1 Kings 21:5–24

⁵Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat?”

⁶“Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite,” he replied. “I told him: Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard!’ ”

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.” ^q8So she wrote letters ^rin Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. ^sShe sent the letters to the elders ^tand nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹In the letters, she wrote:

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

¹¹The men of his city, the elders and nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had commanded them, as 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.” ^y

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, ^zsince 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: ^a18“Get up and go to meet Ahab king of Israel, ^bwho is in Samaria. ^cYou’ll find him in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered ^dand also taken possession?’ ^eThen tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick your blood!’ ” ^f

²⁰Ahab said to Elijah, “So, you have caught me, my enemy.” ^g

He replied, “I have caught you because you devoted ^hyourself to do what is evil in the Lord’s sight. ²¹This is what the Lord says: ⁱ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will sweep away your descendants:

I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males, ^j

both slave and free, in Israel; ^k

²²I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam ^lson of Nebat and like the house of Baasha ^mson of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin. ⁿ²³The Lord also speaks of Jezebel: The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land ^oat Jezreel: ^p

²⁴He who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,

and he who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.’ ” ^q