me knowing about it?
Micaiah: 25 You will understand when the time comes for you to hide in a secret chamber.
Ahab: 26 In the meantime, take Micaiah back to Amon, the city’s governor, and to Joash, the king’s son. 27 Give them this message: “This is the command of Israel’s king: ‘Lock this man behind bars, and give him only crumbs of bread and drops of water until I come back safely from battle.’”
Micaiah: 28 All right. If you come back alive and in one piece, you will know that the Eternal did not communicate His message through me. All you people listen carefully.
29 Israel’s king and Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, waged war against Ramoth-gilead.
Ahab (to Jehoshaphat): 30 Here’s what I am going to do. I am going to put on a disguise and enter into battle, but you are going to dress in your normal robes.
Fearing that Micaiah might be right, Israel’s king put on a disguise and entered battle.
31 Aram’s king commanded the 32 captains in charge of all the chariots.
King of Aram (to his captains): Don’t waste your time fighting with any important or unimportant person. Fight only with Israel’s king. He’s the one we want dead.
32 When the chariot captains laid eyes upon Jehoshaphat and saw the robes he was wearing, they said to themselves, “This must be Israel’s king. Only a king wears such robes.” They engaged in battle with him, and Jehoshaphat screamed for his life. 33 To Jehoshaphat’s immense relief, when the chariot captains realized that this was not Israel’s king, they left him alone. 34 In the meantime, one warrior shot a random arrow from his bow up into the air, and the arrow happened to strike inside a joint of Israel’s king’s armor.
Ahab (to his charioteer): Get me out of this battle quickly! I am hurt badly.
35 The fighting continued throughout that entire day. Meanwhile, the king was propped up inside his chariot before all the Arameans, so they would think he still led Israel, and he died that night. Blood dripped out from where the arrow had pierced him, and it stained the bottom of the chariot. 36 At sunset, word spread throughout the entire army: “Israel’s king is dead. Go back to where you came from. Return to your native cities and countries.”
37 Israel’s king died and was transported to Samaria where he was laid to rest. 38 They cleaned the blood out of his chariot at the Samaritan pool, where all the prostitutes and promiscuous women bathed in the bloodstained water and the dogs licked up his blood, just as the Eternal said they would.
39 Is not the rest of Ahab’s story—all his actions and the ivory house and cities he constructed—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? 40 Ahab left this world to sleep with his fathers; and his son, Ahaziah, then inherited the throne.
41 Jehoshaphat (Asa’s son) became Judah’s king during the 4th year of Ahab’s reign in Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he received the throne. His reign lasted 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah (Shilhi’s daughter). 43 Jehoshaphat was devoted to the Eternal just as his father, Asa, was. He walked the good path and did what was good in the eyes of the Eternal One. But the high places were not torn down, and everyone still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. This wickedness still took place under Jehoshaphat’s reign, though he did not inspire it. 44 Jehoshaphat also made peace between himself and Israel’s king.
45 Is not the rest of Jehoshaphat’s story—his mighty actions and how he waged war—documented in the book of the chronicles of Judah’s kings? 46 He threw out of the country all the prostitutes who remained from his father Asa’s time.
47 At that time, there was no king sitting on the throne in Edom, only a deputy.
48 Jehoshaphat crafted ships modeled after those trading ships in Tarshish to travel to Ophir to gather gold, but the ships never made the trip because they wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Ahaziah (Ahab’s son) made a request to Jehoshaphat: “Allow my servants to accompany your servants on the ships.” Jehoshaphat refused this request.
50 Jeshoshaphat left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest with his ancestors in his father’s city, the city of David. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, then inherited the throne.
51 Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, took over the throne of Israel in Samaria during the 17th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah. Ahaziah’s reign over Israel lasted two years. 52 Ahaziah committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of his father and mother and Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) who caused the Israelites to live sinful lives. 53 He gave his heart and life to Baal and offered his services and worship to him. This caused the Eternal God of Israel’s wrath to be provoked just as it had at the wickedness of his father.
