1 Kings 21

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Some time after this, as Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria,	1 This is what happened next: Naboth of Jezreel had a vineyard close by the palace of Ahab king ofSamaria,
2 Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money."	2 and Ahab said to Naboth, 'Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it adjoins mypalace; I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I wil give you its value in money.'
3 "The LORD forbid," Naboth answered him, "that I should give you my ancestral heritage."	3 Naboth, however, said to Ahab, 'Yahweh forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage!'
4 Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: "I will not give you my ancestral heritage." Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.	4 Ahab went home gloomy and out of temper at the words of Naboth of Jezreel, 'I wil not give you myheritage from my ancestors.' He lay down on his bed and turned his face away and refused to eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, "Why are you so angry that you will not eat?"	5 His wife Jezebel came to him. 'Why are you so dispirited,' she said, 'that you refuse to eat?'
6 He answered her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.' But he refused to let me have his vineyard."	6 He said, 'I have been talking to Naboth of Jezreel. I said, "Give me your vineyard either for money or, ifyou prefer, for another vineyard in exchange." But he said, "I wil not give you my vineyard." '
7 "A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!" his wife Jezebel said to him. "Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you."	7 Then his wife Jezebel said, 'Some king of Israel you make! Get up, eat and take heart; I myself shalget you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.'
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth.	8 So she wrote a letter in Ahab's name and sealed it with his seal, sending the letter to the elders and notables of the city where Naboth lived.
9 This is what she wrote in the letters: "Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.	9 In the letter, she wrote, 'Proclaim a fast, and put Naboth in a prominent place among the people.
10 Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death."	10 There confront him with a couple of scoundrels who wil accuse him as follows, "You have cursedGod and the king." Then take him outside and stone him to death.'
11 His fellow citizens--the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city--did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them.	11 The men of Naboth's city, the elders and notables living in his city, did what Jezebel ordered, as waswritten in the letter which she had sent him.
12 They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.	12 They proclaimed a fast and put Naboth in a prominent place among the people.
13 Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, "Naboth has cursed God and king." And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.	13 The two scoundrels then came and confronted him, and the scoundrels then publicly accused Nabothas fol ows, 'Naboth has cursed God and the king.' He was then taken outside the city and stoned to death.
14 Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death.	14 They then sent word to Jezebel, 'Naboth has been stoned to death.'
15 When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead."	15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, 'Get up! Takepossession of the vineyard which Naboth of Jezreel refused to sel you, for Naboth is no longer alive, he is dead.'
16 On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.	16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreeland take possession of it.
17 But the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite:	17 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite,
18 "Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be in the vineyard of Naboth, of which he has come to take possession.	18 'Up! Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, in Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard; he hasgone down to take possession of it.
19 This is what you shall tell him, 'The LORD says: After murdering, do you also take possession? For this, the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.'"	19 You are to say this to him, "Yahweh says this: You have committed murder and now you usurp aswel . For this -- and Yahweh says this -- in the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lickyour blood too." '
20 "Have you found me out, my enemy?" Ahab said to Elijah. "Yes," he answered. "Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the LORD'S sight,	20 Ahab said to Elijah, 'So you have caught me, O my enemy!' Elijah answered, 'I have caught you! Foryour double dealing, and since you have done what is displeasing to Yahweh,
21 I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you and will cut off every male in Ahab's line, whether slave or freeman, in Israel.	21 I shal now bring disaster down on you; I shal sweep away your descendants and wipe out everymanjack of the House of Ahab, fettered or free in Israel.
22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin."	22 I shal treat your House as I treated the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah,for provoking my anger and leading Israel into sin.
23 (Against Jezebel, too, the LORD declared, "The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.")	23 (Against Jezebel too Yahweh spoke these words, "The dogs wil eat Jezebel in the Field of Jezreel.")
24 "When one of Ahab's line dies in the city, dogs will devour him; when one of them dies in the field, the birds of the sky will devour him."	24 Those of Ahab's family who die in the city, the dogs wil eat; and those who die in the open country,the birds of the air wil eat.'
25 Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil in the sight of the LORD as did Ahab, urged on by his wife Jezebel.	25 And indeed there never was anyone like Ahab for double dealing and for doing what is displeasing toYahweh, urged on by Jezebel his wife.
26 He became completely abominable by following idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites.	26 He behaved in the most abominable way, adhering to idols, just as the Amorites had, whom Yahwehhad dispossessed for the Israelites.
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh. He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.	27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments and put sackcloth next to his skin and fasted; heslept in the sackcloth; he walked with slow steps.
28 Then the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,	28 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite,
29 "Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his time. I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son."	29 'Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has humbled himself before me,I shal not bring the disaster in his days; I shal bring the disaster down on his House in his son's days.'