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2 Samuel 22:19 - 1 Kings 7:37
New American Standard Bible

19 They confronted me on the day of my disaster,
(A)But the Lord was my support.
20 (B)He also brought me out into an open place;
He rescued me, (C)because He delighted in me.
21 (D)The Lord has treated me in accordance with my righteousness;
(E)In accordance with the cleanliness of my hands He has repaid me.
22 (F)For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 (G)For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not deviate from [a]them.
24 (H)I was also [b]blameless toward Him,
And I have kept myself from my wrongdoing.
25 (I)So the Lord has repaid me in accordance with my righteousness,
In accordance with my cleanliness before His eyes.
26 (J)With the one who is faithful You show Yourself faithful,
With the [c]blameless one You prove Yourself [d]blameless;
27 (K)With the one who is pure You show Yourself pure,
(L)But with the perverted You [e]show Yourself astute.
28 (M)And You save an afflicted people;
(N)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You humiliate.
29 (O)For You are my lamp, Lord;
And the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 (P)For by You I can run at a [f]troop of warriors;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 (Q)As for God, His way is [g]blameless;
(R)The word of the Lord is refined;
(S)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 (T)For who is God, except the Lord?
(U)And who is a rock, except our God?
33 (V)God is my strong fortress;
And He [h]sets the [i]blameless on [j]His way.
34 (W)He makes [k]my feet like deer’s feet,
(X)And sets me on my high places.
35 (Y)He trains my hands for battle,
(Z)So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have also given me (AA)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your [l]help makes me great.
37 (AB)You enlarge my steps under me,
And my [m]feet have not slipped.
38 I pursued my enemies and (AC)eliminated them,
And I did not turn back until they were finished off.
39 And I have devoured them and smashed them, so that they would not rise;
And (AD)they fell under my feet.
40 For You have encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced (AE)those who rose up against me to bow down under me.
41 You have also (AF)made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I [n]destroyed those who hated me.
42 (AG)They looked, but there was no one to save them;
(AH)Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 (AI)Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
(AJ)I crushed and trampled them like the mud of the streets.
44 (AK)You have also saved me from the contentions of my people;
(AL)You have kept me as head of the nations;
(AM)A people I have not known serve me.
45 (AN)Foreigners pretend to obey me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart,
(AO)And [o]come trembling out of their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock;
And exalted be [p](AP)my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 (AQ)The God who executes vengeance for me,
(AR)And brings down peoples under me,
49 Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You also raise me above (AS)those who rise up against me;
(AT)You rescue me from the violent person.
50 (AU)Therefore I will [q]give thanks to You, Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 (AV)He is a tower of [r]salvation to His king,
And (AW)shows favor to His anointed,
(AX)To David and his [s]descendants forever.”

David’s Last Song

23 Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse declares,
(AY)The man who was raised on high,
(AZ)The anointed of the God of Jacob
And the sweet psalmist of Israel, declares,
2 “(BA)The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me,
And His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said it;
(BB)The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘(BC)He who rules over mankind righteously,
(BD)Who rules in the fear of God,
4 (BE)Is like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the fresh grass springs out of the earth
From sunshine after rain.’
5 Is my house not indeed so with God?
For (BF)He has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Properly ordered in all things, and secured;
For will He not indeed make
All my salvation and all my delight grow?
6 (BG)But the worthless, every one of them, are like scattered thorns,
Because they cannot be taken in hand;
7 Instead, the man who touches them
Must be [t]armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And (BH)they will be completely burned with fire in their [u]place.”

David’s Mighty Men

8 (BI)These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the [v]captains; he was called Adino the Eznite because of eight hundred who were killed by him at one time. 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of (BJ)Dodo the (BK)Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had [w]withdrawn. 10 (BL)He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and [x]it clung to the sword, and (BM)the Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder the dead.

11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee, a (BN)Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered [y]into an army where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it, and struck the Philistines; and (BO)the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time to the (BP)cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in (BQ)the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then (BR)in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 And (BS)David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” 16 (BT)So the three mighty men forced their way into the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Yet he would not drink it, but (BU)poured it out as an offering to the Lord; 17 and he said, “Far be it from me, Lord, that I would do this! (BV)Should I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” So he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 Now (BW)Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was (BX)chief of the [z]thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred [aa]and killed them, and had a name [ab]as well as the three. 19 He was the most honored among the thirty, so he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the reputation of the three.

20 Then (BY)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of (BZ)Kabzeel, who had done great deeds, [ac]killed the [ad]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 21 And he [ae]killed an Egyptian, [af]an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things (CA)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name [ag]as well as the three mighty men. 23 He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain the reputation of the three. And David appointed him over his bodyguard.

24 (CB)Asahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; and there was Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 (CC)Shammah the (CD)Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the (CE)Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the (CF)Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the (CG)Netophathite, 29 (CH)Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of (CI)Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah a (CJ)Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of (CK)Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the (CL)Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the (CM)Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 (CN)Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of (CO)the Maacathite, (CP)Eliam the son of (CQ)Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 (CR)Hezro the (CS)Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of (CT)Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the (CU)Beerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the (CV)Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 and (CW)Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.

The Census Taken

24 (CX)Now (CY)the anger of the Lord burned against Israel again, and He incited David against them to say, “(CZ)Go, count Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, “Roam about now through all the tribes of Israel, (DA)from Dan to Beersheba, and conduct a census of the people, so that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “(DB)May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king can still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s order prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the presence of the king to conduct a census of the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and camped in (DC)Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the Valley of Gad and toward (DD)Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead and to [ah]the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to (DE)Sidon, 7 then they came to the (DF)fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the (DG)Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to (DH)Beersheba. 8 So when they had roamed about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave (DI)the number of the census of the people to the king: in Israel there were (DJ)eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 Now (DK)David’s heart [ai]troubled him after he had counted the people. So David said to the Lord, “(DL)I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, Lord, please [aj]overlook the guilt of Your servant, for (DM)I have acted very foolishly.” 11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (DN)Gad the prophet, David’s (DO)seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am imposing upon you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do it to you.”’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall (DP)seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee for three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ of plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord, (DQ)for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

Plague Sent

15 So (DR)the Lord [ak]sent a plague upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people (DS)from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 (DT)When the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, (DU)the Lord relented of the disaster and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now drop your hand!” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, (DV)it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but (DW)these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house!”

David Builds an Altar

18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “(DX)Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of [al]Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 Then David went up in accordance with the word of Gad, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; so Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, (DY)so that the plague may be [am]withdrawn from the people.” 22 Araunah then said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, here are (DZ)the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God be (EA)favorable to you.” 24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price; for (EB)I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God [an]that cost me nothing.” So (EC)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 Then David built there an altar to the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And (ED)the Lord responded to prayer for the land, and the plague was [ao]withdrawn from Israel.

David in Old Age

1 Now King David was old, [ap]advanced in age; and they covered him with garments, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Have them search for a young virgin for my lord the king, and have her [aq]attend the king and become his nurse; and have her lie on your chest, so that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (EE)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not [ar]become intimate with her.

5 Now (EF)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (EG)he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run before him. 6 And his father had never rebuked him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and [as](EH)he was born after Absalom. 7 Now [at]he had conferred with (EI)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (EJ)Abiathar the priest; and they allied themselves with (EK)Adonijah. 8 But (EL)Zadok the priest, (EM)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (EN)Nathan the prophet, (EO)Shimei, Rei, and (EP)the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened steers by the [au]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside (EQ)En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother (ER)Solomon.

Nathan and Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to (ES)Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me (ET)give you advice, and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [av]at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord the king, sworn to your servant, saying, “(EU)Solomon your son certainly shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba entered to the king in the bedroom. Now (EV)the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [aw]before the king. And the king said, “What [ax]is on your mind?” 17 So she said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘(EW)Your son Solomon certainly shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 (EX)He has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, to announce to them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come about, (EY)as soon as my lord the king [ay]lies down with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [az]offenders.”

22 And behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They informed the king, saying, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And when he came into the king’s presence, he prostrated himself [ba]before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you yourself said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 (EZ)For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking in his presence; and they say, ‘(FA)Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (FB)But me, even me your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not let your [bb]servants know who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David responded and said, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 Then the king vowed and said, “(FC)As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 certainly as (FD)I vowed to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon certainly shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, “(FE)May my lord King David live forever.”

32 Then King David said, “Summon to me (FF)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you (FG)the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to (FH)Gihon. 34 And have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet (FI)anoint him there as king over Israel, and (FJ)blow the trumpet and say, ‘(FK)Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say the same. 37 (FL)Just as the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and (FM)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

Solomon Anointed King

38 So (FN)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (FO)the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to (FP)Gihon. 39 And Zadok the priest then (FQ)took the horn of oil from the tent and (FR)anointed Solomon. Then they (FS)blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “(FT)Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth [bc]shook at their noise.

41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the [bd]city making such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (FU)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for (FV)you are a valiant man and you bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “On the contrary! Our lord King David has made Solomon king! 44 The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have mounted him on the king’s mule. 45 Furthermore, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, (FW)so that the city is going wild. This is the noise which you have heard. 46 Besides, (FX)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May (FY)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne!’ And (FZ)the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 The king has also said this: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who (GA)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and got up, and each went on his way. 50 Adonijah also was afraid of Solomon, and he got up, and went, and (GB)took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Now it was reported to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 And Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, (GC)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

David’s Command to Solomon

2 As David’s [be](GD)time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying, 2 “(GE)I am going the way of all the earth. So (GF)be strong, and [bf]prove yourself a man. 3 Do your duty to the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to [bg]keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (GG)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that (GH)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (GI)the Lord may fulfill His [bh]promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, ‘(GJ)If your sons are careful about their way, (GK)to walk before Me in [bi]truth with all their heart and all their soul, [bj](GL)you shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you yourself also know what Joab the (GM)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (GN)Abner the son of Ner and to (GO)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [bk]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 (GP)So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to [bl]Sheol in peace. 7 However, (GQ)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (GR)let them be among those who eat at your table; (GS)for [bm]they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And behold, you have with you (GT)Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a painful curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (GU)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 But now do not leave him unpunished, (GV)for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [bn]Sheol with blood.”

Death of David

10 Then (GW)David [bo]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in (GX)the city of David. 11 Now (GY)the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: in Hebron he reigned for (GZ)seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 12 Then (HA)Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “(HB)Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15 So he said, “You yourself know that (HC)the kingdom was mine and (HD)that all Israel [bp]intended for me to be king; (HE)however, the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, (HF)for it was his from the Lord. 16 So now I am making one request of you; do not [bq]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king—for he will not [br]refuse you—that he may give me (HG)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Adonijah Executed

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king stood to meet her, bowed to her, and sat on his throne; then he (HH)had a throne set up for the king’s mother, and (HI)she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; (HJ)do not [bs]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not [bt]refuse you.” 21 So she said, “(HK)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 But King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (HL)Request for him the kingdom as well—(HM)since he is my older brother—for him, for (HN)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more so, if Adonijah has (HO)not spoken this word against his own [bu]life! 24 Now then, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and (HP)has made me a house just as He [bv]promised, Adonijah certainly shall be put to death today!” 25 Then King Solomon (HQ)sent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he [bw]struck him so that he died.

26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “(HR)Go to Anathoth to your own field, (HS)for you [bx]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this [by]time, because (HT)you carried the ark of the Lord [bz]God before my father David, and because (HU)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, to fulfill (HV)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken regarding the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

28 Now the news came to Joab (HW)because Joab had followed Adonijah, (HX)though he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and (HY)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was reported to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and [ca]was beside the altar. Then Solomon (HZ)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(IA)Go, [cb]execute him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “This is what the king has said: ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Joab spoke, and so he answered me.” 31 And the king said to him, “(IB)Do just as he has spoken, and [cc]execute him and bury him, (IC)so that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without [cd]justification. 32 (ID)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, (IE)because he [ce]struck two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know about it: (IF)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (IG)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (IH)So their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his [cf]descendants forever; but for David and his [cg]descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then (II)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and [ch]struck him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (IJ)in the wilderness. 35 And (IK)the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (IL)Zadok the priest (IM)in place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Now the king sent men and summoned (IN)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not leave there for any other place. 37 For on the day you leave and (IO)cross the [ci]brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you will assuredly die; (IP)your blood will be [cj]on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, so your servant shall do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of Shimei’s servants ran away (IQ)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And others told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to search for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent men 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 depart and go anywhere, you shall assuredly die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I [ck]imposed on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(IR)You yourself know all the evil that [cl]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (IS)the Lord will return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and (IT)the throne of David will be established before the Lord forever.” 46 (IU)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and [cm]struck him so that he died.

(IV)And the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.

Solomon’s Rule Consolidated

3 Now (IW)Solomon [cn]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter (IX)and brought her to the city of David (IY)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and (IZ)the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (JA)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.

3 Now (JB)Solomon loved the Lord, (JC)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he was sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 4 And (JD)the king went to (JE)Gibeon to sacrifice there, (JF)because that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (JG)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (JH)in a dream at night; and God said, “(JI)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer

6 Then Solomon said, “(JJ)You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, (JK)according as he walked before You in [co]truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and (JL)You have [cp]reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, Lord my God, (JM)You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet (JN)I am like a little boy; (JO)I do not know how to [cq]go out or come in. 8 And (JP)Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, (JQ)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (JR)give Your servant [cr]an understanding heart to judge Your people, (JS)to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this [cs]great people of Yours?”

God’s Answer

10 Now [ct]it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have (JT)not asked for yourself [cu]a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, (JU)I have done according to your words. Behold, (JV)I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 (JW)I have also given you what you have not asked, both (JX)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 And (JY)if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will (JZ)prolong your days.”

15 Then (KA)Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and (KB)held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Wisely Judges

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: [cv]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child [cw]while she was in the house. 18 And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But [cx]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.

23 Then the king said, “[cy]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and [cz]the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for [da](KC)she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” 27 Then the king replied, “Give [db]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had [dc]handed down, they feared the king, because (KD)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to [dd]administer justice.

Solomon’s Officials

4 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (KE)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were scribes; (KF)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the secretary; 4 and (KG)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and (KH)Abiathar were priests; 5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over (KI)the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s confidant; 6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each deputy had to provide food for a month in the year. 8 And these were their names: Ben-hur, in the (KJ)hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker in Makaz and (KK)Shaalbim, and (KL)Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth ((KM)Socoh was his and all the land of (KN)Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab in all [de]the (KO)hills of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud in (KP)Taanach and Megiddo, and all (KQ)Beth-shean which is beside (KR)Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to (KS)Abel-meholah as far as the other side of (KT)Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber in (KU)Ramoth-gilead ((KV)the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: (KW)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo in (KX)Mahanaim; 15 (KY)Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana the son of (KZ)Hushai in Asher and [df]Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar; 18 (LA)Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, (LB)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only deputy who was in the land.

Solomon’s Power, Wealth, and Wisdom

20 (LC)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [dg]seashore in abundance; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing.

21 [dh](LD)Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms (LE)from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (LF)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s [di]provision for one day was [dj]thirty kors of fine flour and [dk]sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [dl]pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened geese. 24 For he was ruling over everything [dm]west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to (LG)Gaza, (LH)over all the kings [dn]west of the River; and (LI)he had peace on all sides surrounding him. 25 (LJ)So Judah and Israel lived securely, everyone under his vine and his fig tree, (LK)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (LL)Solomon had [do]forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those deputies provided food for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they allowed nothing to be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the war horses and (LM)baggage horses to the place where it was required, each deputy according to his duty.

