1 Kings 21
Ahab, the king of Samaria, wanted to buy Naboth's vineyard but Naboth refused, citing it as his family's inheritance. Ahab's wife, Jezebel, conspired against Naboth, sending letters to the city's leaders to falsely accuse him of blasphemy, resulting in his stoning. Ahab then took possession of the vineyard, but Elijah prophesied that Ahab and his family would be punished for their evil deeds, including the dogs consuming Jezebel and Ahab's own death. However, when Ahab humbled himself before God, the Lord decided to delay the punishment until the days of Ahab's son.
1And after these things, in that time, there was a vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, who was in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria2Therefore, Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying: "Give your vineyard to me, so that I may make for myself a garden of herbs. For it is nearby and is beside my house. And I will give to you, in place of it, a better vineyard. Or if you consider it to be more convenient for you, I will give you the price in silver, whatever it is worth.3Naboth responded to him, "May the Lord be gracious to me, lest I give to you the inheritance of my fathers.4Then Ahab went into his house, angry and gnashing his teeth over the word that Naboth, the Jezreelite, had spoken to him, saying, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And casting himself on his bed, he turned away his face to the wall, and he would not eat bread5Then Jezebel, his wife, entered to him, and she said to him: "What is this matter, by which your soul has been saddened? And why do you not eat bread?6And he responded to her: "I spoke to Naboth, the Jezreelite, and I said to him: ‘Give your vineyard to me, and accept money. Or if it pleases you, I will give to you a better vineyard, in place of it.’ And he said, ‘I will not give my vineyard to you.’ 7Then Jezebel, his wife, said to him: "You are of great authority, and you rule well in the kingdom of Israel. Rise up and eat bread, and be even-tempered. I will give the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, to you.8And so, she wrote letters in the name of Ahab, and she sealed these with his ring. And she sent to those greater by birth, and to the nobles who were in his city and living with Naboth9And this was the judgment of the letters: "Proclaim a fast, and cause Naboth to sit among the first rulers of the people10And send out two men, sons of Belial, against him. And let them speak the false testimony: ‘He has blasphemed God and king.’ And then lead him away, and stone him, and so let him die.11Then his fellow citizens, those greater by birth and the nobles who were living with him in the city, did just as Jezebel had instructed them, and just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them12They proclaimed a fast, and they caused Naboth to sit among the first rulers of the people13And bringing forward two men, sons of the devil, they caused them to sit opposite him. And they, acting indeed like diabolical men, spoke testimony against him before the multitude: "Naboth has blasphemed God and king." For this reason, they led him away, beyond the city, and they put him to death by stoning14And they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and he has died.15Then it happened that, when Jezebel had heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab: "Rise up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, who was not willing to acquiesce to you, and to give it to you in exchange for money. For Naboth is not alive, but dead.16And when Ahab had heard this, namely, that Naboth was dead, he rose up and descended to the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, so that he might take possession of it17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying18"Rise up, and descend to meet Ahab, the king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is descending to the vineyard of Naboth, so that he may take possession of it19And you shall speak to him, saying: ‘Thus says the Lord: You have killed. Moreover you have also taken possession.’ And after this, you shall add: ‘Thus says the Lord: In this place, where the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, they shall also lick your blood.’ 20And Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you discovered me to be your enemy?" And he said: "I have discovered you to have been sold, so that you would do evil in the sight of the Lord21‘Behold, I will lead evil over you. And I will cut down your posterity. And I will put to death of Ahab whatever urinates against a wall, and whatever is lame, and whatever is last in Israel22And I will cause your house to be like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. For you have acted so that you provoked me to anger, and so that you caused Israel to sin.23And about Jezebel also, the Lord spoke, saying: ‘The dogs shall consume Jezebel in the field of Jezreel24If Ahab will have died in the city, the dogs will consume him. But if he will have died in the field, the birds of the air will consume him.’ 25And so, there was no other person similar to Ahab, who was sold so that he did evil in the sight of the Lord. For his wife, Jezebel, urged him on26And he became abominable, so much so that he followed the idols that the Amorites had made, whom the Lord consumed before the face of the sons of Israel27Then, when Ahab had heard these words, he tore his garments, and he put haircloth on his body, and he fasted, and he slept in sackcloth, and he walked with his head downcast28And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, the Tishbite, saying29"Have you not seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Therefore, since he has humbled himself because of me, I will not lead in the evil during his days. Instead, during the days of his son, I will bring in the evil to his house.
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