1 Raja-raja 21

Bagian: Kebun anggur Nabot direbut

1 Beberapa waktu sesudah itu, terjadilah suatu peristiwa antara Ahab, raja Israel, dengan Nabot, seorang penduduk kota Yisreel. Selain istana di Samaria, Ahab juga mempunyai rumah besar di kota Yisreel, sementara Nabot memiliki kebun anggur yang letaknya bersebelahan dengan rumah Ahab itu. 2 Ahab berkata kepada Nabot, “Juallah kebun anggurmu kepada saya, supaya saya dapat menggunakannya sebagai kebun sayur, karena letaknya berdekatan dengan rumah saya. Sebagai gantinya, saya akan memberimu kebun anggur lain yang lebih bagus, atau jika kamu lebih suka dibayar dengan uang, saya akan membayarnya sesuai nilai jualnya.” 3 Tetapi jawab Nabot, “Kebun ini adalah warisan keluarga saya. Demi TUHAN, saya tidak akan menjual tanah warisan itu.” 4 Lalu Ahab kembali ke rumahnya dengan jengkel dan marah karena Nabot menolak tawarannya. Ahab masuk ke kamar, berbaring menghadap tembok, dan tidak mau makan. 5 Kemudian Isebel, istrinya, bertanya kepadanya, “Apa yang membuatmu jengkel sampai tidak mau makan?” 6 Jawab Ahab, “Tadi aku berbicara dengan Nabot supaya dia menjual kebun anggurnya. Aku sudah menawarkan untuk memberikan kebun anggur pengganti atau membayarnya dengan uang. Tetapi dia sama sekali tidak mau. Katanya, ‘Aku tidak akan menjual kebun anggur ini kepadamu.’” 7 Isebel berkata, “Bukankah kamu raja atas Israel! Bangun dan makanlah. Jangan sedih lagi. Aku akan mendapatkan kebun anggur Nabot itu untukmu!” 8 Lalu Isebel menulis beberapa surat atas nama Ahab dan memberi cap meterai raja pada surat-surat itu. Kemudian dia mengirimnya kepada para tua-tua dan pemimpin kota Yisreel. 9 Beginilah isi surat-surat itu, “Sampaikan kepada seluruh rakyat untuk berpuasa selama sehari. Malamnya, di acara buka puasa bersama, berilah salah satu tempat terhormat kepada Nabot. 10 Bayarlah dua orang berandalan untuk duduk di depannya. Kemudian di tengah acara itu, mereka harus menuduh Nabot dengan berkata, ‘Dia tadi menghina Allah dan raja!’ Kemudian bawalah Nabot ke luar kota dan lempari dia dengan batu sampai mati.” 11 Perintah Isebel dilakukan oleh para tua-tua dan pemimpin kota itu tepat seperti pesannya di dalam surat. 12 Ketika mereka mengadakan acara buka puasa, mereka mengatur supaya Nabot diberi salah satu tempat terhormat di hadapan orang banyak. 13 Dua berandalan yang ditugaskan menjadi saksi palsu masuk dan duduk di depannya. Kemudian di hadapan semua orang, keduanya memberi kesaksian, “Kami mendengar sendiri bahwa Nabot menghina Allah dan raja!” Maka Nabot dibawa keluar dari kota dan dilempari batu sampai mati. 14 Kemudian para tua-tua dan pemimpin mengirim pesan kepada Isebel, “Nabot sudah dilempari batu dan sudah meninggal.” 15 Setelah mendapat kabar itu, Isebel berkata kepada Ahab, “Nabot, yang menolak untuk menjual kebun anggurnya kepadamu, sekarang sudah mati. Jadi pergilah mengambil alih kebunnya itu.” 16 Maka Ahab segera pergi ke kebun anggur Nabot dan mengambil alih kepemilikannya. 17 Lalu TUHAN berkata kepada Nabi Elia, 18 “Bersiaplah pergi menemui Ahab. Dia berada di kebun anggur milik Nabot, di mana dia sedang merampas hak kepemilikannya. 19 Sampaikan kepada Ahab perkataan-Ku ini, ‘Kamu sudah membunuh dan merampas milik orang lain. Karena itu, di tempat Nabot meninggal dan anjing-anjing menjilat darahnya, di situ jugalah kamu akan mati dan anjing-anjing akan menjilat darahmu juga!’” 20 Ketika Ahab melihat Elia, dia berkata, “Akhirnya kamu menemukan saya, hai musuhku!”
Jawab Elia, “Benar. Saya datang karena kamu sengaja terlibat dalam kejahatan. 21 Inilah pesan TUHAN untukmu, ‘Aku akan mendatangkan malapetaka atas keluargamu. Aku akan memusnahkan semua keturunan laki-lakimu di Israel, baik budak maupun orang merdeka. 22 Aku akan membuat keluargamu berakhir seperti keluarga Yerobeam anak Nebat dan seperti keluarga Baesa anak Ahia, karena kamu sudah menjerumuskan orang Israel ke dalam dosa sehingga membangkitkan murka-Ku. 23 ‘Mengenai Isebel, tubuhnya akan dimakan anjing di kota Yisreel. 24 ‘Setiap anggota keluargamu yang mati di kota akan dimakan anjing dan yang mati di padang terbuka akan dimakan burung bangkai.’” 25 Ketika Ahab mendengar pesan itu, dia merobek pakaiannya dan memakai kain karung sebagai tanda penyesalan. Bahkan saat tidur pun dia tetap memakainya. Ahab berpuasa dan selalu menunjukkan sikap murung.
Memang, tidak pernah ada orang yang kejahatannya setara dengan Ahab. Dia melakukan dosa dengan sadar dan sengaja karena hasutan Isebel. Kejahatannya yang paling menjijikkan adalah menyembah dewa-dewa dan melakukan cara ibadah seperti orang Amori, bangsa yang sudah disingkirkan TUHAN dari Kanaan ketika Israel memasuki negeri itu. 28 Beberapa waktu kemudian TUHAN berkata lagi kepada Elia, 29 “Perhatikanlah Ahab sangat menyesal dan merendahkan diri dihadapan-Ku. Karena itu Aku tidak akan mendatangkan malapetaka yang kamu nubuatkan kepadanya selagi dia masih hidup. Tetapi sesudah dia meninggal dan anaknya menggantikan dia, Aku akan memusnahkan keluarganya.”

1 After these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.” 3 Naboth said to Ahab, “May Yahweh forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” 4 Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sad that you eat no bread?” 6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ He answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 10 Set two men, wicked fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.” 11 The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had instructed them in the letters which she had written and sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13 The two men, the wicked fellows, came in and sat before him. The wicked fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.” 15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17 Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight. 21 Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel. 22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.” 23 Yahweh also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. 24 The dogs will eat whoever dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field.” 25 But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 He did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. 27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently. 28 Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”