Naboth

1Some time later, a man named Naboth owned a vineyard. It was in Jezreel, right beside the palace of Ahab, the king.

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

NoteA vineyard is a field where grapes grow on vines. It takes years for new vines to grow well. A palace is the big house where a king lives.

2Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard. I want it for a vegetable garden. It is close to my house. I will give you a better vineyard instead. Or I will pay you silver for it, if you like."

And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

NotePeople did not have coins yet. They paid with pieces of silver, weighed on a scale.

3Naboth said, "No. May the LORD keep me from doing that. This land came to me from my family. I will not give it to you."

And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

NoteIn Israel, land stayed in one family. It passed from parents to children to grandchildren. Selling it away to a stranger felt very wrong.

4Ahab went home angry and gloomy. He kept thinking about what Naboth said. Naboth had told him, "I will not give you my family's land." Ahab lay down on his bed. He turned his face away. He would not eat.

And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

5His wife Jezebel came in and asked him a question. "Why are you so gloomy? Why will you not eat?"

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

6He said, "I talked to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said I would buy his vineyard with silver. I said I would trade him another vineyard instead. But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

7Jezebel said, "Are you not the king of Israel? Get up. Eat some food. Cheer up. I will get you Naboth's vineyard."

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

NoteJezebel grew up in another country, near the sea. Kings there could simply take what they wanted. Kings of Israel were not supposed to do that.

8So Jezebel wrote letters and signed Ahab's name. She stamped them with his seal to show they came from the king. She sent them to the leaders and important men in Naboth's town.

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

NoteA seal was a small stone with a carved picture on it. The king pressed it into soft wax or clay. That mark showed a letter really came from him. The elders were older men who made decisions for a town.

9This is what she wrote in the letters. "Tell everyone to hold a fast, a day when people go without food. Give Naboth a special seat where all can see him."

And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:

NoteA special seat in front was for the most important person there. Putting Naboth there made this look like a real town meeting.

10"Then put two bad men in front of him. Have them say, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take Naboth out of town and throw stones at him until he dies."

And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

NoteThe King James calls these men "sons of Belial." That old phrase just means worthless, wicked men. In that time, two people had to say they saw a crime. Only then could a town punish someone. Throwing stones was how a whole town punished a very bad crime.

11The leaders and important men of Naboth's town did what Jezebel said. They followed the orders in her letters.

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

12They told everyone to hold a fast. They gave Naboth a special seat where all could see him.

They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

13Two bad men came in and sat across from Naboth. In front of everyone, they said, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So the people took Naboth outside the town. They threw stones at him until he died.

And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

14Then they sent word to Jezebel. They said, "Naboth has been stoned. He is dead."

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

15When Jezebel heard the news, she spoke to Ahab. "Get up. Go and take Naboth's vineyard. He would not sell it to you. But he is not alive now. He is dead."

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up. He went down to Naboth's vineyard to take it for himself.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17Then the LORD spoke to Elijah, a prophet from Tishbe.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

NoteA prophet is someone who tells people what God says.

18God said, "Get up and go meet Ahab, the king of Israel. He lives in Samaria. Right now he is in Naboth's vineyard. He went there to take it."

Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

NoteSamaria was the capital city. The king's main palace was there.

19"Tell him this is what the LORD says. 'You killed a man and took his land.' Then tell him this too. 'Dogs licked up Naboth's blood in that place. In that same place, dogs will lick up your blood.'"

And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

NoteThese dogs were not pets. They ran wild in the streets and ate scraps.

20Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy." Elijah answered, "I have found you. You have given yourself over to doing evil in the LORD's sight."

And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21"The LORD says, 'I will bring trouble on you. I will end your family line. Every male in Ahab's family will be cut off from Israel, rich or poor.'"

Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

NoteThe King James says God will cut off "him that pisseth against the wall." That rough old phrase simply means every man and boy. "Shut up and left" meant every kind of person, slave or free.

22"'I will do to your family what I did to two other families. I did this to the family of Jeroboam and the family of Baasha. You made me angry, and you led Israel to sin.'"

And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

NoteJeroboam and Baasha were kings of Israel before Ahab. Their whole families were killed, and their family lines ended. People hearing this knew those old stories.

23The LORD also spoke about Jezebel. He said, "Dogs will eat Jezebel beside the wall of Jezreel."

And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

NoteBack then, people wanted to be buried in a family grave. Having animals eat a body was the worst end they could imagine.

24"Anyone in Ahab's family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. Anyone who dies out in the fields will be eaten by birds."

Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25No king was ever like Ahab. He gave himself over to doing evil in the LORD's sight. His wife Jezebel pushed him to do it.

But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26He did very shameful things. He worshiped idols, which are statues people pray to. He acted just like the Amorites. The LORD had driven them out before the people of Israel.

And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

NoteThe Amorites were people who lived in this land before Israel came.

27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes to show his sorrow. He put on rough cloth called sackcloth. He went without food. He slept in the sackcloth. He walked around quietly and sadly.

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

NoteTearing your clothes showed everyone you were very sad or sorry. Sackcloth was rough, scratchy cloth made from goat hair. People made sacks from it, and wore it when they grieved.

28Then the LORD spoke to Elijah the Tishbite again.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29God said, "Do you see how Ahab has made himself low before me? Because he has done that, I will wait. I will not send the trouble while he is alive. I will send it on his family when his son is king."

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Note"Made himself low" means he stopped acting proud. He showed he was sorry.

21Joram shouted, "Get my chariot ready!" So they got it ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out. Each man rode in his own chariot. They met Jehu on the land that had belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.

And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.

NoteA man named Naboth once owned a vineyard on this land. King Ahab wanted it, and Jezebel had Naboth killed to get it.

22When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, "Do you come in peace, Jehu?" Jehu answered, "How can there be peace? Your mother Jezebel worships false gods. She uses magic, and she does it again and again."

And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

NoteThe King James word "whoredoms" means leaving God to worship other gods. Witchcraft meant using magic to try to learn the future.

23Joram turned his chariot around and fled. He shouted to Ahaziah, "It is a trap, Ahaziah!"

And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.

24Jehu pulled his bow back with all his strength. He shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart. Joram slumped down in his chariot.

And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

Note"Between his arms" means between the shoulders, in the back.

25Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, "Pick him up. Throw him on Naboth's field. Remember when you and I rode behind his father Ahab? The LORD spoke these hard words against Ahab that day."

Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;

Note"Burden" is an old word for a heavy message from God. It was usually a warning that something bad would come.

26"The LORD said, 'I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons. I will pay you back on this very piece of land.' So do what the LORD said. Pick Joram up and throw him on that land."

Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

Note"Plat" is an old word for a small piece of ground. "Requite" means to pay someone back.