1 Kings 21

Translated from the Hebrew of the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Tap a verse to see why it reads as it does. Tap a small letter to read its footnote.

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Naboth’s vineyard

¹Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria. ²Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In its place I will give you a better vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will pay you its value in silver.” ³But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I hand over to you the inheritance of my ancestors!” ⁴So Ahab went home sullen and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him: “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and would not eat. ⁵His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so downcast that you will not eat?” ⁶He told her, “I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷His wife Jezebel said to him, “Are you not the one who rules as king over Israel now? Get up and eat something, and cheer up. I myself will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” ⁸So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and put his seal on them, and she sent them to the leading men and elders of Naboth’s city, who lived there with him. ⁹In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the front of the people. ¹⁰Seat two worthless men opposite him, and have them bring this charge against him: ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him outside and stone him until he dies.” ¹¹The men of Naboth’s city, the elders and leading men who lived there, did as Jezebel had instructed them, exactly as it was written in the letters she had sent them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the front of the people. ¹³Then the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him, and the worthless men brought their charge against Naboth in front of the people: “Naboth has cursed God and the king.” So they led him out of the city and stoned him until he died. ¹⁴Then they sent a message to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead.” ¹⁵As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she told Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard that Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you. Naboth is no longer alive. He is dead.” ¹⁶Once Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose and went down to Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard to take possession of it.

Elijah confronts Ahab

¹⁷Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸“Rise and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who reigns in Samaria. He is in Naboth’s vineyard right now; he has gone down there to take possession of it. ¹⁹Say to him, ‘The LORD says this: Have you committed murder and also taken possession?’ Then say to him, ‘The LORD says this: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will lick up your blood too, yes, yours.’” ²⁰Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” “I have found you,” Elijah answered, “because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. ²¹I am about to bring disaster on you. I will sweep away those who come after you, and I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, bond or free. ²²I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have led Israel to sin. ²³And concerning Jezebel the LORD has also spoken: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ ²⁴Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the open country, the birds of the sky will eat.” ²⁵There was truly no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel. ²⁶He acted in the most detestable way by going after idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites.

Ahab humbles himself

²⁷When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and went about quietly.

²⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹“Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime. I will bring the disaster on his house in his son’s days.”