This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 1 Kings 21:1-16, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, there was a man named Naboth who owned a beautiful vineyard in the town of Jezreel. The king of Samaria, Ahab, lived next door to Naboth and really wanted to use his vineyard to grow vegetables. Ahab asked Naboth if he could have the vineyard, and he promised to give Naboth an even better vineyard or pay him a fair price for it. But Naboth loved his vineyard because it was his family’s inheritance, and he didn’t want to give it up.
Ahab was very upset that Naboth wouldn’t give him the vineyard, and he went home feeling sad and angry. His wife, Jezebel, asked him why he was so upset, and he told her what had happened. Jezebel came up with a plan to get the vineyard for Ahab. She wrote letters pretending to be Ahab and used his seal to make them look official. She sent the letters to some important people in Naboth’s town and told them to have a fast, which is when people don’t eat for a certain amount of time. Jezebel told them to accuse Naboth of being disrespectful to God and the king, which was a very serious charge.
The leaders of the town followed Jezebel’s plan and accused Naboth in front of everyone. They said he had disrespected God and the king, which was not true. They stoned him to death outside the city, which was a terrible thing to do. When Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead, she told Ahab to go and take the vineyard, which he did.
Biblical Lessons
- It’s important to stand up for what is right, even if it’s hard.
- We should always be honest and not try to take things that don’t belong to us.
- We should respect other people’s property and not be jealous of what they have.