3. But Naboth replied, “The lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”
4. So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
5. “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”
6. “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.
7. “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”
8. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived.
9. In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor.
10. And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11. So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters.
12. They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people.