1 Kings 1

²⁷The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

²⁸He died at a ripe old age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

¹A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, when Joshua was old and well along in years,

²he summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. “I am old and well along in years,” he said,

¹When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

¹⁰The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

⁴David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.

¹By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.

¹¹Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?

⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

⁵Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

²¹When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.

²²Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”

⁶If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,

³but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.

¹⁸Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

⁴Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.

²Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,

⁸One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

⁴The Philistines gathered together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.

¹⁷Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

¹⁸“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”

²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

¹Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

⁴his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

¹⁷Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

⁵And of all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

³his second was Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;

⁴his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

¹³I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

¹⁵A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”

²the third was Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith;

¹³Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

²⁵Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

²²King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

²⁶Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

²⁷So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord and thus fulfilled the word that the Lord had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

²The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the Lord and against His Anointed One:

²³Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;

¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

¹⁸Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

⁸These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

⁹Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated,

²⁵Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

¹³the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,

¹Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

²The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,

¹⁰Now these were the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

¹¹This is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.

¹¹Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.

¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

²³Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.

²⁴And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”

⁷Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel.

²⁴Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved the child

¹Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

²The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,

¹⁹And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

⁴his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

⁹But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

¹⁰He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

²⁴Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved the child

²⁵and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the Lord loved him.

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

⁴Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

⁵And of all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

¹⁰When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.

¹⁴For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.

¹⁸Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.

⁵He went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.

²¹Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”

¹When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.

³⁰I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

¹⁷“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

⁶Then David called for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁷“My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God,

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

¹²So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

¹This is the third time I am coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

¹⁷“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

¹⁸But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it.

¹Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

⁴¹When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.

²³When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.

⁸After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed facedown in reverence

²and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”

²⁰“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”

²¹“What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”

¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

³⁰I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

¹²So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

⁶just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right and refuse to give way to fear.

²⁴“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?

¹⁰Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”

¹¹Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?

²⁷Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”

¹⁷And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.

⁵At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

²⁵For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

⁷So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

¹Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

²The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.

⁵And of all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

⁶And He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father.

¹⁰Consider now that the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

¹⁵My eyes are always on the Lord, for He will free my feet from the mesh.

⁸but this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.

⁹But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

¹⁶And the Lord said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

¹⁰Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹⁵You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

²²King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

²³Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.

¹⁵“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the Lord.

¹⁵Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning His holy mountain—

¹⁷Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

¹⁶And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

⁷Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

¹⁷“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

¹⁸But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it.

¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

¹⁴Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

⁵At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

⁹And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.

¹⁹And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.

³⁸“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

¹¹Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

²he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

²⁵and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the Lord loved him.

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁹And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon.

²⁴“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?

²⁷When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

¹⁵No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

⁹But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

²⁴and freed us from our enemies. His loving devotion endures forever.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

¹⁴He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.

¹⁰As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

²⁰He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.

¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

¹⁷“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

¹⁰Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.

⁴Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁹saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!

⁹Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?

⁶So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!

²All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

³⁸Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.

²⁶But me your servant he has not invited, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

³⁰It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did.

³⁸Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.

¹⁴After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

⁴³He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

⁶Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”

⁷And Haman told the king, “For the man whom the king is delighted to honor,

⁵At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

¹Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over His inheritance?

¹⁰Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”

²⁵For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

¹²Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”

³Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the Lord. And they anointed him king over Israel.

¹Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness.

²May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.

¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

¹When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

¹²So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

⁴Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

⁵And of all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

⁶“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

⁵This was in order to establish the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is to this day.” “Amen, Lord,” I answered.

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

²⁰and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

²⁹And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the Lord your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.

¹⁶Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

²⁰I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

¹³But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the Lord punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the Lord be with you, just as He has been with my father.

⁴⁷The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,

¹⁷Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

⁵No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

²⁰David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.

⁸May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly leaders.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

⁵Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”

³³“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.

¹⁴We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”

²⁰“Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!

²¹That is not the case. But a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him alone, and I will depart from the city.” “Look,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”

²⁰I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

²²That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord. Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the Lord as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.

³⁴There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹²Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”

¹³And she looked and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

²⁰and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword at the royal palace.

¹⁵Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,

³⁸All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.

³⁹They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.

¹⁴And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”

³⁷And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

¹⁰When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹⁷When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”

¹³Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in sorrow.

³¹While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.

¹⁸Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.

¹⁹How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

⁵It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

³⁶Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”

²⁷The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” “This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.

²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan.

²¹“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

¹⁸Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”

⁴⁰All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.

¹³The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.

⁵When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

²⁶And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

²⁷TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

⁶So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

¹⁴“What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.

²³So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

²²I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

³⁷Just as the Lord was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”

³¹“Swear to me,” Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.

³So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?”

²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

¹⁰he sent his son Joram to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze,

³²Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

⁶Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

¹²And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

⁶Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.

²⁰Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” So the whole assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

¹Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

²Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—

⁴My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.

⁵They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet, they eat, they drink! Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!

⁴As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

⁵At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing,

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²⁸When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

²⁷The Lord is God; He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

²Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

²He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.

¹⁴But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

⁴⁵But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

¹¹“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the Lord your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

⁶Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

²¹So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

²²King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

²²He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.

²⁴But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

³¹Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

¹⁶And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

²⁸Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king.

³⁶Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.

²On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.