1   And after these wordes, at that tyme Naboth the Iezrahelite had a vineyard, which was in Iezrahel, beside the palace of Achab the king of Samaria.

2   Achab therfore spake to Naboth, saying: Geue me thy vineyard, that I may make me a garden of herbes, because it is nigh, and ioyning to my house, and ^note I wil geue thee for it a better vineyard: or if thou thinke it more commodious for thee, the price of siluer, so much as it is worth.

3   To whom Naboth answered: Our Lord be merciful to me, that I geue not the inheritance of my fathers to thee.

4   Achab therfore came into his house with indignation, and fretting vpon the word, that Naboth the Iezrahelite had spoken to him, saying: I wil not geue thee the inheritance of my fathers. And casting him self vpon his bed, he turned away his face to the wal, and did not eate bread.

5   And Iezabel his wife went in vnto him, and sayd to him: What is this matter, whereupon thy soule is greued? and why eatest thou not bread?

6   Who answered her: I spake to Naboth the Iezrahelite, and sayd to him: Geue me thy vineyard, taking money for it: or if it please thee, I wil geue thee a better vineyard for it. And he sayd: I wil not geue thee my vineyard.

7   Iezabel therfore his wife sayd to him: Thou art of great authoritie, and doest wel gouerne the kingdome of Israel: Arise, and eate bread, and be of good cheere, I wil geue thee the vineyard of Naboth the Iezrahelite.

Achab. Iezabel. Naboth.

8   She therfore wrote letters in the name of Achab, and signed them with his ring, and sent to the ancientes, and the chiefe men that were in his citie, and dwelt with Naboth.

9   And this was the tenor of the letters: Proclame a fast, and make Naboth sitte among the chiefe of the people,

10   and suborne two men the children of Belial agaynst him, and let them beare false testimony: that he hath ^note blessed God and the king: and bring him forth, and stone him, and so let him die.

11   His citizens therfore the ancientes and chiefe men, that dwelt with him in the citie, did as Iezabel had commanded them, and as it was written in the letters which she sent to them:

12   they proclamed a fast, and made Naboth sitte among the chiefe of the people.

13   And two men the children of the diuel being brought forth, they made them sitte agaynst him: but they, as deuelish men, gaue testimonie agaynst him before the multitude: Naboth hath blessed God and the king: for the which thing they brought him forth without the citie, and killed him with stones.

14   And they sent to Iezabel, saying: Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

15   And it came to passe, when Iezabel had heard that Naboth was stoned, and dead, she spake to Achab: Arise, and possesse the vineyard of Naboth the Iezrahelite, who would not agree vnto thee, and geue it taking money: for Naboth liueth not, but is dead.

16   Which when Achab had heard, to witte, that Naboth was dead, he arose, & went downe into the vineyard of Naboth the Iezrahelite, to possesse it.

17   The word of our Lord therfore came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:

18   Arise, and goe downe to meete Achab the king of Israel, who is in Samaria: behold he goeth downe to the vineyard of Naboth, to possesse it:

19   and thou shalt speake to him, saying: Thus sayth our Lord: Thou hast slayne, moreouer also thou hast possest. And after these wordes thou shalt adde: Thus sayth our Lord: In this place, wherein the dogges haue licked the bloud of Naboth, they ^note shal licke thy bloud also.

20   And Achab sayd to Elias: Hast thou found me thyne enemie? Who sayd: I haue found thee, for that thou art sold, to doe euil in the sight of our Lord.

21   Behold I wil bring euil vpon thee, and wil cut downe thy posteritie, and wil kil of Achab him that pisseth agaynst the wal, and the inclosed, and the last in Israel.

22   And I wil make thy house, as the house of Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat, and as the house of Baasa the sonne of

Achab. Elias Ahias: because thou hast done, to prouoke me to anger, and hast made Israel to sinne.

23   But of Iezabel also our Lord spake, saying: The dogges shal eate Iezabel in the field of Iezrahel.

24   If Achab die in the citie, the dogges shal eate him: but if he die in the field, the foules of the ayre shal eate him.

25   Therfore there was not such an other as Achab, who ^note was sold to doe euil in the sight of our Lord: for his wife Iezabel sette him on,

26   and he became abominable, in so much that he folowed the idols, which the Amorrheites had made, whom our Lord consumed before the face of the children of Israel.

27   Therfore when Achab had heard these wordes, he rent his garmentes, and couered his flesh with haercloth, and fasted and slept in sackcloth, and walked casting downe his head.

28   And the word of our Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying:

29   Hast thou not seene Achab humbled before me? therfore, because he hath humbled him self for my sake, I wil not bring in the euil in his dayes, but in his sonnes daies wil I bring the euil vpon his house.

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