¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?^(A) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster^(B) on your people. ¹³ Remember^(C) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:^(D) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars^(E) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land^(F) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the Lord relented^(G) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law^(H) in his hands.^(I) They were inscribed^(J) on both sides, front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.^(K)

¹⁷ When Joshua^(L) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses replied:

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf^(M) and the dancing,^(N) his anger burned^(O) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces^(P) at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the calf the people had made and burned^(Q) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,^(R) scattered it on the water^(S) and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

²² “Do not be angry,^(T) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.^{(U) 23} They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’^{(V) 24} So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”^(W)

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock^(X) to their enemies. ²⁶ So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷ Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”^{(Y) 28} The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.^(Z) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement^(AA) for your sin.”

³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!^(AB) They have made themselves gods of gold.^{(AC) 32} But now, please forgive their sin^(AD)—but if not, then blot me^(AE) out of the book^(AF) you have written.”

³³ The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out^(AG) of my book. ³⁴ Now go, lead^(AH) the people to the place^(AI) I spoke of, and my angel^(AJ) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,^(AK) I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf^(AL) Aaron had made.

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

Solomon’s Throne Established

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

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^(H) 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,^(I) and she sat down at his right hand.^(J)

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^(K) the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag^(L) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother^(M)—yes, for him and for Abiathar^(N) 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,^(O) 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^(P)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah^(Q) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.^(R)

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

41 In the seventh month Ishmael^(A) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, ² Ishmael^(B) son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,^(C) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed^(D) as governor over the land.^{(E) 3} Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian^[a] soldiers who were there.

⁴ The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, ⁵ eighty men who had shaved off their beards,^(F) torn their clothes^(G) and cut^(H) themselves came from Shechem,^(I) Shiloh^(J) and Samaria,^(K) bringing grain offerings and incense^(L) with them to the house of the Lord.^{(M) 6} Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping^(N) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”^{(O) 7} When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.^{(P) 8} But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”^(Q) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. ⁹ Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa^(R) had made as part of his defense^(S) against Baasha^(T) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

¹⁰ Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people^(U) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters^(V) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.^(W)

¹¹ When Johanan^(X) son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, ¹² they took all their men and went to fight^(Y) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool^(Z) in Gibeon. ¹³ When all the people^(AA) Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. ¹⁴ All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah^(AB) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. ¹⁵ But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped^(AC) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt

¹⁶ Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(AD) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,^(AE) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. ¹⁷ And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham^(AF) near Bethlehem^(AG) on their way to Egypt^{(AH) 18} to escape the Babylonians.^[b] They were afraid^(AI) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah^(AJ) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

Psalm 65^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

¹⁴ “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’^[a](A) standing where it^[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. ¹⁶ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁷ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!^{(B) 18} Pray that this will not take place in winter, ¹⁹ because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world,^(C) until now—and never to be equaled again.^(D)

²⁰ “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. ²¹ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.^{(E) 22} For false messiahs and false prophets^(F) will appear and perform signs and wonders^(G) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²³ So be on your guard;^(H) I have told you everything ahead of time.

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you,^(A) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,^(B) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform^(C) to the pattern of this world,^(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.^(E) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is^(F)—his good, pleasing^(G) and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me^(H) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,^{(I) 5} so in Christ we, though many, form one body,^(J) and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts,^(K) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,^(L) then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith;^{(M) 7} if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;^{(N) 8} if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;^(O) if it is giving, then give generously;^(P) if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.