A Wicked Queen Is Punished

From the window of his palace in Jezreel, King Ahab could see a vineyard that belonged to a man named Naboth. Ahab wanted this vineyard, and he tried to buy it from Naboth. But Naboth refused to sell it to him because it was against Jehovah’s Law to sell inherited land. Did Ahab respect Naboth for doing the right thing? No. Ahab was very angry. He was so upset that he would not leave his bedroom, and he refused to eat.

Ahab’s wife, wicked Queen Jezebel, told him: ‘You are the king of Israel. You can have anything you want. I will get that land for you.’ She wrote letters to the elders of the city, telling them to accuse Naboth of having cursed God and to stone him to death. The elders did what Jezebel told them to do, and then Jezebel said to Ahab: ‘Naboth is dead. The vineyard is yours.’

Naboth was not the only innocent person whom Jezebel murdered. She murdered many people who loved Jehovah. She worshipped idols and did other bad things. Jehovah saw all the bad things that Jezebel did. What would he do about her?

After Ahab died, his son Jehoram became king. Jehovah sent a man named Jehu to punish Jezebel and her family.

Jehu rode his chariot to Jezreel, where Jezebel lived. Jehoram came by chariot to meet Jehu and asked him: ‘Is there peace between us?’ Jehu said: ‘There will be no peace as long as your mother, Jezebel, is doing wicked things.’ Jehoram tried to turn his chariot around and get away. But Jehu shot Jehoram with an arrow, and he died.

Then Jehu went to Jezebel’s palace. When she heard that he was coming, she put on makeup, did her hair, and waited by her upstairs window. When Jehu arrived, she greeted him rudely. Jehu shouted to her servants who were standing next to her: “Throw her down!” They pushed Jezebel out of the window, and she fell to the ground and died.

After that, Jehu killed Ahab’s 70 sons and cleansed the land of Baal worship. Can you see that Jehovah knows everything and that at the right time, he punishes those who do bad things?