The Transfiguration

17 ^(A)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(B)Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was ^(C)transfigured before them, and ^(D)his face shone like the sun, and ^(E)his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for ^(F)Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, ^(G)a bright cloud overshadowed them, and ^(H)a voice from the cloud said, ^(I)“This is my beloved Son,^[a] with whom I am well pleased; ^(J)listen to him.” ⁶ When ^(K)the disciples heard this, ^(L)they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and ^(M)touched them, saying, “Rise, and ^(N)have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

^9 (O)And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^(P)“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” ¹⁰ And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say ^(Q)that first Elijah must come?” ¹¹ He answered, “Elijah does come, and ^(R)he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but ^(S)did to him whatever they pleased. ^(T)So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” ^13 (U)Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

^14 (V)And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, ¹⁵ said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^(W)seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to your disciples, and ^(X)they could not heal him.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered, “O faithless and ^(Y)twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? ^(Z)How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” ¹⁸ And Jesus ^(AA)rebuked the demon,^[b] and it^[c] came out of him, and ^(AB)the boy was healed instantly.^{[d] 19} Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁰ He said to them, ^(AC)“Because of your little faith. For ^(AD)truly, I say to you, ^(AE)if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, ^(AF)you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^(AG)nothing will be impossible for you.”^[e]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^22 (AH)As they were gathering^[f] in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on ^(AI)the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

^24 (AJ)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of ^(AK)the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, ^(AL)“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or ^(AM)tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.^[g] Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

18 ^(AN)At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(AO)turn and ^(AP)become like children, you ^(AQ)will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ^4 (AR)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the ^(AS)greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

^5 (AT)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but ^(AU)whoever causes one of these ^(AV)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[h] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

⁷ “Woe to the world for ^(AW)temptations to sin!^{[i] (AX)}For it is necessary that temptations come, ^(AY)but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ^8 (AZ)And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into ^(BA)the eternal fire. ^9 (BB)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the ^(BC)hell^[j] of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(BD)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(BE)their angels always ^(BF)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^{[k] 12 (BG)}What do you think? ^(BH)If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So ^(BI)it is not the will of my^[l] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

^15 (BJ)“If your brother sins against you, ^(BK)go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^(BL)gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^(BM)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, ^(BN)tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^(BO)let him be to you as ^(BP)a Gentile and ^(BQ)a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, ^(BR)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[m] in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you ^(BS)agree on earth about anything they ask, ^(BT)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are ^(BU)gathered in my name, ^(BV)there am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often ^(BW)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? ^(BX)As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished ^(BY)to settle accounts with his servants.^{[n] 24} When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ^(BZ)ten thousand ^(CA)talents.^{[o] 25 (CB)}And since he could not pay, his master ordered him ^(CC)to be sold, with his wife and ^(CD)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant^{[p] (CE)}fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^(CF)forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred ^(CG)denarii,^[q] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ^33 (CH)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ^34 (CI)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,^{[r] (CJ)}until he should pay all his debt. ^35 (CK)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother ^(CL)from your heart.”

David's Instructions to Solomon

2 ^(A)When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, ^2 (B)“I am about to go the way of all the earth. ^(C)Be strong, and show yourself a man, ³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, ^(D)that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, ⁴ that the Lord may ^(E)establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ^(F)‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, ^(G)to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, ^(H)you shall not lack^[a] a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^(I)did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, ^(J)Abner the son of Ner, ^(K)and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging^[b] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war^[c] on the belt around his^[d] waist and on the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Act therefore ^(L)according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. ⁷ But deal loyally with the sons of ^(M)Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be ^(N)among those who eat at your table, ^(O)for with such loyalty^[e] they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. ⁸ And there is also with you ^(P)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day ^(Q)when I went to Mahanaim. ^(R)But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ ⁹ Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, ^(S)for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall ^(T)bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”

The Death of David

^10 (U)Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in ^(V)the city of David. ¹¹ And the time that David reigned over Israel was ^(W)forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ^12 (X)So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon's Reign Established

¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, ^(Y)“Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” ¹⁵ He said, “You know that ^(Z)the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, ^(AA)for it was his from the Lord. ¹⁶ And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” ¹⁷ And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me ^(AB)Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” ¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king's mother, ^(AC)and she sat on his right. ²⁰ Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” ²¹ She said, “Let ^(AD)Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” ²² King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask ^(AE)Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, ^(AF)for he is my older brother, and on his side ^(AG)are Abiathar^[f] the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” ²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, ^(AH)“God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! ²⁴ Now therefore ^(AI)as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, ^(AJ)as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” ²⁵ So King Solomon sent ^(AK)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.

²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to ^(AL)Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, ^(AM)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, ^(AN)and because you shared in all my father's affliction.” ^27 (AO)So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling ^(AP)the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

²⁸ When the news came to Joab—for Joab ^(AQ)had supported Adonijah although ^(AR)he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the ^(AS)horns of the altar. ²⁹ And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” ³⁰ So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” ³¹ The king replied to him, ^(AT)“Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, ^(AU)and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. ³² The Lord will ^(AV)bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men ^(AW)more righteous and better than himself, ^(AX)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ^(AY)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. ^33 (AZ)So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” ³⁴ Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. ^35 (BA)The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in place of Joab, and the king put ^(BB)Zadok the priest ^(BC)in the place of Abiathar.

³⁶ Then the king sent and summoned ^(BD)Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. ³⁷ For on the day you go out and cross ^(BE)the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. ^(BF)Your blood shall be on your own head.” ³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.

³⁹ But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei's servants ran away to ^(BG)Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” ⁴⁰ Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. ⁴¹ And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, ⁴² the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ ⁴³ Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?” ⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart ^(BH)all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will ^(BI)bring back your harm on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, ^(BJ)and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” ⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died.

^(BK)So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.