1 Kings 21:17-29

The Lord Condemns Ahab

17 aThen the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in bSamaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: c“In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”

20Ahab said to Elijah, d“Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because eyou have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. 21Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and fwill cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22And I will make your house like gthe house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like hthe house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you ihave made Israel to sin. 23And of Jezebel the Lord also said, j‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within kthe walls of Jezreel.’ 24 lAnyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.”

Ahab’s Repentance

25( mThere was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26He acted very abominably in going after nidols, as othe Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)

27And when Ahab heard those words, he ptore his clothes and qput sackcloth on his flesh and rfasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; sbut in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

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