¹⁷ At this time the ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to the prophet Elijah the Tishbite. The Lord said, ¹⁸ “Go to Ahab king of Israel in Samaria. He is at Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take ·it as his own [possession of it]. ¹⁹ Tell Ahab that I, the Lord, say to him, ‘·You have [^LHave you not…?] murdered Naboth and taken his land. So I tell you this: In the same place the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, they will also lick up your blood [1 Kin. 22:37–38]!’”

²⁰ When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, “So you have found me, my enemy!”

Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you. You ·have always chosen to do what the Lord says is wrong [^Lsold yourself to do evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. ²¹ So the Lord says to you, ‘I will ·soon destroy you [bring evil/disaster on you]. I will ·kill you [sweep you away] and ·every [^Lcut off every] ·male [^Lone who urinates against the wall] in your ·family [^Lhouse], both slave and free. ²² Your ·family [^Lhouse] will be like the ·family [^Lhouse] of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the ·family [^Lhouse] of King Baasha son of Ahijah. I will destroy you, because you have ·made me angry [provoked/aroused me to anger] and have led the people of Israel to sin.’

²³ “And the Lord also says, ‘Dogs will eat the body of Jezebel in the ·city [fields; boundaries] of Jezreel [2 Kin. 9:30–37].’

²⁴ “Anyone in Ahab’s ·family [^Lhouse] who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the ·fields [country] will be eaten by ·birds [vultures; ^Lbirds of the air/sky; 16:4].”