1 Kings 21:7–19

⁷Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Now, exercise your royal power over Israel. Get up, eat some food, and be happy. For I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”^{m 8}So she wrote lettersⁿ in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal.^o She sent the letters to the elders^p and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹In the letters, she wrote:

Proclaim a fast^q and seat Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰Then seat two wicked men^r opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king!”^s Then take him out and stone him to death.^t

¹¹The men of his city, the elders and nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters she had sent them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. ¹⁴Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”^u

¹⁵When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite who refused to give it to you for silver,^v since Naboth isn’t alive, but dead.” ¹⁶When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

THE LORD’S JUDGMENT ON AHAB

¹⁷Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite:^{w 18}“Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel,^x who is in Samaria.^y He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered^z and also taken possession?’^aa Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood!’ ”^ab