1And some days later, there was an incident involving Naboth, a Jezreelite, who happened to own a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab. 2And Ahab said to Naboth, “Sell me your vineyard, that I may use it for a herb garden, since it is near my palace, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if you prefer, I will pay you its worth in money.” 3And Naboth replied to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should trade the inheritance of my fathers to you.” 4And so Ahab went home sullen and angry because Naboth would not trade away his inheritance from his fathers. And Ahab lay on his bed, and sulked, and would not eat. 5Then his wife, Jezebel, came to him, and asked, “Why are you so sad that you will not eat?” 6And he told her, “Because I asked Naboth, the Jezreelite, to sell me his vineyard for money; or trade it for another vineyard; and he said he would not give or sell his vineyard.” 7And Jezebel said, “Are you not the king of Israel? Get up, cheer up and eat; I will get you that vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite.”

8So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and his seal, and sent them to the elders and the nobles who dwelt in the city with Naboth. 9And those letters said, “Proclaim a fast, and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people: 10But seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them accuse him, saying, ‘You blasphemed both God and the king’. And then drag him out, and stone him, to death. 11And the elders and the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had ordered in the letters she had sent to them: 12They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13And then the two scoundrels perjured themselves, accusing Naboth, in the presence of all the people, by saying, “Naboth blasphemed both God and the king.” Then they dragged him out of the city, and stoned him to death. 14Then they sent a reply to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth is stoned, and is dead.” 15And when Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of that vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, that he refused to let you have; for Naboth is dead.” 16And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it.

17Then this word of the LORD came to Elijah, the Tishbite: 18“Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria; he is in the vineyard of Naboth, that he has gone to possess. 19And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed, and also taken possession?”’ And you shall tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your own blood.”’” 20And Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” And Elijah answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 21Thus says the LORD, ‘I will bring disaster upon you, and will wipe out your descendants, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free, in Israel, 22And I will make your house like the houses of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and of Baasha, son of Ahijah, for provoking Me to anger, and causing Israel to sin.’ 23And then, of Jezebel, the LORD said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 24And dogs shall eat the descendants of Ahab that die in the city; and those that die in the field the birds of the air shall eat.’”

25There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself out to wickedness in the eyes of the LORD, egged on by Jezebel, his wife. 26And he did very abominably in following idols, much like the things that the Amorites did, whom the LORD drove out from before the Israelites.

27And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went softly (meekly). 28And the word of the LORD came to Elijah, the Tishbite, 29“Do you see you how Ahab humbles himself before Me? Because he humbles himself before Me, I will not bring this disaster during his days; but I bring this disaster upon his house in his son's days.”