1 Kings 21

1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vine-garden in Jezreel, near the house of Ahab, king of Samaria.

Forsothe after these wordis, in that tyme, the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, `that was in Jezrael, was bisidis the paleis of Achab, kyng of Samarye.

2 And Ahab said to Naboth, Give me your vine-garden so that I may have it for a garden of sweet plants, for it is near my house; and let me give you a better vine-garden in exchange, or, if it seems good to you, let me give you its value in money.

Therfor Achab spak to Naboth, and seide, Yyue thou to me the vyner, that Y make to me a gardyn of wortis, for it is nyy, and nyy myn hows; and Y schal yyue to thee a betere vyner for it; ethir if thou gessist it more profitable to thee, Y schall yyue the prijs of siluer, as myche as it is worth.

3 But Naboth said to Ahab, By the Lord, far be it from me to give you the heritage of my fathers.

To whom Naboth answeride, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y yyue not to thee the eritage of my fadris.

4 So Ahab came into his house bitter and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, I will not give you the heritage of my fathers. And stretching himself on the bed with his face turned away, he would take no food.

Therfor Acab cam in to his hows, hauynge indignacioun, and gnastyng on the word which Naboth of Jezrael hadde spoke to him, and seide, Y schal not yyue to thee the eritage of my fadirs. And Achab castide doun him silf in to his bed, and turnede awei his face to the wal, and ete not breed.

5 But Jezebel, his wife, came to him and said, Why is your spirit so bitter that you have no desire for food?

Forsothe Jezabel, his wijf, entride to hym, and seide to hym, What is this thing, wherof thi soule is maad sory? and whi etist thou not breed?

6 And he said to her, Because I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, and I said to him, Let me have your vine-garden for a price, or, if it is pleasing to you, I will give you another vine-garden for it: and he said, I will not give you my vine-garden.

Which answeride to hir, Y spak to Naboth of Jezrael, and Y seide to hym, Yyue thi vyner to me for money takun, ethir if it plesith thee, Y schal yyue to thee a betere vyner for it. And he seide, Y schal not yyue to thee my vyner.

7 Then Jezebel, his wife, said, Are you now the ruler of Israel? Get up, take food, and let your heart be glad; I will give you the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Therfor Jezabel, his wijf, seide to hym, Thou art of greet auctorite, and thou gouernest wel Israel; rise thou, and ete breed, and be thou `pacient, ethir coumfortid; Y schal yyue to thee the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael.

8 So she sent a letter in Ahab's name, stamped with his stamp, to the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority with Naboth.

Therfor sche wroot lettris in the name of Achab, and seelide tho with the ryng of hym; and sche sente to the grettere men in birthe, and to the beste men, that weren in the citee of hym, and dwelliden with Naboth.

9 And in the letter she said, Let a time of public sorrow be fixed, and put Naboth at the head of the people;

Sotheli this was the sentence of the lettre; Preche ye fastyng, and make ye Naboth to sitte among the firste men of the puple;

10 And get two good-for-nothing persons to come before him and give witness that he has been cursing God and the king. Then take him out and have him stoned to death.

and sende ye priueli twei men, the sones of Belial, ayens hym, and sey thei fals witnessyng, Naboth blesside God and the kyng; and lede ye out hym, and stoon ye him, and die he so.

11 So the responsible men and the chiefs who were in authority in his town, did as Jezebel had said in the letter she sent them.

Therfor hise citeseyns, the grettere men in birthe, and the beste men that dwelliden with hym in the citee, diden as Jezabel hadde comaundid, and as it was writun in the lettris, whiche sche hadde sent to hem.

12 They gave orders for a day of public sorrow, and put Naboth at the head of the people.

Thei prechiden fastyng, and maden Naboth to sitte among the firste men of the puple;

13 And the two good-for-nothing persons came in and took their seats before him and gave witness against Naboth, in front of the people, saying, Naboth has been cursing God and the king. Then they took him outside the town and had him stoned to death.

and whanne twey men, sones of the deuel, weren brouyt, thei maden hem to sitte ayens hym, and thei, that is, as men of the deuel, seiden witnessyng ayens him bifor al the multitude, Naboth blesside God and the kyng; for which thing thei ledden hym with out the citee, and killiden him with stoonys.

