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17 And the young Men of the Princes of the Provinces. went out first, and Benhadad fent out, and they told him, faying, There are Men come out of Samaria.

18 And he faid, Whether they be come out for Peace, take them alive or whether they be come out for War, take them alive.

19 So thefe young Men of the Princes of the Provinces. came out of the City, and the Army which followed them: 20 And they flew every one his Man: and the Syrians fled, and Ifrael purfued them: and Benhadad the King of Syria escaped on an Horfe, with the Horsemen.

21 And the King of Ifrael went out, and fmote the Horfes and Chariots, and flew the Syrians with a great Slaugh

ter.

22 And the Prophet came to the King of Ifrael, and said unto him, Go, ftrengthen thy felf, and mark, and see what thou doft for at the return of the Year the King of Syria will come up against thee.

23 And the Servants of the King of Syria faid unto him, Their Gods are Gods of the Hills, therefore they were ftronger than we but let us fight against them in the Plain, and furely we fhall be ftronger than they.

25 And number thee an Army, like the Army that thou haft loft and we will fight against them in the Plain, and furely we shall be ftronger than they. And he hearkened unto their Voice, and did fo.

26 And it came to pafs at the return of the Year, that Benhadad went up to Aphek, to fight againft Ifrael.

27 And the Children of Ifrael were numbred, and were all prefent, and went against them, and the Children of Ifrael pitched before them, like two little Flocks of Kids: but the Syrians filled the Countrey.

28 And there came a Man of GOD, and spake unto the King of Ifrael, and faid, Thus faith the LORD, Because the Syrians have faid, The LORD is GoD of the Hills, but he is not GoD of the Vallies: therefore will I deliver all this great Multitude into thine Hand, and ye fhall know that I am the LORD.

29 And they pitched one over aginst the other feven Days, and fo it was, that on the feventh Day the Battle was joined: and the Children of Ifrael flew of the Syrians an hundred thoufand Footmen in one Day.

30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the City, and there a Wall fell upon twenty and feven thoufand of the Men that were left; and Benhadad fled, and came into the City, into an inner Chamber.

31 And his Servants faid unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the Kings of the Houfe of Ifrael are merciful Kings let us, I pray thee, put Sackcloth on our Loins, and Ropes upon our Heads, and go out to the King of Ifrael; peradventure he will fave thy Life.

32 So they girded Sackcloth on their Loins, and put Ropes on their Heads, and came to the King of Ifrael, and faid, Thy Servant Benhadad faith, I pray thee, let me live. And he faid, Is he yet alive? he is my Brother.

33 Now the Men did diligently obferve whether any thing would come from him, and did haftily catch it: and they faid, Thy Brother Benhadad. Then he faid, Go ye, bring him then Benhadad came forth to him, and he caufed him to come up into the Chariot.

34 And Benhadad faid unto him, The Cities which my Father took from thy Father, I will reftore, and thou fhalt make Streets for thee in Damafcus, as my Father made in Samaria. Then faid Ahab, I will fend thee away with this Covenant. So he made a Covenant with him, and fent him away.

35 And a certain Man of the Sons of the Prophets faid unto his Neighbour in the Word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the Man refufed to fmite him.

36 Then faid he unto him, Becaufe thou haft not obeyed the Voice of the LORD, behold, affoon as thou art departed from me, a Lion fhall flay thee. And affoon as he was departed from him, a Lion found him, and flew him.

37 Then he found another Man, and faid, Smite me, I pray thee. And the Man fmote him, fo that in fmiting he wounded him.

38 So the Prophet departed, and waited for the King by the Way, and difguifed himfelf with Afhes upon his Face.

39 And as the King paffed by, he cried unto the King: and he faid, Thy Servant went out into the midst of the Battle, and behold, a Man turned afide, and brought a Man unto me, and faid, Keep this Man: if by any means he be miffing, then fhall thy Life be for his Life, or elfe thou shalt pay a Talent of Silver.

40 And as thy Servant was bufy here and there, he was gone. And the King of Ifrael faid unto him, So fhall thy Judgment be; thy felf haft decided it.

41 And he hafted, and took the Afhes away from his Face, and the King of Ifrael difcerned him, that he was of the Prophets.

42 And he faid unto him, Thus faith the LORD, Because thou haft let go out of thy Hand a Man whom I appointed to utter Destruction, therefore thy Life fhall go for his Life, and thy People for his People.

43 And the King of Ifrael went to his House heavy and difpleafed, and came to Samaria.

CHA P. XXI.

1 Ahab being denied Naboth's Vineyard, is grieved. 5 Jezebel writing Letters against Naboth, he is condemned of Blafphemy. 15 Ahab taketh poffeffion of the Vineyard. 17 Elijah denounceth Judgments against Ahab and Jezebel. 25 Wicked Ahab repenting, GOD deferreth the Judgment.

Ver. 1

b

A

b Habak. ii. 9 Wo to him that co

VETETH an evil Covetoufnefs to his Houfe, that he may fet his Neft on high.

ND it came to pafs after thefe Things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a Vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the Palace of Ahab King of Samaria. 2 And Ahab fpake unto Naboth, faying, Give me thy Vineyard, that I may have it for a Garden of Herbs, becaufe it is near unto mine House, and I will give thee for it a better Vineyard than it or if it feem good to thee, 1 will give thee the Worth of it in Money.

