| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1After this the following episode took place. Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. | 1Meanwhile, there was a man named Naboth from Jezreel who owned a vineyard that was located contiguous to King Ahab's palace in Samaria. |
| 2Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you silver for it." | 2Ahab addressed Naboth and asked him, "I would like to plant a vegetable garden near my house. Please exchange your vineyard with a better one from me, or if you'd rather have cash, I'll buy it for its full value." |
| 3But Naboth replied to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance." | 3But Naboth replied to Ahab, "No way! The LORD prohibits the sale to you of the inheritance of my ancestors!" |
| 4So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance." He lay down on his bed, pouted, and would not eat. | 4Ahab went back to his palace, sullen and in a foul mood, because Naboth the Jezreelite had turned down Ahab's offer by saying "I will not transfer my ancestors' inheritance to you!" He laid down on his bed, curled up with his face to the wall, and refused to eat. |
| 5Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, "Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?" | 5But his wife Jezebel went to him and asked him, "How is it that you're so sullen and refusing to eat?" |
| 6He answered her, "While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not sell you my vineyard.'" | 6"I asked Naboth the Jezreelite, 'Sell me your vineyard for cash, or if you want, I'll give you a better one in its place.' But he refused. He told me, 'I won't give you my vineyard!'" |
| 7His wife Jezebel said to him, "You are the king of Israel! Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you." | 7"Aren't you the reigning king of Israel," his wife Jezebel replied. "Get up, have a meal, and get ready to be happy. I'll go get you the vineyard that Naboth the Jezreelite owns." |
| 8She wrote out orders, signed Ahab's name to them, and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth's city. | 8So she wrote some memos in Ahab's name, set his personal seal to them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. |
| 9This is what she wrote: "Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. | 9In the memos, she wrote the following directives: "Proclaim a public fast and seat Naboth in the front row. |
| 10Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." | 10Seat two wicked men in front of him, and make them testify against him. Tell them to claim 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." |
| 11The men of the city, the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. | 11So the leading men of the city, along with the elders and nobles who lived there, did precisely what Jezebel had directed them to do. They followed the instructions that she had set forth in the memos: |
| 12They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. | 12They proclaimed a public fast and seated Naboth in the front row. |
| 13The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death. | 13Two wicked men came in, sat down in front of them, and testified against Naboth in public, "Naboth cursed God and the king!" So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. |
| 14Then they reported to Jezebel, "Naboth has been stoned to death." | 14Afterwards, they sent a message to Jezebel that said, "Naboth has been stoned. He's dead." |
| 15When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he's dead." | 15When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, "Get up and confiscate Naboth's vineyard that he refused to sell you for cash. Naboth the Jezreelite isn't alive anymore. He's dead!" |
| 16When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. | 16So once he heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up, went down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, and confiscated it. |
| 17The LORD told Elijah the Tishbite: | 17That's when this message from the LORD came to Elijah the foreigner: |
| 18"Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. | 18"Get up and go down to meet King Ahab of Israel. He's in Samaria. Look! He's in Naboth's vineyard, where he's gone to confiscate it. |
| 19Say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: "Haven't you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?"' Then say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: "In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will also lick up your blood--yes, yours!"'" | 19Ask the king, 'Did you commit murder? And now you're going to steal as well?' Also tell him, 'This is what the LORD says: "Where the dogs were licking up Naboth's blood, dogs will also lick up your blood—that's right—yours!"'" |
| 20When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, "So, you have found me, my enemy!" Elijah replied, "I have found you, because you are committed to doing evil in the sight of the LORD. | 20Later on, Ahab asked Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" But Elijah answered, "I've found you because you sold yourself to do what the LORD considers to be evil! |
| 21The LORD says, 'Look, I am ready to bring disaster on you. I will destroy you and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. | 21Now pay attention! I'm going to send evil in your direction! I will completely sweep you away and eliminate from Ahab every male, whether indentured servant or free, throughout Israel. |
| 22I will make your dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.' | 22I will make your household resemble that of Nebat's son Jeroboam, or like the household of Ahijah's son Baasha, because of how you've provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin. |
| 23The LORD says this about Jezebel, 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall of Jezreel.' | 23The LORD also has this to say about Jezebel: 'Dogs will eat Jezebel within the outer ramparts of Jezreel. |
| 24As for Ahab's family, dogs will eat the ones who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country." | 24Dogs will eat whoever belongs to Ahab and who dies in the city. The birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the fields.'" |
| 25(There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel. | 25It can be truly said that no one else sold himself to practice what the LORD considered to be evil quite like the way Ahab did, because his wife Jezebel incited him. |
| 26He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out from before the Israelites.) | 26His behavior in pursuing idolatry was detestable, just like the Amorites had done whom the LORD had expelled in front of the army of Israel. |
| 27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. | 27Nevertheless, as soon as Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He even slept in sackcloth and wandered around meekly. |
| 28The LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, | 28Later, this message from the LORD came to Elijah the foreigner: |
| 29"Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son." | 29"Have you noticed that Ahab has humbled himself in my presence? Because he has humbled himself in my presence, I will not bring his evil to harvest during his lifetime, but I will bring evil to his household during his son's lifetime." |
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