Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Nabothx the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel,y close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritancez of my ancestors.”

4 So Ahab went home, sullen and angrya because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refusedb to eat.

5 His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?”

6 He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘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.’ ”

7 Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyardc of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

8 So she wrote lettersd in Ahab’s name, placed his seale on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. 9 In those letters she wrote:

“Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 10 But seat two scoundrelsf opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursedg both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

11 So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. 12 They proclaimed a fasth and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 13 Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.i 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyardj of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’k Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,l dogsm will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’ ”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”n

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have soldo yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. 21 He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last malep in Israel—slave or free.a q 22 I will make your houser like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’s

23 “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogst will devour Jezebel by the wall ofb Jezreel.’

24 “Dogsu will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birdsv will feed on those who die in the country.”

25 (There was neverw anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amoritesx the Lord drove out before Israel.)

27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackclothy and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.z

28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbleda himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day,b but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”c

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

22:1–28pp—2Ch 18:1–27

22 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gileadd belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”

4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fighte against Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counself of the Lord.”

6 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

“Go,”g they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”h

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a propheti of the Lord here whom we can inquirej of?”

8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hatek him because he never prophesies anything goodl about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floorm by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 11 Now Zedekiahn son of Kenaanah had made iron hornso and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”

12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”p

14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”q

15 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”

“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

17 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scatteredr on the hills like sheep without a shepherd,s and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”

18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”

19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his thronet with all the multitudesu of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

22 “ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

“ ‘I will go out and be a deceivingv spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

23 “So now the Lord has put a deceivingw spirit in the mouths of all these prophetsx of yours. The Lord has decreed disastery for you.”

24 Then Zedekiahz son of Kenaanah went up and slappeda Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit froma the Lord go when he went from me to speakb to you?” he asked.

25 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hidec in an inner room.”

26 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prisond and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ”

28 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spokene through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”

Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

22:29–36pp—2Ch 18:28–34

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise,f but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

31 Now the king of Aramg had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the kingh of Israel.” 32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out, 33 the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him.

34 But someone drew his bowi at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 35 All day long the battle raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. 36 As the sun was setting, a cry spread through the army: “Every man to his town. Every man to his land!”j

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. 38 They washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed),b and the dogsk licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord had declared.

39 As for the other events of Ahab’s reign, including all he did, the palace he built and adorned with ivory,l and the cities he fortified, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 40 Ahab rested with his ancestors. And …