Naboth's Vineyard
1 Near King Ahab's palace in Jezreel there was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard; it is close to my palace, and I want to use the land for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price.”
3 “I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors,” Naboth replied. “The Lord forbid that I should let you have it!”
4 Ahab went home, depressed and angry over what Naboth had said to him. He lay down on his bed, facing the wall, and would not eat. 5 His wife Jezebel went to him and asked, “Why are you so depressed? Why won't you eat?”
6 He answered, “Because of what Naboth said to me. I offered to buy his vineyard or, if he preferred, to give him another one for it, but he told me that I couldn't have it!”
7 “Well, are you the king or aren't you?” Jezebel replied. “Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!”
8 Then she wrote some letters, signed Ahab's name to them, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the officials and leading citizens of Jezreel. 9 The letters said: “Proclaim a day of fasting, call the people together, and give Naboth the place of honor. 10 Get a couple of scoundrels to accuse him to his face of cursing God and the king. Then take him out of the city and stone him to death.”
11 The officials and leading citizens of Jezreel did what Jezebel had commanded. 12 They proclaimed a day of fasting, called the people together, and gave Naboth the place of honor. 13 The two scoundrels publicly accused him of cursing God and the king, and so he was taken outside the city and stoned to death. 14 The message was sent to Jezebel: “Naboth has been put to death.”
15 As soon as Jezebel received the message, she said to Ahab, “Naboth is dead. Now go and take possession of the vineyard which he refused to sell to you.” 16 At once Ahab went to the vineyard to take possession of it.
17 Then the Lord said to Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe, 18 “Go to King Ahab of Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard, about to take possession of it. 19 Tell him that I, the Lord, say to him, ‘After murdering the man, are you taking over his property as well?’ Tell him that this is what I say: ‘In the very place that the dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will lick up your blood!’”
20 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, “Have you caught up with me, my enemy?”
“Yes, I have,” Elijah answered. “You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight. 21 So the Lord says to you, ‘I will bring disaster on you. I will do away with you and get rid of every male in your family, young and old alike. 22 Your family will become like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have stirred up my anger by leading Israel into sin.’ 23 And concerning Jezebel, the Lord says that dogs will eat her body in the city of Jezreel. 24 Any of your relatives who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures.”
( 25 There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the Lord's sight as Ahab—all at the urging of his wife Jezebel. 26 He committed the most shameful sins by worshiping idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the people of Israel advanced.)
27 When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed.
28 The Lord said to the prophet Elijah, 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime; it will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family.”
Oshitsambe shomiviinu shaNabot
1 Popepi nuuwa waAhab muJesreel opwa li oshitsambe shomulumentu gumwe edhina lye Nabot. 2 Esiku limwe Ahab okwa ti kuNabot: “Pe ndje oshitsambe shoye shomiviinu; osha kwatathana nuuwa wandje, onda hala ndi shi ninge oshikunino shiikwamboga. Otandi ke ku pa ngaa oshitsambe oshiwanawa shi shi vule, nenge, ngele wa hala, otandi ke shi futa ofuto ombwanawa.”
3 Nabot okwa yamukula a ti: “Oshitsambe shika onde shi thigulula kootatekulu. Omuwa ne shi keelele, ndi shi ku pe!”
4 Ahab okwa yi kegumbo a ninga omwenyo omwiinayi nokwa geela Nabot, sho e mu lombwele ngaaka. Okwa ka lala mombete ye a taalela mekuma noina lya sha. 5 Omunyekadhi gwe Isebel okwe ya kuye e ta pula: “Oshike wa tyololoka? Oshike itoo li?”
6 Ahab okwa yamukula: “Omolwoohapu dhaNabot e dhi lombwele ndje. Onde mu indile, ndi lande po oshitsambe she shomiviinu, nenge, ngele e shi hala, ndi mu pe shilwe, ihe okwa lombwele ndje kutya itandi shi pewa!”
7 Isebel okwa yamukula a ti: “Ndishi ngoye omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael nenge hangoye? Penduka, ndjangumukwa, u lye. Otandi ke ku monena oshitsambe shaNabot.”
