1 ¶ Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, that was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2 And Ahab said to Naboth, Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is next to my palace: and I will give you a better vineyard in its place; or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.

3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid, that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.

4 So Ahab went back into his palace sullen and unhappy because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him: for he had said, I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down on his bed, and turned his face away, and would not eat any food.

5 ¶ But Jezebel his wife went to him, and said, Why are you so sad of heart, that you will not eat food?

6 Because I spoke with Naboth the Jezreelite he replied, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it: but he said, I will not give you my vineyard.

7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him, Are you not the ruler of Israel? Get up, eat some food, and let your heart be merry: I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.

9 And in the letters she said, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the people:

10 And seat two unscrupulous men before him, to bear witness against him, saying, You blasphemed God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, so that he dies.

11 And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel directed, in the letters that she sent to them.

12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth at the head of the people.

13 And then two dishonest men came in and sat in front of him: and the wicked men testified against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. Then they carried him out of the city, and stoned him with stones, so that he died.

14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned, and is dead.

15 And when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned, and was dead, she said to Ahab, Get up, and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to sell you for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17 ¶ Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, which he has gone to take possession of.

19 And you shall say to him, The LORD asks this, Have you murdered, and also taken possession? And tell him, The LORD says this, Dogs will lick your own blood in the place where they licked the blood of Naboth.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you: because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

21 Behold, I will bring calamity upon you, and will sweep away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab all who urinate against a wall, both bond and free in Israel,

22 And will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation by which you have provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24 The dogs will eat those of Ahab’s line who die in the city; and the birds of the air will eat those who die in the country.

25 For there was no one who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, who was spurred on by his wife Jezebel.

26 It was a great abomination for him to follow idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? because he is humbling himself before me, I will not bring calamity on his family while he is alive: but during his son’s life I will bring calamity on his house.