Naboth’s vineyard
1 Now Naboth, a man from Jezreel, owned a vineyard just beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
2 Ahab asked Naboth, “Give me your vineyard which is near my house that I may use it for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange. Or, if you prefer, I will pay you its price.”
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “Yahweh forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4 So Ahab went home angry and sad because of what Naboth had told him, that he would not give him the inheritance of his fathers. So he lay down on his bed with his face turned toward the wall and refused to eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so angry that you refuse to eat?”
6 He answered, “I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him to sell me his vineyard or to exchange it for another better one but he answered: I will not give you my vineyard.”
7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “Are you not king of Israel? Get up and eat and be joyful, for I will give you the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel.”
8 So Jezebel wrote letters using Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and important persons living near Na both.
9 This is what she wrote in the letters, “Declare a fast and put Naboth on trial.
10 Get two worthless fellows to accuse him in this way: ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 The people, the elders and the important persons who lived in his city did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters she sent to them.
12 They declared a fast and put Naboth on trial.
13 The two worthless fellows came in and sat facing him, accusing Naboth before the people, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So the peo ple took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
14 They then sent word to Jezebel that Na both had been stoned and was dead.
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she told Ahab, “Now take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the man of Jezreel who refused to sell it to you, for Naboth is now dead.”
16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went down to the vineyard of Naboth and took possession of it.
17 Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah of Tishbe,
18 “Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of the vineyard of Naboth.
19 Say to him: ‘Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time?’ Then give him this word of mine: ‘Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.’”
20 Ahab then said to Elijah, “Who, better than my enemy, could find me here and now!” Elijah answered, “I have come to you because you have done what Yahweh abhors.
21 This is Yah weh’s word: I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away and cut off every male of your family, from the lowliest to the greatest.
22 Your family will disappear like the families of Jeroboam and Baasa, because you have offended me and have dragged Israel into sin.
23 There is ano ther word of Yahweh to Jeze bel: ‘The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of Jezreel.’
24 If anyone of Ahab’s line dies in the city, he shall be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air shall feed on him.”
25 There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, in doing what Yahweh abhorred.
26 He did horrible things and ran after unclean idols just as the Amo rites had done, from whom Yahweh had taken the land to give it to Israel.
27 On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around despon dent ly.
28 Then Yahweh said to Elijah the Tish bite, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself?
29 Be cause of this I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his son’s reign disgrace will fall on his family.”
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Comments 1 Kings, Chapter 21
• 21.1 Naboth keeps his vineyard, more out of respect for the inheritance received from his fathers than for his personal convenience.
Declare a fast (v. 9). Surely Jezebel takes advantage of a calamity of that time, a drought or a pestilence. The elders of the city must assemble all the people for a solemn fast and an assembly, where they will find out “who attracted this punishment of God.” The guilty one will have to be Naboth and, in this way, Jezebel will have him killed legally.
Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time? Ahab’s crime is no worse than Da vid’s who had Uriah killed so that he could take his wife (2 S 12). Elijah goes to Ahab in the manner that Nathan had gone to rebuke David.