Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard that was in Jezreel, adjacent to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard that I may have it for a garden of herbs because it is near my house; and I will give you in exchange a better vineyard than it, or if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money." Naboth said to Ahab, "May the Lord forbid me from giving you the inheritance of my fathers."

Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of Naboth's refusal to give him the inheritance of his fathers. He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and refused to eat any bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him and said, "Why is your spirit so sad that you refuse to eat?" Ahab said to her, "I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him to give me his vineyard for money; if he wouldn't sell it to me, I offered to exchange it for another one."

Jezebel saw an opportunity to manipulate her husband into doing her bidding. She told him, "Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Rise and eat bread, and let your heart be merry; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." But what she planned was far from merry.

She wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in his city with Naboth. In these letters, she instructed them to proclaim a fast, set Naboth on high among the people, and then bring two wicked men to testify against him. These false witnesses would falsely accuse Naboth of blaspheming God and the king.

The men of Naboth's city, including the elders and nobles who lived there, carried out Jezebel's instructions exactly as they were written in her letters. They proclaimed a public fast and publicly seated Naboth among the people. Two wicked men sat before Ahab and testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, falsely accusing him of blaspheming God and the king.

The crowd was deceived by these false witnesses, and they dragged Naboth out of the city and stoned him to death with stones. When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and killed, she told Ahab to take possession of his vineyard, saying, "Naboth is not alive, but dead."

Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, intending to take possession of it. But God had other plans. The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he has gone down to the vineyard of Naboth to take possession of it."

Elijah confronted Ahab, condemning him for his role in Naboth's murder. The Lord declared that Ahab had brought judgment upon himself and his descendants. He said, "Have you killed and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, there dogs will lick your blood, even yours." Ahab's fate was sealed.

The word of the Lord came to Elijah again, this time speaking against Jezebel, saying that the dogs would devour her by the wall of Jezreel. The prophecy also warned of a future disaster for Ahab's descendants, one that would be unlike anything seen before in Israel.

Ahab heard these words and was overcome with grief. He tore his clothes in mourning, wrapped himself in sackcloth, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and moved with solemn steps. But it was too late for him to change the course of events.

The word of the Lord came to Elijah once more, saying, "I will not bring the evil in Ahab's days; but I will bring it upon his house in his son's day." It seemed that God would give Ahab a temporary reprieve from judgment, but the consequences of his actions would still come. And so, Ahab humbled himself before God, hoping for mercy.