1 Kings 21

Wycliffe Bible

21 Forsooth after these words, in that time, the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel, that was in Jezreel, was beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. (Now after these things, at that time, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria, that is, the king of Israel.)

² Therefore Ahab spake to Naboth, and said, Give thou to me thy vineyard, that I make to me thereof a garden of worts, for it is nigh to me, and nigh mine house; and I shall give to thee a better vinery for it; either if thou guessest it more profitable to thee, I shall give thee the price of silver, as much as it is worth. (And so Ahab spoke to Naboth, and said, Give thou thy vineyard to me, so that I can make a herb garden out of it for myself, for it is close to me, and close to my house; and I shall give thee a better vineyard for it; or if thou guessest that it be more profitable to thee, I shall give thee the price of it in silver, for as much as it is worth.)

³ To whom Naboth answered, The Lord be merciful to me, that I give not to thee the heritage of my fathers.

⁴ Therefore Ahab came into his house, having indignation, and gnashing on the word which Naboth of Jezreel had spoken to him, and said, I shall not give to thee the heritage of my fathers. And Ahab casted down himself into his bed, and turned away his face to the wall, and ate not bread (And Ahab threw himself down onto his bed, and turned his face to the wall, and ate no food).

⁵ And Jezebel, his wife, entered to him, and said to him, What is this thing, whereof thy soul is made sorry? and why eatest thou not bread? (and why eatest thou no food?)

⁶ Which answered to her, I spake to Naboth of Jezreel, and I said to him, Give thy vineyard to me for money taken, either if it pleaseth thee, I shall give to thee a better vinery for it. And he said, I shall not give to thee my vineyard.

⁷ Therefore Jezebel, his wife, said to him, Thou art of great authority, and thou governest well [the realm of] Israel; rise thou (up), and eat bread, and be thou patient, either comforted; I shall give to thee the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel (I shall get the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel for thee).

⁸ Therefore she wrote letters in the name of Ahab, and sealed those with the ring of him; and she sent to the greater men in birth, and to the best men, that were in the city of Naboth, and dwelled with him (and she sent them to the men of great age, that is, to the elders, and to the best men, who lived in the city of Naboth with him).

⁹ And this was the sentence of the letter(s); Preach ye fasting, and make ye Naboth to sit among the first men of the people;

¹⁰ and send ye (in) privily two men, the sons of Belial, against him, and say they (this) false witnessing, Naboth hath blessed God, and the king^[a], that is, hath cursed; and lead ye out him, and stone ye him, and die he so. (and privately, or stealthily, send ye in two men, the sons of Belial, opposite him, and then say they this false witness against him, Naboth hath cursed God, and the king; and then lead ye him out, and stone ye him, and so he shall die.)

¹¹ Therefore his citizens, the greater men in birth, and the best men that dwelled with him in the city (And so his fellow citizens, the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the best men who lived with him in the city), did as Jezebel had commanded [to them], and as it was written in the letters, which she had sent to them.

¹² They preached fasting, and made Naboth to sit among the first men of the people;

¹³ and when two men, (the) sons of the devil, were brought (in), they made them to sit against him (they had them sit opposite him), and they, that is, as men of the devil, said (false) witnessing against him before all the multitude, (saying,) Naboth blessed God, and the king, that is, Naboth hath cursed God, and the king; for which thing they led him without the city, and killed him with stones.

¹⁴ And they sent to Jezebel, and said, Naboth is stoned (Naboth was stoned), and is dead.

¹⁵ Forsooth it was done, when Jezebel had heard Naboth stoned and dead, she spake to Ahab, Rise thou, take in possession the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel, which would not assent to thee, and give it for [the] money taken; for Naboth liveth not, but is dead. (And it was done, when Jezebel had heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she spoke to Ahab, and said, Rise thou up, and take in possession the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel, who would not assent to thee, and give it to thee for the money received; for Naboth no longer liveth, but now is dead.)

¹⁶ And when Ahab had heard this, that is, Naboth to be dead, he rose, and went down into the vinery of Naboth of Jezreel, to have it into possession. (And when Ahab had heard this, that is, that Naboth was dead, he rose up, and went down to the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel, to take possession of it.)

¹⁷ Therefore the word of the Lord was made to Elijah of Tishbe, and said,

¹⁸ Rise thou, go down into the coming of Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samaria; lo! he goeth down to the vinery of Naboth, that he have it in possession. (Rise thou up, and go down to meet with Ahab, the king of Israel, who is in Samaria; lo! he goeth down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it.)

¹⁹ And thou shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord saith these things, Thou hast slain Naboth, furthermore and thou hast taken his vineyard in possession; and after these things thou shalt add, [These things saith the Lord,] In this place, wherein dogs licked the blood of Naboth, they shall lick also thy blood. (And thou shalt speak to him, and say, The Lord saith these things, Hast thou killed Naboth, and furthermore, hast thou taken possession of his vineyard? and after these things thou shalt add, The Lord saith these things, In this place, where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, they shall also lick up thy blood.)

²⁰ And Ahab said to Elijah, Whether thou hast found me thine enemy? And Elijah said, I have found thee so, for thou art sold to the devil that thou shouldest do evil in the sight of the Lord. (And when Ahab saw Elijah, he said, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? And Elijah said, Yes, I have found thee, for thou hath sold thyself to the devil, and thou doest evil before the Lord.)

²¹ Therefore the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall bring in upon thee evil, and I shall cut away thine hinder things, and I shall slay of Ahab a pisser to the wall, and the imprisoned, and the last in Israel; (And so the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall bring in evil upon thee, and I shall cut away thy posterity, or thy descendants, and I shall kill all who be of Ahab, unto a pisser on the wall, and the imprisoned, and the last in Israel;)

²² and I shall give thine house to be as the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah; for thou didest evil to excite me to wrathfulness, and madest Israel to do sin. (and I shall make thy house to be like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah; for thou didest evil to stir me to anger, and madest Israel to do sin.)

²³ But also the Lord spake of Jezebel, and said, (The) Dogs shall eat (up) Jezebel in the field of Jezreel;

²⁴ if Ahab shall die in the city, dogs shall eat him; soothly if he shall die in the field, birds of the air shall eat him. (and if Ahab shall die in the city, the dogs shall eat him; and if he shall die in the field, the birds of the air shall eat him.)

²⁵ Therefore none other was such as Ahab, that was sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord; for Jezebel his wife excited him thereto; (And there was no one else like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil before the Lord; for Jezebel his wife stirred him to do it;)

²⁶ and he was made abominable, in so much that he followed the idols that (the) Amorites made, which men the Lord wasted from (before) the face of the sons of Israel.

²⁷ Therefore when Ahab had heard these words, he rent his cloth (he tore his cloak), and covered his flesh with an hair-shirt, and he fasted, and slept in a sackcloth, and went with the head cast down.

²⁸ And the word of the Lord was made to Elijah of Tishbe, and said,

²⁹ Whether thou hast not seen Ahab made low before me? Therefore for he is made low for the cause of me, I shall not bring in evil in his days, but in the days of his son I shall bring in evil to his house. (Hast thou seen that Ahab hath made himself low, or hath humbled himself, before me? And so because he hath made himself low, I shall not bring in evil in his days, but later I shall bring in evil upon his household, or his family, yea, in the days of his son.)