1 Kings 21:5–24

⁵His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, “Why are you so resentful of everything? Why don’t you eat?” 

⁶He told her, “I talked to Naboth from Jezreel. I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you like, I’ll give you another vineyard for it.’ But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard.’ ” 

⁷His wife Jezebel said to him, “Aren’t you king of Israel? Get up, eat, and cheer up. I’ll give you the vineyard belonging to Naboth from Jezreel.” 

⁸So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth’s city. ⁹In these letters she wrote: “Announce a fast. Seat Naboth as leader of the people. ¹⁰Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city.” 

¹¹The men in Naboth’s city—the respected leaders and nobles who lived there—did what Jezebel asked them to do. They did just as she had written in the letters she sent. ¹²They announced a fast and had Naboth seated as the leader of the people. ¹³The two good-for-nothing men came in and sat opposite him. In front of the people, these men accused Naboth of cursing God and the king. So the people stoned him to death outside the city. ¹⁴Then the leaders sent ⸤this message⸥ to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.” 

¹⁵Jezebel received the message and said to Ahab, “Get up! Confiscate the vineyard which Naboth from Jezreel refused to sell you. He’s dead now.” 

¹⁶When he heard about Naboth’s death, Ahab went to confiscate the vineyard. 

¹⁷Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah from Tishbe: ¹⁸“Go, meet King Ahab of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He went to confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. ¹⁹Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord asks: Have you murdered someone just to confiscate ⸤a vineyard⸥?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: At the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will lick up your blood.’ ” 

²⁰Ahab asked Elijah, “So you’ve found me, my enemy?” 

Elijah answered, “I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil. ²¹So I am going to bring evil on you. I will destroy your descendants. I will destroy every male^ain Ahab’s ⸤house⸥, whether slave or freeman in Israel. ²²I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because you made me furious. You led Israel to sin.” 

²³Then the Lord also spoke ⸤through Elijah⸥ about Jezebel: “The dogs will eat Jezebel inside the walls of Jezreel. ²⁴If anyone from Ahab’s ⸤house⸥ dies in the city, dogs will eat him. If anyone dies in the country, birds will eat him.”