1 Kings 21:1-16

The Voice

21 After all this took place, Ahab, the king of Samaria, ²made 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: ³I’m sorry, the Eternal forbids that I give away any of my ancestors’ inheritance, even to you.^[a]

⁴Ahab, 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. ⁵Jezebel, his wife, noticed this.

Jezebel: What is wrong with you? Why are you not eating anything? This isn’t like you.

Ahab: ⁶I 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: ⁷Are 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.

⁸Jezebel 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: ⁹Declare a time of fasting for all the people. Put Naboth before all the people, ¹⁰and 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.

¹¹The leaders and noblemen of the city did just as Jezebel instructed them in the letters. ¹²They declared a time of fasting for all the people and they seated Naboth before all the people. ¹³The 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): ¹⁴Naboth has been executed by stoning.

Jezebel (hearing the news): ¹⁵Get 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.

¹⁶When 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.

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