Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁶¹ Rulers make it hard for me for no reason, but my heart honors Your Words with fear. ¹⁶² I am made happy by Your Word, like one who finds great riches. ¹⁶³ I hate what is false, but I love Your Law. ¹⁶⁴ I praise You seven times a day, because Your Law is right. ¹⁶⁵ Those who love Your Law have great peace, and nothing will cause them to be hurt in their spirit. ¹⁶⁶ I hope for Your saving power, O Lord, and I follow Your Word. ¹⁶⁷ I obey Your Law, for I love it very much. ¹⁶⁸ I obey Your Word and Laws, for You know all my ways.

Naboth Is Killed in His Grape-Field

21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a field of grape-vines in Jezreel beside the family of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your grape-field. I want it for a vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better field for it. Or I will pay for it with money, if you like.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “May the Lord keep me from giving you what I have received from my fathers.” ⁴ Ahab went into his house sad and angry because of Naboth the Jezreelite saying to him, “I will not give you what I have received from my fathers.” And Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away and would not eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so troubled that you are not eating food?” ⁶ He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said to him, ‘Give me your grape-field for money. Or I will give you another field for it, if you like.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my grape-field.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now rule over Israel? Get up, eat food, and let your heart be filled with joy. I will give you the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite.” ⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and put the mark of his name on them. She sent letters to the leaders and the king’s sons who were living with Naboth in his city. ⁹ She wrote in the letters, saying, “Tell the people that it is a time when they should not eat. And put Naboth in front of the people. ¹⁰ Seat two men of no worth beside him. And have them speak against him, saying, ‘You spoke against God and the king.’ Then take him out and kill him with stones.”

¹¹ So the leaders and king’s sons who lived in Naboth’s city did just as Jezebel had written to them in the letters she had sent. ¹² They told the people that it was a time when they should not eat. And they put Naboth in front of the people. ¹³ Then the two men of no worth came in and sat beside him. These men spoke against Naboth in front of the people, saying, “Naboth spoke against God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and killed him with stones. ¹⁴ Then they sent news to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been killed with stones. He is dead.” ¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been killed with stones, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite for your own, the field he would not sell to you. For Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down and take for his own the grape-field of Naboth the Jezreelite.

⁹ You do not need anyone to write to you about loving your Christian brothers. God has taught you to love each other. ¹⁰ You love all the Christians in all the country of Macedonia. But we ask you to love them even more. ¹¹ Do your best to live a quiet life. Learn to do your own work well. We told you about this before. ¹² By doing this, you will be respected by those who are not Christians. Then you will not be in need and others will not have to help you.