Ahab Takes Possession of Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Now it happened after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in ^(A)Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “^(B)Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if it is good in your sight, I will give you the price of ^[a]it in money.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “Yahweh forbid me ^(C)that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ^4 (D)So Ahab came into his house sullen and enraged because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no ^[b]food.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating ^[c]food?” ⁶ So he 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 a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ And Jezebel his wife said to him, “^(E)Do you now exercise kingship over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be merry; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

¹⁵ Now it happened that when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, 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.” ¹⁶ Now it happened that when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Yahweh Speaks Against Ahab

¹⁷ Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, ^(A)who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. ¹⁹ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(B)Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(C)In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”

²⁶ ‘Surely ^(A)I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says Yahweh, ‘and ^(B)I will repay you in this ^[a]property,’ says Yahweh. So now, lift him up and cast him into the ^[b]property, according to the word of Yahweh.”