1 Kings 20
A Vineyard Taken by False Witnesses
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Naboth’s Vineyard
20:1Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard beside the threshing floor of Ahab king of Samaria.
20:2Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so it may be a vegetable garden for me, because it is nearer my house. I will give you another vineyard better than it; or, if it pleases you, I will give you silver in exchange for this vineyard of yours, and it will be a vegetable garden for me.”
20:3Naboth said to Ahab, “May my God forbid that I should give you my fathers’ inheritance!”
20:4Ahab’s spirit became troubled. He lay on his bed, covered his face, and ate no bread.
20:5Jezebel his wife came to him and said, “Why is your spirit troubled, and why are you not eating bread?”
20:6He said to her, “I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, saying, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver; or, if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my fathers’ inheritance.’”
Jezebel’s Letter and the False Witnesses
20:7Jezebel his wife said to him, “Is this how you now act as king over Israel? Rise, eat bread, and be yourself again. I will give you Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard.”
20:8She wrote a letter in Ahab’s name, sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders and free men who lived with Naboth.
20:9It was written in the documents: “Observe a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people.
20:10Seat two men, sons of lawbreakers, opposite him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘He has “blessed” God and the king.’ Let them take him out and stone him, and let him die.”
20:11The men of his city—the elders and free men who lived in his city—did as Jezebel had sent to them, as written in the documents she had sent them.
20:12They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people,
20:13Two men, sons of lawbreakers, came and sat opposite him. They testified against him, saying, “You have ‘blessed’ God and the king.” They took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.
20:14They sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
20:15When Jezebel heard, she said to Ahab, “Rise, take possession of Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard, which he did not give you for silver. Naboth is no longer alive; he is dead.”
20:16When Ahab heard that Naboth the Jezreelite was dead, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth. After this, Ahab rose and went down to Naboth the Jezreelite’s vineyard to take possession of it.
Elijah Meets Ahab in the Vineyard
20:17The Lord spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
20:18“Rise and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Look, he is in Naboth’s vineyard, because he has gone down there to take possession of it.
20:19Say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Because you murdered and took possession, therefore thus says the Lord: In every place where swine and dogs licked Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick your blood there, and prostitutes will bathe in your blood.’”
20:20Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He said, “I have found you, because you have been sold in vain to do evil before the Lord, provoking Him.
20:21Thus says the Lord: ‘Look, I am bringing calamities upon you. I will burn out what remains after you and destroy from Ahab every male who urinates against a wall, both confined and abandoned in Israel.
20:22I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because of the provocations you have provoked and because you caused Israel to sin.’”
20:23To Jezebel the Lord spoke, saying, “The dogs will devour her at Jezreel’s outer wall.”
20:24Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; anyone belonging to him who dies in the plain, the birds of the heavens will eat.
Ahab Humbles Himself
20:25Yet Ahab acted in vain, as he was sold to do evil before the Lord, as Jezebel his wife turned him aside.
20:26He acted most abominably by following the abominations, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.
20:27Because of the word, Ahab was stricken before the Lord: he went about weeping, tore his tunic, tied sackcloth around his body, fasted, and put on sackcloth on the day he struck Naboth the Jezreelite.
20:28The Lord’s word came through His servant Elijah concerning Ahab, and the Lord said,
20:29“Have you seen how Ahab has been stricken before Me? I will not bring the harm in his days, but in his son’s days I will bring the harm.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.