1. Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
2. One day Ahab said to Naboth, “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 Naboth replied, “The lord 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 Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
5. “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
6. “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
7. “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’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 Naboth lived.