8 Nena okwa nyola oontumwafo dhimwe medhina lyaAhab, e dhi sitomba nositombe yomukwaniilwa e te dhi tumu komalenga nokaawiliki yoshilando muJesreel. 9 Oontumwafo otadhi ti ngeyi: “Uvitheni esiku lyeidhiliko, gongeleni aantu ne mu kuutumbike Nabot komeho gawo. 10 Tuleni aantu yaamakaha yaali ye mu taalela, ye mu lundile ya tye, Nabot okwa tuku Kalunga nomukwaniilwa. Nena mu pititheni mo moshilando, ne mu mu dhipage nomamanya.”
11 Omalenga naawiliki yiilando yaJesreel oya ningi, ngaashi Isebel e shi ya lombwele. 12 Oyu utha esiku lyeidhiliko, ya gongele aantu e taa tula Nabot komeho gawo. 13 Aantu mbeyaka yaali yaamakaha oye mu lundile montaneho taa ti kutya okwa tuku Kalunga nomukwaniilwa. Nena okwa falwa pondje yoshilando e taye mu dhipaga nomamanya. 14 Elaka olya tuminwa Isebel tali ti: “Nabot a dhipagwa.”
15 Nanziya sho Isebel a taamba elaka, okwa ti kuAhab: “Nabot a si. Ngashingeyi inda, u ka kuthe oshitsambe shoka a tindi e shi ku landithe po.” 16 Nanziya Ahab okwa yi koshitsambe, e ke shi lale.
17 Nena Omuwa okwa ti kuElia, omuhunganeki a za muTishbe: 18 “Inda komukwaniilwa gwaSamaria Ahab. Oto ke mu adha moshitsambe shaNabot te ke shi lala. 19 Mu lombwela kutya Omuwa ota ti kuye: ‘Sho wa dhipaga omuntu, owa kutha po uuthiga we!’ Mu lombwela u tye, ngame ote ti: ‘Pehala ngaa mpoka oombwa dha lathele ombinzi yaNabot, opo tadhi ka lathela wo ombinzi yoye!’ ”
20 Ahab sho a mono Elia, okwa ti: “Mutondi gwandje, owa endja ndje mo nduno?”
Elia okwa ti: “Eeno, owi igandja ngoye mwene thilu, u longe iihuna koshipala shOmuwa. 21 Omuwa ota ti kungoye: ‘Otandi ke ku undulila omupya. Otandi ke ku komba po notandi ka hanagula po aalumentu ayehe yomezimo lyoye, aagundjuka naakulupe. 22 Ezimo lyoye otali ka kala ngaashi lyomukwaniilwa Jeroboam yaNebat nolyomukwaniilwa Baasha yaAhija, oshoka owa geyitha ndje mokufala Israel muulunde.’ 23 Kombinga yaIsebel Omuwa ota ti kutya oombwa otadhi ka lya omudhimba gwe pedhingililokuma lyaJesreel. 24 Shaa ngoka gwomezimo lyoye ta sile moshilando, ota ka lika po koombwa, noshaa ngoka ta sile melundu, ota ka lika po koontsa.”
25 (Kakwa li ngoka ti igandja ye mwene, a yone kOmuwa mokulonga iihuna ngaashi Ahab — ayihe okwe yi ningithwa komukadhi Isebel. 26 Okwa longo iisithahoni yuulunde, sho a longele iimenka, ngaashi Aayamori ya li haa ningi, mboka Omuwa a tidha moshilongo, opo Aaisraeli ya kale mo.)
27 Elia sho a mana okupopya, Ahab okwa tuula oonguwo dhe, e dhi ihula e ta zala ehahi. Okwa tindi okulya, a lala mehahi nokwe endaenda a lulilwa.
28 Omuwa okwa ti komuhunganeki Elia: 29 “Owa ndhindhilika tuu kutya Ahab okwi ifupipika koshipala shandje? Molwashoka a ningi ngeyi, itandi mu undulile we omupya nguka, manga e na omwenyo, ihe pethimbo lyomwana ezimo lye otandi ke li etela omupya.”
