Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 231
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SAMUEL–KINGS
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them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. In
her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting,
and give Naboth a place of honor. And then seat two scoundrels across
from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him
out and stone him to death.”
So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel
had written in the letters. They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. Then the two scoundrels came and sat down
across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying,
“He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and
stoned to death. The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has
been stoned to death.”
When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard
Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” So Ahab
immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.
But the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who
rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for
himself. Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it
enough that you killed Naboth? 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 Naboth!’”
“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.
“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to
what is evil in the Lord’s sight. So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster
on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! I am going to destroy your
family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Ba
asha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel
into sin.’
“And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at
the plot of land in Jezreel.’
“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.”
(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s
sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amor ites had done—the people
whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed
in b urlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep
mourning.
Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: “Do you see how
Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not