Iezabel

A   After these thynges, it cha&ubar;ced, þt; Naboth the Iezrahelite had a vyneyarde in Iezrahel, harde by þe; palace of Ahab kyng of Samaria. And Ahab spake vnto Naboth, say&ebar;ge. ^noteGeue me thy vyneyarde, þt; I maye make me a garden of yerbes therof, because it lyeth so nye my house: ∧ I will geue the for it a better vyneyarde then it is: or rather yf it please the, I will geue the, þe; worthe of it in money. And Naboth sayde to Ahab: the Lorde forbyd þe; fr&obar; me, that I shulde geue the enheritaunce of my father vnto the.

B   And Ahab came into hys house heuye. ∧ euell a payde, because of the worde which Naboth the Iezrahelite had spoken to him, for he had sayde: I wyll not geue the the enheritaunce of my fathers. And he layde him downe vpon his bed, and turned awaye his face, (to the wall) and wolde eate no bread.

But Iezabell hys wyfe came to him, and sayde vnto hym: why is thy sprete so waywarde, that thou eatest no breade? And he sayde vnto her: For I spake vnto Naboth the Iezraelite, and sayde vnto hym: geue me thy vyneyarde for money: or else yf it please þe;, I wyl geue the another vyneyarde for it. And he answered: I wyl not geue the my vyneyarde.

C   And Iezabell his wyfe sayde vnto hym: Dost thou thus gouerne the kyngedom of Israel? vp, ∧ eate bread, and set thyne hert at rest, I will geue the, þe; vyneyarde of Naboth the Iezraelite. And so she wrote a letter in Ahabs name, and sealed it wyth hys seale and sent the lettre vnto the elders and to the nobles that were in hys cytye dwellinge wyth Naboth. And she wrote in þe; letter, sayenge: proclayme a fast, and set Naboth on hye amonge the people, and set two vnthriftes before him, to beare (false) witnesse agaynst him, sayenge: &rhand; thou dydest blaspheme God and the kyng. And then carye hym out, and stone hym to deeth.

D   And the men of his cyte: that is to saye, which dwelt in his cytie, did as Iezabel had sent vnto them, and as it was writt&ebar; in the letter whych she had sent vnto them. They proclamed fastyng, and set Naboth among the chefe of the people, ∧ there came in two men (the children of Belial) and sate before him. And the two vnthriftie persones wytnessed agaynst Naboth, in the presence of þe; people, say&ebar;g: Naboth dyd blaspheme God and the kyng, ^note And they caried hym out of þe; cytie, and stoned hym wyth stones that he dyed. And then they sent to Iezabel, say&ebar;ge: Naboth is stoned to dethe. And it fortuned when Iezabel heard that Naboth was stoned to deeth: she sayde to Ahab: vp, &abar;d take possession of the vyneyarde of Naboth, E   the Iezrahelite, which he denied to geue the for money, for Naboth is not aliue, but deed. And when Ahab hearde that Naboth was deed, he stode vp to go downe to the vyneyarde of Naboth the Iezrahelite, and to take possession of it.

And the worde of the Lorde came vnto Elia the Thesbite, say&ebar;g: vp and go downe to mete Ahab kynge of Israel, which is in Samaria. For lo, he is gone downe to þe; vineyarde of Naboth: to take possession of it. And therfore shalt thou saye vnto him thus sayth the Lorde: hast thou kylled, ∧ gotten possession? F   And thou shalt speake vnto him sayeng: thus sayth the Lorde ^note in the place where dogges lycked the bloud of Naboth, shall dogges licke euen thy bloud also. And Ahab sayde to Elia: hast thou founde me, o thou myne enemye? He answered: I haue founde the: for þu; art eu&ebar; &rhand; solde to worcke wickednesse in the syght of the Lorde. Beholde, I will bring euell vpon the, and will make cleane riddance of thy posterite ∧ wil ^note destroye fr&obar; Ahab, eu&ebar; him þt; maketh water agaynst þe; wall, ∧ him þt; is shut vp ∧ left behynde in Israel: ∧ will make thyne house, lyke the house of Ierobo&abar; the sonne of Nebat, ∧ lyke the house of Baasa the sonne of Ahia, for the prouocacion, wherwith þu; hast prouoked, and made Israel to synne.

And of Iezabel spake the Lorde sayeng: ^note dogges shall eate Iezabell, in the possessi&obar; of Iezrahel. ^noteAnd he that dyeth of Ahab in þe; towne, him shal dogges eate: ∧ he þt; dyeth in the feldes, him shal the foules of the ayre eate. But there was none lyke. Ahab which dyd euen sell hym selfe, to worcke wyckednesse in the syght of the Lorde, and that because Iezabel hys wyfe prycked hym forwarde. He dyd exceadynge abhominablye, in folowyng foule Idoles, according to all thynges, as did the Ammorites ^note whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

And it fortuned, that when Ahab hearde those wordes, ^note he rent hys clothes, and put sackecloth about his flesh, and fasted, and laye in sack and went &club; bare fote. And the worde of the Lorde came to Elia, the Thesbyte, sayenge: seest thou how Ahab humbleth hym selfe before me? because he so submytteth hym selfe before me, I wyl not br&ibar;ge that euell in his dayes: but in his sonnes dayes, wyll I bringe euell vpon hys house. And they continued thre yere without warre betwene Siria and Israel.

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