Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

3 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.^{(A) 2} The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.^(B)

³ Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places.^{(C) 4} The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.^{(D) 5} At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.”^{(E) 6} And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.^{(F) 7} And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.^{(G) 8} And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.^{(H) 9} Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”^(I)

¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,^{(J) 12} I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.^{(K) 13} I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you.^{(L) 14} If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”^(M)

¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.^(N)

⁹ Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them,^{(A) 10} saying, “Men, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. ¹² Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest.

The Storm at Sea

¹³ When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. ¹⁴ But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete.^{[a](B) 15} Since the ship was caught and could not be turned head-on into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. ¹⁶ By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda^[b] we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. ¹⁷ After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and so were driven.^{(C) 18} We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard,^{(D) 19} and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss.^{(E) 22} I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.^{(F) 23} For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,^{(G) 24} and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor, and, indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’^{(H) 25} So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.^{(I) 26} But we will have to run aground on some island.”^(J)

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14 It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus^[a] by stealth and kill him,^{(A) 2} for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

³ While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^[b] as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head.^{(B) 4} But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me.^{(C) 8} She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.^{(D) 9} Truly I tell you, wherever the good news^[c] is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.^{(E) 11} When they heard it, they were greatly pleased and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.