Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Near King Ahab's palace in Jezreel there was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth.
1
After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard; it is close to my palace, and I want to use the land for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price."
2
Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”
3 "I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors," Naboth replied. "The Lord forbid that I should let you have it!"
3
Naboth said to Ahab, “May the LORD forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
4 Ahab went home, depressed and angry over what Naboth had said to him. He lay down on his bed, facing the wall, and would not eat.
4
Ahab came into his house sullen and angry 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.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 His wife Jezebel went to him and asked, "Why are you so depressed? Why won't you eat?"
5
But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?”
6 He answered, "Because of what Naboth said to me. I offered to buy his vineyard or, if he preferred, to give him another one for it, but he told me that I couldn't have it!"
6
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 another vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”
7 "Well, are you the king or aren't you?" Jezebel replied. "Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!"
7
Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 Then she wrote some letters, signed Ahab's name to them, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the officials and leading citizens of Jezreel.
8
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.
9 The letters said: "Proclaim a day of fasting, call the people together, and give Naboth the place of honor.
9
She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
10 Get a couple of scoundrels to accuse him to his face of cursing God and the king. Then take him out of the city and stone him to death."
10
Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”
11 The officials and leading citizens of Jezreel did what Jezebel had commanded.
11
The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them.
12 They proclaimed a day of fasting, called the people together, and gave Naboth the place of honor.
12
They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 The two scoundrels publicly accused him of cursing God and the king, and so he was taken outside the city and stoned to death.
13
The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones.
14 The message was sent to Jezebel: "Naboth has been put to death."
14
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 As soon as Jezebel received the message, she said to Ahab, "Naboth is dead. Now go and take possession of the vineyard which he refused to sell to you."
15
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 At once Ahab went to the vineyard to take possession of it.
16
When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 Then the Lord said to Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe,
17
The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 "Go to King Ahab of Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard, about to take possession of it.
18
“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.
19 Tell him that I, the Lord, say to him, "After murdering the man, are you taking over his property as well?' Tell him that this is what I say: "In the very place that the dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will lick up your blood!' "
19
You shall speak to him, saying, ‘The LORD says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘The LORD says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’”
20 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Have you caught up with me, my enemy?" "Yes, I have," Elijah answered. "You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight.
20
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight.
21 So the Lord says to you, "I will bring disaster on you. I will do away with you and get rid of every male in your family, young and old alike.
21
Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.
22 Your family will become like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have stirred up my anger by leading Israel into sin.'
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, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.”
23 And concerning Jezebel, the Lord says that dogs will eat her body in the city of Jezreel.
23
The LORD also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.
24 Any of your relatives who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures."
24
The dogs will eat whoever dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field.”
25 (There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the Lord's sight as Ahab - all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.
25
But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 He committed the most shameful sins by worshiping idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the people of Israel advanced.)
26
He did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
27 When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed.
27
When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently.
28 The Lord said to the prophet Elijah,
28
The LORD’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime; it will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family."
29
“See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.