3 Kingdoms 1:1-2:25
1 Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young woman, a virgin for our lord the king, and she will be beside the king, warming him; she will lie with him, so our lord the king will be warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful; and she warmed the king, and ministered to him; but the king did not know her.
Adonijah Aspires to Be King
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” He prepared chariots and horsemen for himself and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father never at any time rebuked him, saying, “Why did you do so?” He was also very handsome, and was born after Absalom. 7 Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they came to the aid of Adonijah. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David did not follow Adonijah. 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, calves, and lambs by the stone of the Serpent, by the spring called Rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, servants of the king. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.
11 Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard, Adonijah the son of Haggith made himself king, and David our lord is unaware of this? 12 Come, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What do you wish?” 17 Then she said to him, “My lord, you did swear by the Lord your God for the sake of your maidservant, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord, O king, do not know this. 19 He sacrificed many calves, lambs, and sheep; and he has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but not your servant Solomon. 20 As for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be reckoned as sinners.”
22 Just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 So it was reported to the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” When he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord and king, did you say, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he went down today and sacrificed many calves, lambs, and sheep, and invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and they said, ‘Long live King Adonijah.’ 26 But he did not invite me—I your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27 Was this done by my lord the king, and did you not tell your servant who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
David Names Solomon King
28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king swore an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who redeemed my life from every distress, 30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I will do today.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king and said, “Let my lord, King David, live forever.”
32 Then King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 The king said to them, “Take the servants of your lord with you, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him as king over Israel, and blow the ram’s horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then he shall sit on my throne and be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Let it be done. May the Lord, God of my lord the king, establish it. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, King David.”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites mounted Solomon on King David’s mule, and they led him to Gihon. 39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of olive oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 Then all the people went up after him, and the people danced and rejoiced with great joy. So the earth burst forth with their sound.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. Joab also heard the sound of the horn and said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” 42 While he was yet speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a prominent man, and you bring good news.” 43 Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No, our lord, King David, made Solomon king. 44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they mounted him on the king’s mule. 45 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him as king at Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, so the city is in an uproar. This is the noise you heard. 46 Even now, Solomon is seated on the throne of the kingdom. 47 The king’s servants also went to bless our lord, King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon your son greater than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king worshiped upon his bed, 48 and the king said, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who gave one from my seed to sit on my throne today, while my eyes see it.’ ”
49 So all the guests with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, each one going his own way. 50 Now Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and departed, taking hold of the horns of the altar. 51 They reported it to Solomon, saying, “Indeed, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon. For behold, he took hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ” 52 Then Solomon said, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth. But if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. He came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Final Words to Solomon
1 Now the days of David drew near to death, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth, but you must be strong and become a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments and statutes, and the writings of His judgments in the Law of Moses, so you may understand what you shall do regarding whatever I command of you; 4 that the Lord may confirm His word which He spoke, saying, ‘If your sons guard their way and go before Me in truth, with their whole heart and their whole soul, I say to you, a man from them shall not fail to sit on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Furthermore, you know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put innocent blood on the belt around his waist and on the sandal on his foot. 6 Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for they drew near to me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 Behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who laid a grievous curse on me in the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and by the Lord I swore to him, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 But you shall by no means hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man, and you realize what you must do to him, even to bring his gray hair to the grave with blood.”
The Death of King David
10 So David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. 11 David reigned over Israel forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 Thus Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and the kingdom was exceedingly well established.
Solomon Orders Adonijah’s Death
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon and bowed down before her. She said, “Have you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably. 14 I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 Then Adonijah said, “You know the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face to me as king. But then the kingdom was taken back, and it was given to my brother; for it was from the Lord to be given to Solomon. 16 Now I ask one petition of you. Do not turn away your face.” Bathsheba said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said to her, “Speak to King Solomon, for he will not turn his face from you; and let him give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.” 18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her and kissed her tenderly. He then sat down on his throne, and a throne was placed for the king’s mother; and she was seated at his right hand. 20 Then she said to him, “I desire one small petition of you. Do not turn away your face.” The king said to her, “Ask it, mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Why did you request Abishag for Adonijah? Do you ask for him the kingdom as well? For he is my older brother above me in age, and his companions are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Jeruiah, the chief captain of the army.”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has not said this against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as the Lord lives who prepared me, set me on the throne of David my father, and established a house for me, as the Lord promised, this day Adonijah will be put to death.” 25 So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him; and Adonijah died that day.
Psalm 97
1 A psalm by David.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
For He did wondrous things;
His right hand and His holy arm
Saved peoples for Him.
2 The Lord made known His salvation;
He revealed His righteousness in the sight of the Gentiles.
3 He remembered His mercy to Jacob
And His truth to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth saw the salvation of our God.
4 Shout aloud to God, all the earth;
Sing and greatly rejoice, and sing psalms;
5 Sing to the Lord on a lyre,
On a lyre and with the voice of a psalm;
6 With trumpets of metal and the sound of a trumpet of horn,
Shout aloud before the Lord our King.
7 Let the sea be shaken and its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it.
8 The rivers shall clap their hands together;
The mountains shall greatly rejoice;
9 For He comes to judge the earth;
He shall judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples with uprightness.
Psalm 98
1 A psalm by David.
The Lord reigns; let the peoples be angry;
The Lord sits upon the cherubim; let the earth be shaken.
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all the peoples;
3 Let them give thanks to Your great name,
For it is fearful and holy.
4 The King’s honor loves judgment;
You prepare uprightness;
You work judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God,
And worship at the footstool of His feet;
For He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron are among His priests,
And Samuel is among those who call upon His name;
They called upon the Lord, and He heard them;
7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;
They kept His testimonies
And the ordinances He gave them.
8 O Lord our God, You listened to them;
O God, You were very merciful to them,
While avenging all their ways of living.
9 Exalt the Lord our God
And worship at His holy mountain;
For the Lord our God is holy.
Proverbs 21:6–10
6 Destruction shall entertain the ungodly,
For they are not willing to do righteous things.
7 To the crooked, God sends crooked ways,
For His works are pure and upright.
8 It is better to dwell in a corner in the open air
Than with wrongdoing in plastered rooms and in a shared house.
9 The soul of the ungodly will not be shown mercy by anyone among men.
10 When the intemperate man is punished, the simple man becomes more astute,
And a wise man of understanding shall receive knowledge.
Luke 19:1–27
1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The Parable of the Minas
(Matt. 25:14–30)
11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
13 “So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
14 “But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 “Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’
17 “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’
18 “And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’
19 “Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
21 ‘For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
23 ‘Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’
25 (“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’)
26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
27 ‘But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”