New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
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Now it happened sometime later that Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel that was next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”
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Ahab ordered Naboth, "Give me your vineyard so it can become my vegetable garden, because it is right next to my palace. In exchange for it, I'll give you an even better vineyard. Or if you prefer, I'll pay you the price in silver."
3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
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Naboth responded to Ahab, "LORD forbid that I give you my family inheritance!"
4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
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So Ahab went to his palace, irritated and upset at what Naboth had said to him—because Naboth had said, "I won't give you my family inheritance!" Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away. He wouldn't eat anything.
5 “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
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His wife Jezebel came to him. "Why are you upset and not eating any food?" she asked.
6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
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He answered her, "I was talking to Naboth. I said, ‘Sell me your vineyard. Or if you prefer, I'll give you another vineyard for it.' But he said, ‘I won't give you my vineyard!'"
7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”
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Then his wife Jezebel said to him, "Aren't you the one who rules Israel? Get up! Eat some food and cheer up. I'll get Naboth's vineyard for you myself."
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived.
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So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, putting his seal on them. She sent them to the elders and officials who lived in the same town as Naboth.
9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor.
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This is what she wrote in the letters: "Announce a fast and place Naboth at the head of the people.
10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
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Then bring in two liars in front of him and have them testify as follows: ‘You cursed God and king!' Then take Naboth outside and stone him so he dies."
11 So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters.
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The elders and the officials who lived in Naboth's town did exactly as Jezebel specified in the letters that she had sent.
12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people.
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They announced a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death.
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Then the two liars came and sat in front of him. They testified against Naboth in front of the people, "Naboth cursed God and king!" So the people took Naboth outside the town and stoned him so that he died.
14 The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
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It was then reported to Jezebel, "Naboth was stoned. He's dead."
15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!”
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As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take ownership of the vineyard of Naboth, which he had refused to sell to you. Naboth is no longer alive; he's dead."
16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.
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When Ahab heard that Naboth had died, he got up and went down to Naboth's vineyard to take ownership of it.
17 But the LORD said to Elijah,
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The LORD's word came to Elijah from Tishbe:
18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself.
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Get up and go down to meet Israel's King Ahab in Samaria. He is in Naboth's vineyard. He has gone down to take ownership of it.
19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the LORD says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
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Say the following to him: This is what the LORD says: So, you've murdered and are now taking ownership, are you? Then tell him: This is what the LORD says: In the same place where the dogs licked up Naboth's blood, they will lick up your own blood.
20 “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the LORD ’s sight.
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Ahab said to Elijah, "So you've found me, my old enemy!" "I found you," Elijah said, "because you've enslaved yourself by doing evil in the LORD's eyes.
21 So now the LORD says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel!
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So I am now bringing evil on you! I will burn until you are consumed, and I will eliminate everyone who urinates on a wall that belongs to Ahab, whether slave or free.
22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
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I will make your household like that of Jeroboam, Nebat's son, and like the household of Baasha, Ahijah's son, because of the way you've angered me and because you've made Israel sin.
23 “And regarding Jezebel, the LORD says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel. ’
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As for Jezebel, the LORD says this: Dogs will devour Jezebel in the area of Jezreel.
24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
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Dogs will eat anyone of Ahab's family who dies in town, and birds will eat anyone who dies in the country."
25 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the LORD ’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.
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(Truly there has never been anyone like Ahab who sold out by doing evil in the LORD's eyes—evil that his wife Jezebel led him to do.
26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the LORD had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
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Ahab's actions were deplorable. He followed after the worthless idols exactly like the Amorites had done—the very ones the LORD had removed before the Israelites.)
27 But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
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When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put mourning clothes on his body. He fasted, even slept in mourning clothes, and walked around depressed.
28 Then another message from the LORD came to Elijah:
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The LORD's word then came to Elijah from Tishbe:
29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”
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Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done so, I won't bring the evil during his lifetime. Instead, I will bring the evil on his household in the days of his son.
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Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible