David’s Charge to Solomon^(A)

2 When the time drew near for David to die,^(B) he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

² “I am about to go the way of all the earth,”^(C) he said. “So be strong,^(D) act like a man, ³ and observe^(E) what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper^(F) in all you do and wherever you go ⁴ and that the Lord may keep his promise^(G) to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully^(H) before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Now you yourself know what Joab^(I) son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner^(J) son of Ner and Amasa^(K) son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Deal with him according to your wisdom,^(L) but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

⁷ “But show kindness^(M) to the sons of Barzillai^(N) of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table.^(O) They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

⁸ “And remember, you have with you Shimei^(P) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim.^(Q) When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore^(R) to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ ⁹ But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom;^(S) you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

¹⁰ Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried^(T) in the City of David.^{(U) 11} He had reigned^(V) forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. ¹² So Solomon sat on the throne^(W) of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.^(X)

Solomon’s Throne Established

¹³ Now Adonijah,^(Y) the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”^(Z)

He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” ¹⁴ Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”

“You may say it,” she replied.

¹⁵ “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. ¹⁶ Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”

“You may make it,” she said.

¹⁷ So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag^(AA) the Shunammite as my wife.”

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

¹⁹ When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother,^(AB) and she sat down at his right hand.^(AC)

²⁰ “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”

The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

²¹ So she said, “Let Abishag^(AD) the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag^(AE) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother^(AF)—yes, for him and for Abiathar^(AG) the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(AH) if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! ²⁴ And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised^(AI)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah^(AJ) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.^(AK)

²⁶ To Abiathar^(AL) the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth.^(AM) You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark^(AN) of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”^{(AO) 27} So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling^(AP) the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

²⁸ When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns^(AQ) of the altar. ²⁹ King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar.^(AR) Then Solomon ordered Benaiah^(AS) son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

³⁰ So Benaiah entered the tent^(AT) of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!^(AU)’”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood^(AV) that Joab shed. ³² The Lord will repay^(AW) him for the blood he shed,^(AX) because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa^(AY) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better^(AZ) men and more upright than he. ³³ May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

³⁴ So Benaiah^(BA) son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab^(BB) and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah^(BC) son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok^(BD) the priest.

³⁶ Then the king sent for Shimei^(BE) and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. ³⁷ The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,^(BF) you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”^(BG)

³⁸ Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish^(BH) son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

⁴¹ When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, ⁴² the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn^(BI) you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ ⁴³ Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong^(BJ) you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure^(BK) before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶ Then the king gave the order to Benaiah^(BL) son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei^(BM) down and he died.

The kingdom was now established^(BN) in Solomon’s hands.

Solomon Asks for Wisdom^(BO)

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married^(BP) his daughter.^(BQ) He brought her to the City of David^(BR) until he finished building his palace^(BS) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,^(BT) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name^(BU) of the Lord.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself,^(A) but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.^(B)

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan^(C) has so filled your heart^(D) that you have lied to the Holy Spirit^(E) and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?^{(F) 4} Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?^(G) What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”^(H)

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.^(I) And great fear^(J) seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body,^(K) and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”^(L)

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord?^(M) Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.^(N) Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.^{(O) 11} Great fear^(P) seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The Apostles Heal Many

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders^(Q) among the people. And all the believers used to meet together^(R) in Solomon’s Colonnade.^{(S) 13} No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.^{(T) 14} Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.^{(U) 15} As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.^{(V) 16} Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.^(W)

The Apostles Persecuted

¹⁷ Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party^(X) of the Sadducees,^(Y) were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.^{(Z) 19} But during the night an angel^(AA) of the Lord opened the doors of the jail^(AB) and brought them out.^{(AC) 20} “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”^(AD)

²¹ At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates^(AE) arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin^(AF)—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. ²² But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there.^(AG) So they went back and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ²⁴ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests^(AH) were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

²⁵ Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” ²⁶ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people^(AI) would stone them.

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin^(AJ) to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,”^(AK) he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”^(AL)

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!^{(AM) 30} The God of our ancestors^(AN) raised Jesus from the dead^(AO)—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.^{(AP) 31} God exalted him to his own right hand^(AQ) as Prince and Savior^(AR) that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.^{(AS) 32} We are witnesses of these things,^(AT) and so is the Holy Spirit,^(AU) whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ When they heard this, they were furious^(AV) and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel,^(AW) a teacher of the law,^(AX) who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷ After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census^(AY) and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.^{(AZ) 39} But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”^(BA)

⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged.^(BB) Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing^(BC) because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.^{(BD) 42} Day after day, in the temple courts^(BE) and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news^(BF) that Jesus is the Messiah.^(BG)

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.