1
This is what happened next. Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
2
Ahab told Naboth, "Give me your vineyard. It will become my vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price for it."
3
Naboth told Ahab, "The LORD has forbidden me to give you what I inherited from my ancestors."
4
Resentful and upset, Ahab went home because of what Naboth from Jezreel had told him. ([Naboth had said,] "I will not give you what I inherited from my ancestors.") So Ahab lay on the couch, turned his face [from everyone], and refused to eat.
5
His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, "Why are you so resentful of everything? Why don't you eat?"
6
He told her, "I talked to Naboth from Jezreel. I said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you like, I'll give you another vineyard for it.' But he said, 'I won't give you my vineyard.'"
7
His wife Jezebel said to him, "Aren't you king of Israel? Get up, eat, and cheer up. I'll give you the vineyard belonging to Naboth from Jezreel."
8
So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth's city.
9
In these letters she wrote: "Announce a fast. Seat Naboth as leader of the people.
10
Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city."
11
The men in Naboth's city--the respected leaders and nobles who lived there--did what Jezebel asked them to do. They did just as she had written in the letters she sent.