1 Kings 21

1 Kings Chapter 21 KJV

1Ahab is sore displeased at being refused the vineyard of Naboth. 5Jezebel comforteth him, and procureth Naboth to be stoned to death upon a false accusation of blasphemy. 15She sendeth Ahab to take possession of the vineyard. 17Elijah is sent to meet him, and denounceth God's judgments against Ahab and Jezebel for their wickedness. 27Ahab humbling himself before God, the punishment is deferred to his son's days.
1 And it came to pass after 1these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in 2Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, 1Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it aseem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that 1I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
4 And Ahab came into his house 1heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he 2laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 ¶ But 1Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
6 And he said unto her, 1Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, 1Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
8 So she 1wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto 2the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, 1Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth aon high among the people:
10 And set two men, 1sons of Belial, before him, to 2bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then 3carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, 1did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial 1witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did 2blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him 3with stones, that he died.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, 1Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 ¶ And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, 1take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 ¶ And the 1word of the Lord came to Elijah 2the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in 1Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 1Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 2In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O 1mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast 2sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.
21 Behold, 1I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and 1made Israel to sin.
23 And 1of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the awall of Jezreel.
24 Him 1that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
25 ¶ But there 1was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom 2Jezebel his wife astirred up.
26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to 1all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he 1rent his clothes, and 2put sackcloth upon his flesh, and 3fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 1Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his 2son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
1 Kings 21