Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth^(A) the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel,^(B) close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

³ But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance^(C) of my ancestors.”

⁴ So Ahab went home, sullen and angry^(D) because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused^(E) to eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?”

⁶ He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

⁷ Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard^(F) of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸ So she wrote letters^(G) in Ahab’s name, placed his seal^(H) on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. ⁹ In those letters she wrote:

¹¹ So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast^(K) and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. ¹³ Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.^{(L) 14} Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard^(M) of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁸ “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’^(N) Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood,^(O) dogs^(P) will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”^(Q)

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold^(R) yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. ²¹ He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male^(S) in Israel—slave or free.^{[a](T) 22} I will make your house^(U) like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’^(V)

²³ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs^(W) will devour Jezebel by the wall of^[b] Jezreel.’

²⁴ “Dogs^(X) will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds^(Y) will feed on those who die in the country.”

²⁵ (There was never^(Z) anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites^(AA) the Lord drove out before Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth^(AB) and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.^(AC)

²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled^(AD) himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day,^(AE) but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”^(AF)

Jerusalem Under Siege

⁶ This is what the Lord Almighty says:

⁹ This is what the Lord Almighty says:

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says:

²¹ Therefore this is what the Lord says:

²² This is what the Lord says:

1 Paul, called to be an apostle^(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^(B) and our brother Sosthenes,^(C)

² To the church of God^(D) in Corinth,^(E) to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called^(F) to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name^(G) of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(H)

Thanksgiving

⁴ I always thank my God for you^(I) because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in him you have been enriched^(J) in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge^(K)— ⁶ God thus confirming our testimony^(L) about Christ among you. ⁷ Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift^(M) as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.^{(N) 8} He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless^(O) on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(P) 9} God is faithful,^(Q) who has called you^(R) into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.^(S)

A Church Divided Over Leaders

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^[a](T) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you,^(U) but that you be perfectly united^(V) in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household^(W) have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”;^(X) another, “I follow Apollos”;^(Y) another, “I follow Cephas^[b]”;^(Z) still another, “I follow Christ.”

¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?^{(AA) 14} I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus^(AB) and Gaius,^{(AC) 15} so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household^(AD) of Stephanas;^(AE) beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize,^(AF) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom^(AG) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness^(AH) to those who are perishing,^(AI) but to us who are being saved^(AJ) it is the power of God.^{(AK) 19} For it is written:

²⁰ Where is the wise person?^(AM) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(AN) Has not God made foolish^(AO) the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world^(AP) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(AQ) those who believe.^{(AR) 22} Jews demand signs^(AS) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified:^(AT) a stumbling block^(AU) to Jews and foolishness^(AV) to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called,^(AW) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(AX) and the wisdom of God.^{(AY) 25} For the foolishness^(AZ) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(BA) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(BB) Not many of you were wise^(BC) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose^(BD) the foolish^(BE) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(BF)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.^{(BG) 30} It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(BH) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(BI) holiness^(BJ) and redemption.^{(BK) 31} Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[d](BL)

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom^(BM) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^{[e] 2} For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.^{(BN) 3} I came to you^(BO) in weakness^(BP) with great fear and trembling.^{(BQ) 4} My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,^(BR) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,^{(BS) 5} so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.^(BT)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,^(BU) but not the wisdom of this age^(BV) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.^{(BW) 7} No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery^(BX) that has been hidden^(BY) and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age^(BZ) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.^{(CA) 9} However, as it is written:

¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed^(CC) to us by his Spirit.^(CD)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts^(CE) except their own spirit^(CF) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit^(CG) of the world,^(CH) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom^(CI) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.^{[g] 14} The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God^(CJ) but considers them foolishness,^(CK) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵ The person with the Spirit^(CL) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶ for,

But we have the mind of Christ.^(CN)