First Reading1 Kings 21:17-29
From the First Book of Kings
17The Lord’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.19You shall speak to him,saying, ‘The Lord says,“Have you killed and also taken possession?”’You shall speak to him,saying, ‘The Lord says,“In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth,dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’”
20Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”
He answered, “I have found you,because you have sold yourself to dothat which is evil in the Lord’s sight.21Behold, I will bring evil on you,and will utterly sweep you awayand will cut off from Ahab everyonewho urinates against a wall,and him who is shut up and himwho is left at large in Israel.22I 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 withwhich you have provoked me to anger,and have made Israel to sin.”23The Lord also spoke of Jezebel,saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.24The dogs will eat whoever dies of Ahab in the city;and the birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field.”
25But there was no one like Ahab,who sold himself to do thatwhich was evil in the Lord’s sight,whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.26He did very abominably in following idols,according to all that the Amorites did,whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27When Ahab heard those words,he tore his clothes,put sackcloth on his body,fasted, lay in sackcloth,and went about despondently.
28The Lord’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.”