1st Kings — 21
Nabuth’s Vineyard
1 Now there was a man named Nabuth, from Yazraal, who owned a vineyard in Yazraal beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
2 One day Ahab said to Nabuth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”
3 But Nabuth replied, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Nabuth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
5 “What’s the matter?” his wife Yazabaal asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you are not eating?”
6 “Ahab told her; I asked Nabuth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!”
7 “Yazabaal said to Ahab; Are you the king of Yashar'AL or not? “Get up and eat something, and do not worry about it. I will get you Nabuth’s vineyard!”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Nabuth lived.
9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Nabuth a place of honor.
10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Yazabaal had written in the letters.
12 They called for a fast and put Nabuth at a prominent place before the people.
13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Nabuth before all the people, saying, “he cursed 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death.
14 The town leaders then sent word to Yazabaal, “Nabuth has been stoned to death.”
15 When Yazabaal heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Nabuth would not sell you? Well, you can have it now! he is dead!”
16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Nabuth to claim it.
17 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar to AliYahu,
18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Yashar'AL, who rules in Samaria, he will be at Nabuth’s vineyard in Yazraal, claiming it for himself.
19 Give him this message: ‘This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar: Was it not enough that you killed Nabuth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Nabuth!’”
20 “And Ahab said to AliYahu; So my enemy, you have found me!” AliYahu answered, Yes “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.
21 So now 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Yashar'AL!
22 I Am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Yarubuam son of Nabat and the family of Baasha son of Ahiyahu, for you have made me very angry and have led Yashar'AL into sin.’
23 “And regarding Yazabaal, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar, ‘Dogs will eat Yazabaal’s body at the plot of land in Yazraal.’
24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
25 No one else who completely sold himself to what was evil in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Yazabaal.
26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amurites had done, the people whom 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had driven out from the land ahead of the Yasharalym.
27 But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted, he even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
28 Then another message from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH came to AliYahu:
29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”