KJ3 Literal Translation
1 Kings 21
Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard. Jezebel suborns evil men to accuse Naboth of blasphemy; he is stoned. Ahab takes possession of the vineyard. Elijah announces God's coming judgments against Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab repenting, God defers the judgment.
1And it happened after these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel near the palace of Ahab the king of Samaria.
2And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, and it shall be a garden of green herbs for me, for it is near, by my house. And I will give to you in its place a better vineyard than it. If it is good in your eyes, I will give silver to you, the price of this one.
3And Naboth said to Ahab, Far be it from me, by Jehovah, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you.
4And Ahab came into his house sullen and angry over the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken. For he had said, I will not give the inheritance of my fathers to you. And he lay on his bed and turned away his face, and would not eat food.
5And his wife Jezebel came in to him, and said to him, Why is your spirit sullen and you are not eating food?
6And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you desire, I will give you a vineyard in its place. And he said, I will not give you my vineyard.
7And his wife Jezebel said to him, Do you now rule over Israel? Rise up, eat food and let your heart be good. I will give to you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
8And she wrote letters in the name of Ahab, and sealed with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
9And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.
10And set two men, sons of worthlessness, across from him; and they shall testify of him, saying, You have cursed God and the king. And they shall bring him out and stone him; and he shall die.
11And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as was written in the letters that she sent to them.
12They proclaimed a fast, and made Naboth to sit at the head of the people.
13And two men, sons of worthlessness, came in and sat in front of him. And the men of worthlessness testified of him before the people, even Naboth, saying, Naboth has cursed God and the king. And they took him out to the outside of the city, and stoned him with stones, and he died.
14And they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and has died.
15And it happened when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned, and had died, Jezebel said to Ahab, Rise up, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, that he refused to give to you for silver. For Naboth is not alive, but has died.
16And it happened when Ahab had heard that Naboth had died, that Ahab rose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to possess it.
17And it happened, the Word of Jehovah was to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18Rise up, Go down to meet Ahab the king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to possess it.
19And you shall speak to him, saying, So says Jehovah, Have you murdered, and also possessed? So says Jehovah, In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, so the dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.
20And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he said, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the eyes of Jehovah.
21Behold, I am bringing evil on you, and shall take away your posterity, and cut off to Ahab him who urinates against a wall, both restrained and left in Israel.
22And I shall give up your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and have caused Israel to sin.
23And also Jehovah has spoken of Jezebel, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24He who dies of Ahab in the city, the dogs shall eat. And the birds of the heavens shall eat him who dies in a field.
25Surely, none has been like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, whom his wife Jezebel incited.
26And he did very abominably, to go after idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Jehovah dispossessed from before the sons of Israel.
27And it happened, when Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28And the Word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29Have you seen that Ahab has been humbled before Me? Because he was humbled before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days. I will bring the evil on his house in the days of his son.
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