1 In his old age King David was confined to his bed; but no matter how many blankets were heaped upon him, he was always cold.

² “The cure for this,” his aides told him, “is to find a young virgin to be your concubine and nurse. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

^3-4 So they searched the country from one end to the other to find the most beautiful girl in all the land. Abishag, from Shunam, was finally selected. They brought her to the king, and she lay in his arms to warm him (but he had no sexual relations with her).

⁵ At about that time, David’s son^[a] Adonijah (his mother was Haggith) decided to crown himself king in place of his aged father. So he hired chariots and drivers and recruited fifty men to run down the streets before him as royal footmen. ⁶ Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time—not so much as by a single scolding! He was a very handsome man and was Absalom’s younger brother. ⁷ He took General Joab and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. ⁸ But among those who remained loyal to King David and refused to endorse Adonijah were the priests Zadok and Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s army chiefs.

⁹ Adonijah went to En-rogel where he sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fat young goats at the Serpent’s Stone. Then he summoned all of his brothers—the other sons of King David—and all the royal officials of Judah, requesting that they come to his coronation. ¹⁰ But he didn’t invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the loyal army officers, or his brother Solomon.

¹¹ Then Nathan the prophet went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her, “Do you realize that Haggith’s son, Adonijah, is now the king and that our lord David doesn’t even know about it? ¹² If you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon—do exactly as I say! ¹³ Go at once to King David and ask him, ‘My lord, didn’t you promise me that my son Solomon would be the next king and would sit upon your throne? Then why is Adonijah reigning?’ ¹⁴ And while you are still talking with him, I’ll come and confirm everything you’ve said.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went into the king’s bedroom. He was an old, old man now, and Abishag was caring for him. ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed low before him.

“What do you want?” he asked her.

¹⁷ She replied, “My lord, you vowed to me by the Lord your God that my son Solomon would be the next king and would sit upon your throne. ¹⁸ But instead, Adonijah is the new king, and you don’t even know about it. ¹⁹ He has celebrated his coronation by sacrificing oxen, fat goats, and many sheep and has invited all your sons and Abiathar the priest and General Joab. But he didn’t invite Solomon. ²⁰ And now, my lord the king, all Israel is waiting for your decision as to whether Adonijah is the one you have chosen to succeed you. ²¹ If you don’t act, my son Solomon and I will be arrested and executed as criminals as soon as you are dead.”

^22-23 While she was speaking, the king’s aides told him, “Nathan the prophet is here to see you.”

Nathan came in and bowed low before the king, ²⁴ and asked, “My lord, have you appointed Adonijah to be the next king? Is he the one you have selected to sit upon your throne? ²⁵ Today he celebrated his coronation by sacrificing oxen, fat goats, and many sheep, and has invited your sons to attend the festivities. He also invited General Joab and Abiathar the priest; and they are feasting and drinking with him and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But Zadok the priest and Benaiah and Solomon and I weren’t invited. ²⁷ Has this been done with your knowledge? For you haven’t said a word as to which of your sons you have chosen to be the next king.”

²⁸ “Call Bathsheba,” David said. So she came back in and stood before the king.

²⁹ And the king vowed, “As the Lord lives who has rescued me from every danger, ³⁰ I decree that your son Solomon shall be the next king and shall sit upon my throne, just as I swore to you before by the Lord God of Israel.”

³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed low before him^[b] again and exclaimed, “Oh, thank you, sir. May my lord the king live forever!”

³² “Call Zadok the priest,” the king ordered, “and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah.”

When they arrived, ³³ he said to them, “Take Solomon and my officers to Gihon. Solomon is to ride on my personal mule, ³⁴ and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him there as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpets and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ When you bring him back here, place him upon my throne as the new king; for I have appointed him king of Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ “Amen! Praise God!” replied Benaiah, and added, ³⁷ “May the Lord be with Solomon as he has been with you, and may God make Solomon’s reign even greater than yours!”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, and David’s bodyguard took Solomon to Gihon, riding on King David’s own mule. ³⁹ At Gihon, Zadok took a flask of sacred oil from the Tabernacle and poured it over Solomon; and the trumpets were blown and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁴⁰ Then they all returned with him to Jerusalem, making a joyous and noisy celebration all along the way.

⁴¹ Adonijah and his guests heard the commotion and shouting just as they were finishing their banquet.

“What’s going on?” Joab demanded. “Why is the city in such an uproar?”

⁴² And while he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, rushed in.

“Come in,” Adonijah said to him, “for you are a good man; you must have good news.”

⁴³ “Our lord King David has declared Solomon as king!” Jonathan shouted. ^44-45 “The king sent him to Gihon with Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah, protected by the king’s own bodyguard; and he rode on the king’s own mule. And Zadok and Nathan have anointed him as the new king! They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing. That’s what all the noise is. ^46-47 Solomon is sitting on the throne, and all the people are congratulating King David, saying, ‘May God bless you even more through Solomon than he has blessed you personally! May God make Solomon’s reign even greater than yours!’ And the king is lying in bed, acknowledging their blessings. ⁴⁸ He is saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has selected one of my sons to sit upon my throne while I am still alive to see it.’”

^49-50 Then Adonijah and his guests jumped up from the banquet table and fled in panic; for they were fearful for their lives. Adonijah rushed into the Tabernacle and caught hold of the horns of the sacred altar. ⁵¹ When word reached Solomon that Adonijah was claiming sanctuary in the Tabernacle, and pleading for clemency, ⁵² Solomon replied, “If he behaves himself, he will not be harmed; but if he does not, he shall die.” ⁵³ So King Solomon summoned him, and they brought him down from the altar. He came to bow low before the king; and then Solomon curtly dismissed him.

“Go on home,” he said.

4 While they were talking to the people, the chief priests, the captain of the Temple police, and some of the Sadducees^[a] came over to them, ² very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. ³ They arrested them and since it was already evening, jailed them overnight. ⁴ But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers now reached a new high of about five thousand men!

⁵ The next day it happened that the Council of all the Jewish leaders was in session in Jerusalem— ⁶ Annas the High Priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others of the High Priest’s relatives. ⁷ So the two disciples were brought in before them.

“By what power, or by whose authority have you done this?” the Council demanded.

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Honorable leaders and elders of our nation, ⁹ if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how he was healed, ¹⁰ let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, the Messiah, the man you crucified—but God raised back to life again. It is by his authority that this man stands here healed! ¹¹ For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of) a ‘stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.’^{[b] 12} There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

¹³ When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! ¹⁴ And the Council could hardly discredit the healing when the man they had healed was standing right there beside them! ¹⁵ So they sent them out of the Council chamber and conferred among themselves.

¹⁶ “What shall we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have done a tremendous miracle, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. ¹⁷ But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We’ll tell them that if they do it again we’ll really throw the book at them.” ¹⁸ So they called them back in, and told them never again to speak about Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “You decide whether God wants us to obey you instead of him! ²⁰ We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.”

²¹ The Council then threatened them further and finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this wonderful miracle— ²² the healing of a man who had been lame for forty years.

²³ As soon as they were freed, Peter and John found the other disciples and told them what the Council had said.

²⁴ Then all the believers united in this prayer:

“O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth and of the sea and everything in them— ^25-26 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor King David, your servant, saying, ‘Why do the heathen rage against the Lord, and the foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty God? The kings of the earth unite to fight against him and against the anointed Son of God!’

²⁷ “That is what is happening here in this city today! For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the Romans—as well as the people of Israel—are united against Jesus, your anointed Son, your holy servant. ²⁸ They won’t stop at anything that you in your wise power will let them do. ²⁹ And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to your servants great boldness in their preaching, ³⁰ and send your healing power, and may miracles and wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly preached God’s message.

³² All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. ³³ And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers,^{[c] 34-35} and no poverty—for all who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.

³⁶ For instance, there was Joseph (the one the apostles nicknamed “Barnabas, the encourager.” He was of the tribe of Levi, from the island of Cyprus). ³⁷ He was one of those who sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need.

124 If the Lord had not been on our side (let all Israel admit it), if the Lord had not been on our side, ^2-3 we would have been swallowed alive by our enemies, destroyed by their anger. ^4-5 We would have drowned beneath the flood of these men’s fury and pride.

⁶ Blessed be Jehovah who has not let them devour us. ⁷ We have escaped with our lives as a bird from a hunter’s snare. The snare is broken and we are free!

⁸ Our help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

²⁴ Kind words are like honey—enjoyable and healthful.