And AhabspakeuntoNaboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is nearunto my house: and I willgivethee for it a bettervineyardthan it; or, if it seemgood to thee, I willgivethee the worth of it in money.
And Ahabcameinto his househeavy and displeasedbecause of the wordwhichNaboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not givethee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him downupon his bed, and turnedaway his face, and would eat no bread.
And he saidunto her, Because I spakeuntoNaboth the Jezreelite, and saidunto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it pleasethee, I willgivetheeanothervineyard for it: and he answered, I will not givethee my vineyard.
And Jezebel his wifesaidunto him, Dostthou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thineheart be merry: I willgivethee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
So she wroteletters in Ahab’sname, and sealedthemwith his seal, and sent the lettersunto the elders and to the noblesthatwere in his city, dwellingwithNaboth.
And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bearwitnessagainst him, saying, Thoudidstblaspheme God and the king. And thencarry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sentuntothem, and as it was written in the letterswhich she had sentuntothem.
And therecame in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belialwitnessedagainst him, evenagainstNaboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Thentheycarried him forth out of the city, and stoned him withstones, that he died.
And it came to pass, whenJezebelheardthatNaboth was stoned, and was dead, thatJezebelsaid to Ahab, Arise, takepossession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to givethee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
And thoushaltspeakunto him, saying, Thussaith the LORD, Hastthoukilled, and alsotakenpossession? And thoushaltspeakunto him, saying, Thussaith the LORD, In the placewheredogslicked the blood of Nabothshalldogslick thy blood, eventhine.
And Ahabsaid to Elijah, hastthoufound me, O mineenemy? And he answered, I havefoundthee; becausethouhastsoldthyself to workevil in the sight of the LORD.
Behold, I willbringeviluponthee, and willtakeaway thy posterity, and will cut off fromAhab him thatpissethagainst the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
And willmakethinehouselike the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocationwherewiththouhastprovoked me to anger, and madeIsrael to sin.
And it came to pass, whenAhabheardthosewords, that he rent his clothes, and put sackclothupon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and wentsoftly.
Seestthou how Ahabhumblethhimselfbefore me? because he humblethhimselfbefore me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’sdayswill I bring the evilupon his house.