26 On the way to the place of crucifixion, they pulled a man from the crowd—his name was Simon of Cyrene, a person from the countryside who happened to be entering the city at that moment. They put Jesus’ cross on Simon’s shoulders, and he followed behind Jesus. 27 Along with Him was a huge crowd of common people, including many women shrieking and wailing in grief.
Jesus (to the people in the crowd): 28 Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me. Weep instead for yourselves and weep for your children. 29 Days are coming when people will say, “Blessed are the infertile; blessed are the wombs that never bore a child; blessed are the breasts that never nursed an infant.” 30 People will beg the mountains, “Surround us!” They’ll plead with the hills, “Cover us!”[a] 31 For if they treat Me like this when I’m like green unseasoned wood, what will they do to a nation that’s ready to burn like seasoned firewood?
32 Jesus wasn’t the only one being crucified that day. There were two others, criminals, who were also being led to their execution. 33 When they came to the place known as “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, in the company of criminals, one to the right of Jesus and the other to His left.
Jesus: 34 [Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.][b]
Meanwhile they were drawing lots to see who would win Jesus’ clothing. 35 The crowd of people stood, watching.
Authorities (mocking Jesus): So He was supposed to rescue others, was He? He was supposed to be God’s Anointed, the Liberating King? Let’s see Him start by liberating Himself!
36 The soldiers joined in the mockery. First, they pretended to offer Him a soothing drink—but it was sour wine.
Soldiers: 37 Hey, if You’re the King of the Jews, why don’t You free Yourself!
38 Even the inscription they placed over Him was intended to mock Him—“This is the King of the Jews!” [This was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.][c]
39 One of the criminals joined in the cruel talk.
Cynical Criminal: You’re supposed to be the Anointed One, right? Well—do it! Rescue Yourself and us!
40 But the other criminal told him to be quiet.
Believing Criminal: Don’t you have any fear of God at all? You’re getting the same death sentence He is! 41 We’re getting what we deserve since we’ve committed crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong at all! 42 (turning to Jesus) Jesus, when You come into Your kingdom, please remember me.
Jesus: 43 I promise you that this very day you will be with Me in paradise.
44 At this point, it was about noon, and a darkness fell over the whole region. The darkness persisted until about three in the afternoon, 45 and at some point during this darkness, the curtain in the temple was torn in two.
The tearing of this heavy curtain in the temple is highly symbolic. Because this curtain separated the holiest place in the temple from the rest of the temple, some see in this act a symbol of God opening the way for unholy humans to enter into His holy presence: Jesus’ death brought forgiveness and opened the way for all to come to God. Others see in the curtain’s being torn the opposite meaning: God’s presence can no longer be confined to any single geographical place. The suffering and death of Jesus ended one age of human history, and now a new era has begun. Now God is on the move, at large, invading the whole world. Or perhaps this graphic image means both.
Jesus (shouting out loudly): 46 Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands![d]
And with those words, He exhaled—and breathed no more.
47 The Centurion[e]—one of the soldiers who performed the execution—saw all this, and he praised God.
Centurion: No doubt, this man must have been innocent.
48 The crowds of common people who had gathered and watched the whole ordeal through to its conclusion left for their homes, pounding on their own chests in profound grief. 49 And all who knew Jesus personally, including the group of women who had been with Him from the beginning in Galilee, stood at a distance, watching all of these things unfold.
50 Meanwhile a man named Joseph had been at work. He was a member of the council, a good and fair man, 51 from a Judean town called Arimathea. He had objected to the plans and actions of the council; he was seeking the kingdom of God. 52 He had gone to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 He removed the body from the cross and wrapped it in a shroud made of fine linen. He then laid the body in a cavelike tomb cut from solid rock, a tomb that never had been used before. 54 It was Preparation Day—the day before the holy Sabbath—and it was about to begin at sundown. 55 The women who had accompanied Jesus from the beginning in Galilee now came, took note of where the tomb was and how His body had been prepared, 56 then left to prepare spices and ointments for His proper burial. They ceased their work on the Sabbath so they could rest as the Hebrew Scriptures required.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.