NABOTH'S VINEYARD.



"AND it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 

And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers.

"And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?"

When Ahab told his wife the reason, she said unto him, "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

"And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people; and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die."

Then the men to whom Jezebel sent letters did as she had commanded them. And the men of Belial witnessed against him, saying, "Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones that he died."

When Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead, she told Ahab, and he arose, and went down to the vineyard to take possession of it.

Then the Lord commanded Elijah the Tishbite to go to Ahab and say unto him, "Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine; ....I will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah. . . . 

And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." And it came to pass that when Ahab heard these things he fasted, and lay in sackcloth; and when the Lord saw how he humbled himself, he said, "I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house."