Nabots vingård
1En mand, som hed Nabot, havde en vingård i Jizre’el i nærheden af et af kong Ahabs paladser. 2En dag sagde kongen til ham: „Jeg vil have, at du sælger mig din vingård! Jeg har planer om at bruge den til køkkenhave, for den ligger jo lige ved mit palads. Jeg kan give dig en bedre vingård i bytte eller betale for den kontant, hvis du ønsker det.”
3Men Nabot svarede: „Gud forbyde, at jeg skulle sælge min slægtsgård!”
4Så måtte Ahab gå hjem til paladset med uforrettet sag. Han var godt sur over Nabots afslag, og han ville ikke spise, men lagde sig i sin seng og vendte ansigtet ind mod væggen.
5„Hvad i alverden er der i vejen med dig?” spurgte hans kone, Jezabel. „Hvorfor har du mistet appetitten? Hvad er du så vred over?”
6„Jeg snakkede med Nabot om, at jeg ville købe hans vingård eller bytte den med en anden,” forklarede Ahab. „Men han ville ikke af med den!”
7„Ahab!” udbrød Jezabel. „Er det dig, der er konge i Israel, eller hvad? Hvis du ikke kan få fat i en sølle vingård, så skal jeg nok sørge for at få den til dig! Spis nu og hold op med at være sur.”
8Derpå skrev Jezabel et brev i Ahabs navn, forseglede det med det kongelige segl og sendte det til de ledende mænd i byen. 9I brevet stod der: „Udråb en fastedag og sørg for at anbringe Nabot på en fremtrædende plads i forsamlingen. 10Sørg for at få to slyngler til at sidde over for ham og få dem til at anklage Nabot for at have forbandet Gud og kongen. Før ham derefter bort og sten ham til døde.”
11Byens ledere fulgte Jezabels instrukser. 12De sammenkaldte til et møde og anbragte Nabot på en fremtrædende plads. 13Så kom de to slyngler, og efter at have sat sig over for Nabot fremførte de deres anklager, som gik ud på, at han skulle have forbandet Gud og kongen. Derefter førte man ham uden for byen, stenede ham til døde 14og underrettede straks Jezabel om hans død.
15Så snart Jezabel hørte, at Nabot var død, gik hun til kong Ahab og sagde: „Nu kan du godt stå op. Nabot er nemlig død, så du kan roligt gå ned og overtage den vingård, han ikke ville sælge til dig!” 16Så gik Ahab ned til vingården for at overtage den.
17Men Herren sagde til Elias: 18„Opsøg kong Ahab! Du vil finde ham i færd med at overtage Nabots vingård. 19Giv ham så følgende budskab fra mig: Er det ikke nok, at du har myrdet Nabot? Vil du gøre ondt værre ved at stjæle hans ejendom? Som straf for din synd skal hundene slikke dit blod uden for byen, ligesom de slikkede Nabots!”
20Elias gik derfor hen til kongen. „Nå, så min gamle fjende er ude efter mig!” sagde Ahab gnavent til Elias.
„Ja,” svarede Elias, „jeg er ude efter dig, fordi du har solgt din sjæl til at gøre, hvad der er ondt i Herrens øjne! 21Herren vil ramme dig med ulykke og fjerne din slægt som affald. Han vil udrydde hver og en af dine mandlige slægtninge, uden undtagelse! 22Herren vil udrydde din slægt, som han udryddede Jeroboams slægt og Bashas slægt, for du har gjort oprør mod ham og ført Israel ud i synd. 23Herren har også fortalt mig, at hundene skal æde Jezabels lig ved Jizre’els bymur. 24Dem fra din slægt, der bliver dræbt i byen, vil hundene æde, og dem, som bliver dræbt på landet, vil fuglene æde.”
25Aldrig har der været nogen konge, der som Ahab solgte sin sjæl til at gøre, hvad der var ondt i Herrens øjne. Det var hans kone Jezabel, der forførte ham til det. 26Hans skyld blev ikke mindre ved, at han tilbad de samme afskyelige afguder som amoritterne—det folk, som Herren engang havde jaget ud af landet for at skaffe plads for Israels folk.
27Da Ahab hørte Elias’ profetier, rev han desperat sit tøj i stykker, tog en sæk om sig på den bare krop og fastede. Han sov endda med sækken på og gik tavs og nedtrykt omkring.
28Da sagde Herren til Elias: 29„Har du set, hvordan Ahab ydmyger sig for mig? Fordi han ydmyger sig, vil jeg ikke udrydde hans slægt i hans egen levetid, men vente til hans søn overtager magten.”
Naboth’s vineyard
1Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.’
3But Naboth replied, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.’
4So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.’ He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.
5His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, ‘Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?’
6He answered her, ‘Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, “Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.” But he said, “I will not give you my vineyard.” ’
7Jezebel his wife said, ‘Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’
8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. 9In those letters she wrote:
‘Proclaim a day of fasting and give Naboth a prominent seat among the people. 10But put two scoundrels opposite him and get them to bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.’
11So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. 12They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 13Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, ‘Naboth has cursed both God and the king.’ So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14Then they sent word to Jezebel: ‘Naboth has been stoned to death.’
15As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, ‘Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.’ 16When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.
17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18‘Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19Say to him, “This is what the Lord says: have you not murdered a man and seized his property?” Then say to him, “This is what the Lord says: in the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood – yes, yours!” ’
20Ahab said to Elijah, ‘So you have found me, my enemy!’
‘I have found you,’ he answered, ‘because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. 21He says, “I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel – slave or free.21:21 Or Israel – every ruler or leader 22I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.”
23‘And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: “Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of21:23 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 9:26) the plot of ground at Jezreel.”
24‘Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.’
25(There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)
27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
28Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29‘Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.’
