¶ After these things were done, it chanced that Naboth the Iezrahelite had a vineyard in Iezrahel hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
And Ahab spake unto Naboth saying: let me have thy vineyard, to make me a garden of herbs thereof, because it lieth so nye my house: and I will give thee a better vineyard for it: or if it please thee I will give thee, the worth of it in silver.
But Naboth said to Ahab: the LORD forbid that from me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
Then went Ahab unto his house wayward and evil apaid, because of the words which Naboth the Iezrahelite had spoken unto him saying: I will not give to thee, the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed and turned away his face, and would eat no meat.
¶ And when Iezabel his wife came to him, and said unto him: why art thou so froward, that thou eatest no meat?
And he said unto her, I spake unto Naboth the Iazrahelite, and said unto him: give me thy vineyard for silver, or else if thou wilt, I will give thee another vineyard for it. And he said: I will not give thee my vineyard.
Then said Iezabel his wife unto him: what a goodly kingdom were thou able to make in Israel? up and eat meat and set thine heart at rest, for I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Iezrahelite.
And she wrote a letter in Ahab's name and sealed it with his seal, and sent it unto the elders and chief men of his city that dwelt where Naboth dwelt.
And she wrote in the letter saying: proclaim fasting and set Naboth on high among the people,
and set two unthriftes before him, and let them testify against him saying: thou didst curse both God and the king. And upon that carry him out and stone him to death.
And the elders and nobles of his city, which dwelt in his city, did as Iezabel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letter which she had sent unto them.
They proclaimed fasting, and set Naboth on high among the people,
and there came in two unthrifty persons and sat before him. And the two unthrifty persons witnessed against Naboth before the people saying: Naboth did curse God and the king. And upon that they carried him out of the city and stoned him with stones to death.
And then they sent to Iezabel saying: Naboth is stoned to death.
And when Iezabel heard that Naboth was stoned to death: she said to Ahab: up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Iezrahelite, which he denied to give thee for silver, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead. He stood up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Iezrahelite, to take possession of it.
¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Eliah the Thesbite saying:
up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth: for he is gone down thither, to take possession of it.
And say unto him: thus sayeth the LORD, thou hast killed and thereto gotten possession. And say moreover unto him, thus sayeth the LORD: in the place where dogs lapped the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lap even thy blood also.
And Ahab said to Eliah: hast thou found me thine enemy at any time? And he said yea, because thou art utterly given to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD.
Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will make clean riddance of thee, and will destroy unto Ahab all that pisseth against the wall, and if ought be prisoned or forsaken in Israel:
and will make thine house, like the house of Ieroboam the son of Nabat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahiah, for the angering wherewith thou hast angered and made Israel sin.
And thereto against Iezabel came the word of the LORD saying: dogs shall eat Iezabel, under the walls of Iezrahel.
And he that dieth of Ahab in the town, him shall dogs eat: and he that dieth in the fields, him shall the fowls of the air eat.
For there was none at all like Ahab, that was so utterly given to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, and that because Iezabel his wife pricked him forward.
And therefore he did exceeding abominably, in following Idols, in all things like as did the Amorites which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
When Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes and put sack cloth about his flesh and fasted, and lay in sack and went comfortless.
And the word of the LORD came to Eliah the Thesbite saying:
seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he so submitteth himself before me, I will not bring that evil in his days: but in his son's days, I will bring evil upon his house.
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Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.