3 And Naboth faid to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I fhould give the Inheritance of my Fathers unto thee.

4 And Ahab came into his House heavy and difpleafed, because of the Word which Naboth the Jezreelite had fpoken to him: for he had

II For the Stone shall cry out of the Wall, and the Beam out of the

Timber fhall answer it.

12 Wo to him that buildeth a

Town with Blood, and stablisheth a
City by Iniquity.

10 Thou haft confulted Shame to

thy Houfe, by cutting off many People, and haft finned against thy

Soul.

Luke xii. 15 And he faid unto them, Take heed, and BEWARE of COVETOUSNESS: for a Man's Life

confifteth not in the abundance of

the Things which he poffeffeth.

Ephef. v. 3 But Fornication, and all Uncleanness, or COVETOUSNESS, let it not be once named among you, as becometh Saints.

6 Let no Man deceive you with

vain Words: for because of these

Things cometh the WRATH of God

upon the Children of Disobedience.

faid, I will not give thee the Inheritance of my Fathers: and he laid him down upon his Bed, and turned away his Face, and would eat no Bread.

5 But Jezebel his Wife came to him, and faid unto him, Why is thy Spirit fo fad, that thou eateft no Bread?

6 And he faid unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and faid unto him, Give me thy Vineyard for Money, or elfe, if it pleafe thee, I will give thee another Vineyard for it and he anfwered, I will not give thee my Vineyard.

7 And Jezebel his Wife faid unto him, Doft thou now govern the Kingdom of Ifrael? Arife and eat Bread, and let thine Heart be merry: I will give thee the Vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

1 Tim. vi. 9 They that will be RICH and into many foolish and hurtful FALL into TEMPTATION and a SNARE, LUSTIS, which drown Men in DESTRUCTION and PERDITION.

10 For the LOVE of MONEY is the

Roor of all EVIL: which while fome coveted after, they have ERRED from the FAITH, and pierced themselves thro' with many Sorrows.

8 So fhe wrote Letters in Ahab's Name, and fealed them with his Seal, and fent the Letters unto the Elders, and to the Nobles that were in his City dwelling with Naboth.

9 And fhe wrote in the Letters, faying, Proclaim a Fast, and fet Naboth on high among the People:

10 And fet two Men, Sons of Belial, before him, to bear witnefs against him, faying, Thou didst blafpheme GoD and the King and then carry him out, and ftone him that he may die.

11 And the Men of his City, even the Elders, and the Nobles, who were the Inhabitants in his City, did as Jezebel had fent unto them, and as it was written in the Letters which he had fent unto them.

12 They proclaimed a Faft, and fet Naboth on high among the People.

13 And there came in two Men, Children of Belial, and fat before him and the Men of Belial witneffed against him, even against Naboth, in the Prefence of the People, faying, Naboth did blafpheme God and the King. Then they carried him forth out of the City, and ftoned him with Stones that he died.

14 Then they fent to Jezebel, faying, Naboth is ftoned, and is dead.

15 And when Jezebel heard that Naboth was ftoned, and was dead, Jezebel faid to Ahab, Arife, take poffeffion.

of

of the Vineyard of Naboth, which he refused to give thee for Money for Naboth is not alive but dead.

16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose up to go down to the Vineyard of Naboth, to take poffeffion of it.

17 And the WORD of the LORD came to Elijah the Tifhbite, faying,

18 Arife, go down to meet Ahab King of Ifrael, which is in Samaria behold, he is in the Vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to poffefs it.

d

a Pfal. lxxvi, 12 He fhall cut off the Spirit of Princes, he is wonderful to the Kings of the Earth.

19 And thou fhalt speak unto him, faying, Thus faith the LORD, Haft thou KILLED, and also taken POSSESSION? And thou fhalt fpeak unto him, saying, Thus faith the LORD, In the Place where Dogs licked the Blood of Naboth, fhall Dogs lick thy Blood,

even thine.

Rev. xv. 4 Who fhall not FEAR thee, O LORD, and GLORIFY thy Name? for thou only art HOLY, for all Nations fhall come and worship before thee, for thy JUDGMENTS are made manifeft.

20 And Ahab faid to Elijah, Haft thou found me, O mine Enemy? And he answered, I have found thee, because thou haft fold thyfelf to work Evil in the fight of the LORD.

21 Behold, I will bring Evil upon thee, and will take away thy POSTERITY, and will cut off from Ahab him that piffeth against the Wall, and him that is fhut up, and left in Ifrael,

22 And will make thine Houfe like the Houfe of Jero boam the Son of Nebat, and like the House of Baafha the Son of Ahijah, for the Provocation wherewith thou haft provoked me to Anger, and made Ifrael to fin.

23 And of Jezebel alfo fpake the LORD, faying, The DOGS fhall EAT Jezebel by the Wall of Jezreel.

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the City, the Dogs fhall eat and him that dieth in the Field, fhall the Fowls of the Air eat.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did fell himself to work Wickedness in the fight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his Wife STIRRED up.

26 And he did very abominably in following Idols, according to all Things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD taft out before the Children of Ifrael.

27 And it came to pafs when Ahab heard thofe Words,

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