The Vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite

21 It happened after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard that it may be mine for a garden of vegetable plants, because it is near, beside my house, and I will give to you a better vineyard in place of it. If it is better in your eyes, I will give you the money of its price.” ³ Naboth said to Ahab, “Far be it from me from Yahweh that I should give the inheritance of my ancestors^[a] to you.” ⁴ Then Ahab went to his house, sullen and angry because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him when he had said, “I will not give to you the inheritance of my ancestors.”^[b] So he lay on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat any food.

⁵ Then Jezebel his wife came to him, and she said to him, “What is this, that your spirit is sullen and you are not eating food?” ⁶ Then he said to her, “When I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or it you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in place of it,’ he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “Now, you rule^[c] over Israel. Get up, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful.^[d] I myself will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸ So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling with Naboth in his city. ⁹ She had written in the letters, saying, “Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ Seat two men, scoundrels,^[e] opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies.” ¹¹ The men of his city and the elders and nobles who were living in his city did according to what Jezebel had sent to them, as was written in the letters which she had sent to them. ¹² They called a fast, and they seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Then the two men, scoundrels,^[f] came, sat opposite him, and the scoundrels^[g] witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king,” so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.

¹⁴ They sent to Jezebel saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead.” ¹⁵ It happened at the moment Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and died, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he had refused to give to you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.