David’s Dying Instructions to Solomon

2 As the time approached for David to die,^(A) he ordered his son Solomon, ² “As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth.^(B) Be strong and be a man,^{(C) 3} and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do^(D) and wherever you turn, ⁴ and so that the Lord will fulfill his promise that he made to me: ‘If your sons take care to walk faithfully before me with all their heart and all their soul,^(E) you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’^(F)

⁵ “You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me^(G) and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner^(H) and Amasa son of Jether.^(I) He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet.^{[a] 6} Act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace.

⁷ “Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table^(J) because they supported me when I fled from your brother Absalom.^(K)

⁸ “Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim.^(L) But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the Lord, ‘I will never kill you with the sword.’^{(M) 9} So don’t let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ Then David rested with his ancestors^(N) and was buried in the city of David.^{(O) 11} The length of time David reigned over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.^{(P) 12} Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was firmly established.^(Q)

Adonijah’s Foolish Request

¹³ Now Adonijah son of Haggith^(R) came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peacefully?”

“Peacefully,” he replied,^{(S) 14} and then asked, “May I talk with you?” ^[b]

“Go ahead,” she answered.

¹⁵ “You know the kingship was mine,”^(T) he said. “All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother,^(U) for the Lord gave it to him.^{(V) 16} So now I have just one request of you; don’t turn me down.”^[c]

She said to him, “Go on.”

¹⁷ He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite^(W) as a wife.”

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

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother.^(X) So she sat down at his right hand.^(Y)

²⁰ Then she said, “I have just one small request of you. Don’t turn me down.”

“Go ahead and ask, mother,” the king replied, “for I won’t turn you down.”

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

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother,^(Z) you might as well ask the kingship for him,^(AA) for the priest Abiathar, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.”^{[d](AB) 23} Then King Solomon took an oath by the Lord: “May God punish me and do so severely^(AC) if Adonijah has not made this request at the cost of his life. ²⁴ And now, as the Lord lives—the one who established me, seated me on the throne of my father David, and made me a dynasty as he promised^(AD)—I swear Adonijah will be put to death today!” ²⁵ Then King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada,^(AE) who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

Abiathar’s Banishment

²⁶ The king said to the priest Abiathar,^(AF) “Go to your fields in Anathoth.^(AG) Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death today, since you carried the ark of the Lord God in the presence of my father David^(AH) and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”^{(AI) 27} So Solomon banished Abiathar from being the Lord’s priest, and it fulfilled the Lord’s prophecy he had spoken at Shiloh against Eli’s family.^(AJ)

Joab’s Execution

²⁸ The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah^(AK) but not Absalom,^(AL) Joab fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.^(AM)

²⁹ It was reported to King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.”

Then Solomon sent^[e] Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(AN) and told him, “Go and strike him down!” ^(AO)

³⁰ So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’” ^(AP)

But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.”

So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”

³¹ The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause.^{(AQ) 32} The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner^(AR) son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa^(AS) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. ³³ The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants^[f] forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever.”^(AT)

³⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(AU) went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness.^{(AV) 35} Then the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army,^(AW) and he appointed the priest Zadok in Abiathar’s place.

Shimei’s Banishment and Execution

³⁶ Then the king summoned Shimei^(AX) and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but don’t leave there and go anywhere else. ³⁷ On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley,^(AY) know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head.”^(AZ)

³⁸ Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish^(BA) son of Maacah, king of Gath.^(BB) Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath.

⁴¹ It was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. ⁴² So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Didn’t I make you swear by the Lord and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will obey.’ ⁴³ So why have you not kept the Lord’s oath and the command that I gave you?” ⁴⁴ The king also said, “You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David.^(BC) Therefore, the Lord has brought back your evil on your head, ⁴⁵ but King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain established before the Lord forever.”^(BD)

⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.^(BE)

Carry One Another’s Burdens

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle^(A) spirit,^[a](B) watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.^{(C) 2} Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.^{(D) 3} For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing,^(E) he deceives himself. ⁴ Let each person examine his own work,^(F) and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. ⁵ For each person will have to carry his own load.

⁶ Let the one who is taught the word share^(G) all his good things with the teacher. ⁷ Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, ⁸ because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit^(H) will reap eternal life^(I) from the Spirit. ⁹ Let us not get tired^(J) of doing good,^(K) for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work^(L) for the good^(M) of all, especially for those who belong to the household^(N) of faith.^(O)

Concluding Exhortation

¹¹ Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting. ¹² Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh^(P) are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised^(Q)—but only to avoid being persecuted^(R) for the cross^(S) of Christ. ¹³ For even the circumcised don’t keep^(T) the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh. ¹⁴ But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For^[b] both circumcision and uncircumcision^(U) mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation.^{(V) 16} May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy even to the Israel^(W) of God!^[c]

¹⁷ From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.^{(X) 18} Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^(Y) Amen.

Ezekiel as Israel’s Watchman

33 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them, ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman. ³ And suppose he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his ram’s horn^(A) to warn the people. ⁴ Then, if anyone hears the sound of the ram’s horn but ignores the warning,^(B) and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault.^{[a] 5} Since he heard the sound of the ram’s horn but ignored the warning, his death is his own fault.^[b] If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the ram’s horn, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

⁷ “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.^(C) When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’^(D) but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. ⁹ But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.

¹⁰ “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them!^(E) How then can we survive?”’ ^{(F) 11} Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.^(G) Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’

¹² “Now, son of man, say to your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins. ¹³ When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and acts unjustly, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the injustice he has committed.^(H)

¹⁴ “‘So when I tell the wicked person, “You will surely die,” but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right— ¹⁵ he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life^(I) without committing injustice—he will certainly live; he will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins he committed will be held^[c] against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.^(J)

¹⁷ “‘But your people say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair,”^(K) even though it is their own way that isn’t fair. ¹⁸ When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, he will die for it. ¹⁹ But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. ²⁰ Yet you say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair.” I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.’”

The News of Jerusalem’s Fall

²¹ In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” ²² Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.^(L)

Israel’s Continued Rebellion

²³ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, those who live in the^[d] ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person,^(M) yet he received possession of the land.^(N) But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’^{(O) 25} Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with blood in it,^(P) you look to your idols, and you shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land? ²⁶ You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?’ ^(Q)

²⁷ “Tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.^{(R) 28} I will make the land a desolate waste,^(S) and its proud strength will come to an end.^(T) The mountains of Israel^(U) will become desolate, with no one passing through. ²⁹ They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable acts they have committed.’

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord!’ ³¹ So my people come to you in crowds,^[e] sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Their mouths go on passionately, but their hearts pursue dishonest profit. ³² Yes, to them you are like a singer of passionate songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don’t obey them. ³³ Yet when all this comes true^(V)—and it definitely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Psalm 81

A Call to Obedience

For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.^(A)

Psalm 82

A Plea for Righteous Judgment

A psalm of Asaph.^(U)