1 Kings 21

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 This is what happened next: Naboth of Jezreel had a vineyard close by the palace of Ahab king ofSamaria,	1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
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.'	2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money."
3 Naboth, however, said to Ahab, 'Yahweh forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage!'	3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."
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.	4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him. 'Why are you so dispirited,' she said, 'that you refuse to eat?'	5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, "Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?"
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." '	6 And he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it'; and he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"
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.'	7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
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.	8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who dwelt with Naboth in his city.
9 In the letter, she wrote, 'Proclaim a fast, and put Naboth in a prominent place among the people.	9 And she wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people;
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.'	10 and set two base fellows opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him to death."
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.	11 And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters which she had sent to them,
12 They proclaimed a fast and put Naboth in a prominent place among the people.	12 they proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
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.	13 And the two base fellows came in and sat opposite him; and the base fellows brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death with stones.
14 They then sent word to Jezebel, 'Naboth has been stoned to death.'	14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned; he is 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.'	15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead."
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.	16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite,	17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
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.	18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.
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." '	19 And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you killed, and also taken possession?"' And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood."'"
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,	20 Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD.
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.	21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you; I will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel;
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.	22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin.
23 (Against Jezebel too Yahweh spoke these words, "The dogs wil eat Jezebel in the Field of Jezreel.")	23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.'
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.'	24 Any one belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat."
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.	25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
26 He behaved in the most abominable way, adhering to idols, just as the Amorites had, whom Yahwehhad dispossessed for the Israelites.	26 He did very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)
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.	27 And when Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about dejectedly.
28 Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite,	28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
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.'	29 "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the evil upon his house."