8 Iezébel commandeth to kil Naboth for the Vineyard, that he refuſed to ſel to Aháb. 19 Eliiáh reproueth Aháb, and he repenteth.

1.^" AFter theſe things Nabóth the Izreélite had a vineyarde in Izreél, hard by the palace of Aháb King of Samaria.

2.And Aháb ſpake vnto Nabóth, ſaying, ^a Giue me thy vineyarde, that I may make me ^a garden of herbes thereof, becauſe it is nere by mine houſe: and I wil giue thee for it ^a better vineyarde then it is: or if it pleaſe thee, I wil giue thee the worthe of it in money.

3.And Nabóth ſaid to Aháb, The Lord kepe me from giuing the inheritãce of my fathers vnto thee.

4.Then Aháb came into his houſe heauy & in diſpleaſure, becauſe of the worde which Nabóth the Izreelite had ſpokẽ vnto him. for he had ſaid, I wil not giue thee the inheritance of my fathers, and he lay ^b vpon his bed and turned his face and wolde eat no bread.

5.Then Iezébel his wife came to him and ſaid vnto him, Why is thy ſpirit ſo ſad y^t thou eateſt no bread?

6.And he ſaid vnto her, Becauſe I ſpake vnto Nabóth the Izreelite, and ſaid vnto him, Giue me thy vineyarde for money, or if it pleaſe thee, I wil giue thee another vineyarde for it: but he anſwered, I wil not giue thee my vineyarde.

7.Then Iezébel his wife ſaid vnto him, ^c Doeſt thou now gouerne the kingdome of Iſraél? vp, eat bread, and ^" be of good chere, I wil giue thee the vineyard of Nabóth the Izreelite.

8.¶ So ſhe wrote letters in Ahabs name, & ſealed them with his ſeale, and ſent the letters vnto the Elders, and to the nobles that were in his citie dwelling w^t Nabóth.

9.And ſhe wrote in the letters, ſaying, Proclaime a ^d faſt, and ſet Nabóth amõg the chief of the people,

10.And ſet two wicked men before him, and let thẽ witnes againſt him, ſaying, Thou dideſt blaſpheme God and the King: thẽ cary him out, and ſtone him that he may dye.

11.And the ^e men of his citie, euen the Elders and gouernours, which dwelt in his citie, did as Iezébel had ſent vnto them: as it was writẽ in the letters, which ſhe had ſent vnto them.

12.They proclaimed a faſt, and ſet Nabóth among the chief of the people,

13.And there came two wicked men, & ſate before him: and the wicked men witneſſed againſt Nabóth in the preſence of the people, ſaying, Nabóth did ^" blaſpheme God and the King. Thẽ they caryed him away out of the citie, and ſtoned him with ſtones, that he dyed.

14.Then they ſent to Iezébel, ſaying, Nabóth is ſtoned and is dead.

15.¶ And when Iezébel heard that Nabóth was ſtoned and was dead, Iezébel ſaid to Aháb, ^f Vp, & take poſſeſsion of the vineyard of Nabóth the Izreelite, which he refuſed to giue thee for money: for Nabóth is not aliue, but is dead.

16.And when Aháb heard that Nabóth was dead, he roſe to go downe to the vineyard of Nabóth the Izreelite, to take poſſeſsion of it.

17.¶ And the worde of the Lord came vnto Eliiáh the Tiſhbite, ſaying,

18.Ariſe, go downe to mete Aháb King of Iſraél, which is in Samaria. lo, he is in the vineyarde of Nabóth, whether he is gone downe to take poſſeſsion of it.

19.Therefore ſhalt thou ſay vnto him, Thus ſaith the Lord, Haſt thou killed, and al ^g ſo gotten poſſeſsion? And thou ſhalt ſpeake vnto him, ſaying, Thus ſayth the Lord, ^h In the place where dogs licked the blood of Nabóth, ſhal dogs licke euẽ thy blood alſo.

20.And Aháb ſaid to Eliiáh, Haſt thou founde me, ô mine enemie? And he anſwered, I haue founde thee: for thou haſt ſolde thy ſelfe to worke wickednes in the ſight of the Lord.

21.^* Beholde, I wil bring euil vpon thee, & wil take away thy poſteritie, and wil cut off from Aháb him that ^* piſſeth againſt y^e wall, aſwel him that is ^* ſhut vp, as him that is left in Iſraél,

22.And I wil make thine houſe like y^e houſe of ^* Ieroboám the ſonne of Nebát, & like the houſe of ^* Baaſhá the ſonne of Ahiiáh, for the prouocacion wherewith thou haſt prouoked, and made Iſraél to ſinne.

23.And alſo of Iezébel ſpake the Lord, ſaying, ^* The dogs ſhal eat Iezébel, ^" by the wall of Izreél.

24.The dogs ſhal eat him of Ahabs ſtocke, that dyeth in the citie: and him that dyeth in the fields, ſhal the foules of the ayre eat.

25.But there was none like Aháb, who did ſell him ſelfe, to worke wickednes in the ſight of the Lord: whome Iezébel his wife ⁱ prouoked.

26.For he did excedĩg abominably in following idoles, accordĩg to all that the Ammorites did, whome the Lord caſt out before the children of Iſraél.

27.Now when Aháb heard thoſe wordes, he rent his clothes, and put ſackecloth vpõ ^" him and faſted, and lay in ſackecloth and went ^k ſoftely.

28.And the worde of the Lord came to Eliiáh the Tiſhbite, ſaying,

29.Seeſt thou how Aháb is humbled before me? becauſe he ſubmitteth him ſelfe before me, I wil not bring that euil in his dayes, but in his ^l ſonnes dayes wil I bring euil vpon his houſe.

1 Kings 21

Notes