1 Kings 21: Naboth's vineyard

In plain English: After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

In plain English: Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, so that I can have it for a vegetable garden (this Bible: a garden of herbs), because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or, if you would like, I will give you what it is worth in money."

In plain English: Naboth said to Ahab, "Yahweh forbid (word for word: far be it to me from Yahweh) that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers!"

The Hebrew word: "Inheritance" is nachalah, which the dictionary gives as "properly, something inherited ... an estate, patrimony or portion". Naboth calls the vineyard "the inheritance of my fathers", and verse 4 repeats his words. The law speaks of the inheritance staying in the tribe of one's fathers: "the children of Israel shall all keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers" (Numbers 36:7).

In plain English: Ahab went into his house sullen and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and would not eat any food (this Bible: bread).

In plain English: But Jezebel his wife came to him and said, "Why are you so sullen (this Bible: why is your spirit so sad) that you are not eating?"

In plain English: He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money. Or, if you like, I will give you another vineyard for it.' But he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

In plain English: Jezebel his wife said to him, "Are you the one who rules (this Bible: govern) the kingdom of Israel now? Get up, eat some food, and cheer up (literally: let your heart be good). I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

In plain English: So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and the nobles who lived in Naboth's city with him.

In plain English: In the letters she wrote, "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of (this Bible: on high among) the people.

In plain English: Seat two men, wicked fellows (literally: sons of worthlessness), in front of him, and have them testify against him, saying, 'You cursed (literally: blessed) God and the king!' Then take him out and stone him to death."

The Hebrew word: "Cursed" here is barak, the usual word for "bless". The dictionary gives it as "to kneel; by implication to bless God", and says it is also used "to curse (God or the king, as treason)": the word "bless" is said where "curse" is meant. It is in 289 verses, and about 9 times out of 10 this Bible has "bless" or a longer form. In this verse and in verse 13 this Bible says "cursed". In Job 2:9 the same word is "Renounce God, and die."

Good to know: "Wicked fellows" is "sons of beliyya'al", the word explained in the note on 2 Samuel 20:1. The law asked for more than one witness before anyone was put to death: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death" (Deuteronomy 17:6). Jezebel's letter asks for two men.

In plain English: The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had told them in the letters she had written and sent to them.

In plain English: They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of (this Bible: on high among) the people.

In plain English: The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat in front of him. The wicked fellows testified against Naboth in front of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed (literally: blessed) God and the king!" Then they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.

In plain English: Then they sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."

In plain English: When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money. Naboth is not alive, but dead."

In plain English: When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

In plain English: Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite:

In plain English: "Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He is in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone down to take possession of it.

In plain English: Say to him, 'Yahweh says, "Have you murdered (this Bible: killed) and also taken possession?"' And say to him, 'Yahweh says, "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick up your blood, yes, yours."'"

The Hebrew word: "Killed" is ratsach, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder". It is the word in Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder."

Good to know: 22:38 says that after Ahab died, "the dogs licked up his blood" when his chariot was washed by the pool of Samaria, "according to Yahweh's word which he spoke". In 2 Kings 9:25 and 9:26, after Jehu kills Ahab's son Joram, he orders that the body be thrown "in the plot of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite".

In plain English: Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in Yahweh's sight.

In plain English: I will bring disaster (this Bible: evil) on you. I will sweep you away completely, and I will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, both the one who is shut up and the one who is left at large in Israel.

Good to know: "Him who is shut up and him who is left at large" is word for word "held back and set loose"; the text does not explain who is meant. The same words were spoken against the house of Jeroboam in 14:10, and "a single one who urinates on a wall" is said of the house of Baasha in 16:11, "among his relatives or his friends".

In plain English: I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have made Israel sin."

In plain English: Yahweh also spoke (or: has also spoken) about Jezebel: "The dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall (this Bible: rampart) of Jezreel.

The Hebrew word: "Rampart" is chel, which the dictionary gives as "an army; also ... an intrenchment". In 2 Kings 9:36, where these words are spoken again after Jezebel's death, the Hebrew has a longer word, cheleq, which the dictionary gives as "an allotment", and this Bible says "on the plot of Jezreel".

Good to know: This Bible ends Elijah's words at the end of verse 22, so verse 23 reads as the narrator: Yahweh spoke about Jezebel. The words "The dogs will eat Jezebel" and verse 24 are printed in gold as Yahweh's words. The Hebrew has no quotation marks, and its words can also be read "Yahweh has also spoken about Jezebel", so verses 23 and 24 can also be read as Elijah going on, telling Ahab what Yahweh had said.

In plain English: Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city, the dogs will eat. And anyone who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat."

In plain English: There was truly no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in Yahweh's sight, and Jezebel his wife urged him on (this Bible: stirred up).

In plain English: He did very detestable things (this Bible: very abominably) by following idols, just as the Amorites had done, whom Yahweh drove out before the people of Israel.

In plain English: When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about quietly (this Bible: despondently).

The Hebrew word: "Despondently" is at, which the dictionary gives, in this sense, as "gently". It is in 6 verses; this Bible says "gently" in 2, "softly" in 1, and "despondently" only here.

In plain English: Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite:

In plain English: "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster (this Bible: evil) in his days. I will bring the disaster on his house in his son's days."

The Hebrew word: "Humbles himself" is kana, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate". Yahweh says it twice in this verse, after Ahab tore his clothes and fasted in sackcloth (verse 27).