14 And they sent word to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is dead.

And thei senten to Jezabel, and seiden, Naboth is stoonyd, and is deed.

15 Then Jezebel, hearing that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, said to Ahab, Get up and take as your heritage the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he would not give you for money, for Naboth is no longer living but is dead.

Forsothe it was doon, whanne Jezabel hadde herd Naboth stonyd and deed, sche spak to Achab, Rise thou, take thou in possessioun the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, which nolde assente to thee, and yyue it for money takun; for Naboth lyueth not, but is deed.

16 So Ahab, hearing that Naboth was dead, went down to the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite to take it as his heritage.

And whanne Achab hadde herd this, that is, Naboth deed, he roos, and yede doun in to the vyner of Naboth of Jezrael, to haue it in possessioun.

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Therfor the word of the Lord was maad to Elie of Thesbi,

18 Go down to Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria; see, he is in the vine-garden of Naboth the Jezreelite, where he has gone to take it as his heritage.

and seide, Rise thou, go doun in to the comyng of Achab, kyng of Israel, which is in Samarie; lo! he goith doun to the vyner of Naboth, that he haue it in possessioun.

19 Say to him, The Lord says, Have you put a man to death and taken his heritage? Then say to him, The Lord says, In the place where dogs have been drinking the blood of Naboth, there will your blood become the drink of dogs.

And thou schalt speke to hym, and `thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, Thou hast slayn, ferthermore and thou hast take in possessioun; and aftir these thingis thou schalt adde, In this place, wherynne doggis lickiden the blood of Naboth, thei schulen licke also thi blood.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Have you come face to face with me, O my hater? And he said, I have come to you because you have given yourself up to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

And Achab seyde to Elie, Whether thou hast founde me thin enemy? Which Elie seide, Y haue founde, for thou art seeld that thou schuldist do yuel in the siyt of the Lord.

21 See, I will send evil on you and put an end to you completely, cutting off from Ahab every male child, him who is shut up and him who goes free in Israel;

Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal brynge yn on thee yuel, and Y schal kitte awey thin hyndrere thingis, and Y schal sle of Achab a pissere to the wal, and prisoned, and the laste in Israel;

22 And I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, because you have made me angry, and have made Israel do evil.

and Y schal yyue thin hows as the hows of Jeroboam, sone of Naboth, and as the hows of Baasa, sone of Ahia; for thou didist to excite me to wrathfulnesse, and madist Israel to do synne.

23 And of Jezebel the Lord said, Jezebel will become food for dogs in the heritage of Jezreel.

But also the Lord spak of Jezabel, and seide, Doggis schulen ete Jezabel in the feeld of Jesrael;

24 Any man of the family of Ahab who comes to his death in the town will become food for the dogs; and he who comes to his death in the open country will be food for the birds of the air.

if Achab schal die in the citee, doggis schulen ete hym; sotheli if he schal die in the feeld, briddis of the eyr schulen ete hym.

25 (There was no one like Ahab, who gave himself up to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, moved to it by Jezebel his wife.

Therfor noon other was sich as Achab, that was seeld to do yuel in the siyt of the Lord; for Jezabel his wijf excitide hym;

26 He did a very disgusting thing in going after false gods, doing all the things the Amorites did, whom the Lord sent out before the children of Israel.)

and he was maad abhomynable, in so myche that he suede the ydols that Ammorreis maden, which Ammorreis the Lord wastide fro the face of the sones of Israel.

27 Hearing these words, Ahab, in great grief, put haircloth on his flesh and went without food, sleeping in haircloth, and going about quietly.

Therfor whanne Achab hadde herd these wordis, he to-rente his cloth, and hilide his fleisch with an hayre, and he fastide, and slepte in a sak, and yede with the heed cast doun.

28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

The word of the Lord was maad to Elie of Thesbi, and seide,

29 Do you see how Ahab has made himself low before me? because he has made himself low before me, I will not send the evil in his life-time, but in his son's time I will send the evil on his family.

Whethir thou hast not seyn Achab maad low bifor me? Therfor for he is maad low for the cause of me, Y schal not brynge yn yuel in hise daies, but in the daies of his sone Y schal bryng yn yuel to his hows.