Naboth’s vineyard
1 ① Now Naboth, a man from Jezreel, owned a vineyard just beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. 2Ahab asked Naboth, “Give me your vineyard which is near my house that I may use it for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange. Or, if you prefer, I will pay you its price.”
3But Naboth said to Ahab, “Yahweh forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4So Ahab went home angry and sad because of what Naboth had told him, that he would not give him the inheritance of his fathers. So he lay down on his bed with his face turned toward the wall and refused to eat.
5His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so angry that you refuse to eat?” 6He answered, “I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him to sell me his vineyard or to exchange it for another better one but he answered: I will not give you my vineyard.”
7His wife Jezebel said to him, “Are you not king of Israel? Get up and eat and be joyful, for I will give you the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel.”
8So Jezebel wrote letters using Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and important persons living near Naboth. 9This is what she wrote in the letters, “Declare a fast and put Naboth on trial. 10Get two worthless fellows to accuse him in this way: ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11The people, the elders and the important persons who lived in his city did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters she sent to them. 12They declared a fast and put Naboth on trial. 13The two worthless fellows came in and sat facing him, accusing Naboth before the people, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So the people took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14They then sent word to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned and was dead.
15As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she told Ahab, “Now take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the man of Jezreel who refused to sell it to you, for Naboth is now dead.” 16As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went down to the vineyard of Naboth and took possession of it.
17Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah of Tishbe, 18“Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of the vineyard of Naboth. 19Say to him: ‘Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time?’ Then give him this word of mine: ‘Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.’”
20Ahab then said to Elijah, “Who, better than my enemy, could find me here and now!” Elijah answered, “I have come to you because you have done what Yahweh abhors. 21This is Yahweh’s word: I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away and cut off every male of your family, from the lowliest to the greatest. 22Your family will disappear like the families of Jeroboam and Baasa, because you have offended me and have dragged Israel into sin. 23There is another word of Yahweh to Jezebel: ‘The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of Jezreel.’ 24If anyone of Ahab’s line dies in the city, he shall be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air shall feed on him.”
25There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, in doing what Yahweh abhorred. 26He did horrible things and ran after unclean idols just as the Amorites had done, from whom Yahweh had taken the land to give it to Israel.
27On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around despondently. 28Then Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself? 29Because of this I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his son’s reign disgrace will fall on his family.”
- 1 K 21,1 Naboth keeps his vineyard, more out of respect for the inheritance received from his fathers than for his personal convenience. Declare a fast (v. 9). Surely Jezebel takes advantage of a calamity of that time, a drought or a pestilence. The elders of the city must assemble all the people for a solemn fast and an assembly, where they will find out who attracted this punishment of God. The guilty one will have to be Naboth and, in this way, Jezebel will have him killed legally. Have you killed and take possession at the same time? Ahab's crime is no worse than David's who had Uriah killed so that he could take his wife (2 S 12). Elijah goes to Ahab in the manner that Nathan had gone to rebuke David.
