1 Kings 21 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Naboth Is Murdered for His Vineyard

Elijah Pronounces Ahab’s Doom

1Ki 21:1And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

1Ki 21:2

1Ki 21:2So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

1Ki 21:3

1Ki 21:3But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”

1Ki 21:4

1Ki 21:4So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken 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 away his face, and would eat no food.

1Ki 21:5

1Ki 21:5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”

1Ki 21:6

1Ki 21:6He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”

1Ki 21:7

1Ki 21:7Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

1Ki 21:8

1Ki 21:8And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.

1Ki 21:9

1Ki 21:9She wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people;

1Ki 21:10

1Ki 21:10and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, “You have blasphemed God and the king.” Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.

1Ki 21:11

1Ki 21:11So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.

1Ki 21:12

1Ki 21:12They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people.

1Ki 21:13

1Ki 21:13And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.

1Ki 21:14

1Ki 21:14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

1Ki 21:15

1Ki 21:15And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

1Ki 21:16

1Ki 21:16So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

The LORD Condemns Ahab

1Ki 21:17

1Ki 21:17Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

1Ki 21:18

1Ki 21:18“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.

1Ki 21:19

1Ki 21:19“You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”

1Ki 21:20

1Ki 21:20So 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:

1Ki 21:21

1Ki 21:21‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.

1Ki 21:22

1Ki 21:22‘I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’

1Ki 21:23

1Ki 21:23“And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall[fn] of Jezreel.’

1Ki 21:24

1Ki 21:24“The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.”

1Ki 21:25

1Ki 21:25But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.

1Ki 21:26

1Ki 21:26And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

1Ki 21:27

1Ki 21:27So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.

1Ki 21:28

1Ki 21:28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

1Ki 21:29

1Ki 21:29“See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.”

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NKJV Footnotes

(21:23)

Following Masoretic Text and Septuagint; some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read plot of ground (compare 2 Kings 9:36).

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