29 Now (LN)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [dp]mind, (LO)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (LP)the [dq]people of the east and (LQ)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (LR)he was wiser than all other people, more than (LS)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (LT)Calcol, and [dr]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [ds]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (LU)He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. 33 He told of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he told also of animals, birds, crawling things, and fish. 34 People (LV)came from all the [dt]nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Alliance with King Hiram

5 [du](LW)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for (LX)Hiram had [dv]always been a friend of David. 2 Then (LY)Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that (LZ)David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (MA)the Lord my God has secured me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [dw]misfortune. 5 So behold, (MB)I [dx]intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 Now then, issue orders that they cut (MC)cedars from Lebanon for me, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants in accordance with all that you say, for you yourself know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he greatly rejoiced; and he said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you sent me; I will do everything you wish concerning the cedar and juniper timber. 9 My servants will bring the timbers down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will have them made into rafts to go by sea (MD)to the place where you [dy]direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you will carry them away. Then (ME)you shall do what I wish, by giving food to my household.” 10 So [dz]Hiram [ea]gave Solomon all that he wished of the cedar and juniper timber. 11 (MF)Solomon then gave [eb]Hiram [ec]twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and [ed]twenty kors of pure oil; this is what Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 And (MG)the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [ee]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

Conscription of Laborers

13 Now (MH)King Solomon [ef]conscripted forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. 14 Then he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they were in Lebanon for a month, and two months at home. And (MI)Adoniram was in charge of the forced laborers. 15 Now (MJ)Solomon had seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand stonemasons in the mountains, 16 (MK)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the [eg]project and ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (ML)the king issued orders, and they quarried large stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [eh]Hiram’s builders and (MM)the Gebalites [ei]cut the stones, and they prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

The Building of the Temple

6 (MN)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month, that he [ej]began to build the house of the Lord. 2 And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord was [ek]sixty cubits in its length, and twenty cubits in its width, and its height was thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the main room of the house was [el]twenty cubits in [em]length, [en]corresponding to the width of the house, and its width along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4 Also for the house (MO)he made windows with artistic frames. 5 (MP)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the main room and the [eo](MQ)inner sanctuary; so he made (MR)side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story was [ep]five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he [eq]made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not [er]be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 (MS)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone finished at the quarry, and neither hammer, nor axe, nor any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The doorway for the [es]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by a winding staircase to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9 So (MT)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and [et]planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each [eu]five cubits high; and they [ev]were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, 12 “As for this house which you are building, (MU)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will fulfill My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 And (MV)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and (MW)will not abandon My people Israel.”

14 (MX)So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He (MY)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the [ew]ceiling he paneled the walls on the inside with wood, and he paneled the floor of the house with boards of juniper. 16 (MZ)He also built [ex]twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the [ey]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as (NA)the Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the main room in front of the inner sanctuary, was [ez]forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of (NB)gourds and open flowers; everything was cedar, there was no stone visible. 19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary inside the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20 [fa]The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also paneled the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he extended chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the entire house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also (NC)the entire altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 (ND)And in the inner sanctuary he made two [fb]cherubim of olive wood, each [fc]ten cubits high. 24 The one wing of the first cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the first cherub was five cubits; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25 The second cherub was ten cubits; both of the cherubim were of the same measurement and the same form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and (NE)the wings of the cherubim spread out so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. And their wings were touching [fd]end to [fe]end in the center of the house. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 And for the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold.

33 So too he made for the entrance of the main room four-sided doorposts of olive wood, 34 and (NF)two doors of juniper wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two [ff]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work. 36 And (NG)he built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 (NH)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now (NI)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. 2 (NJ)He built the house of the timber from Lebanon; its length was [fg]a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three [fh]intervals. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three [fi]intervals.

6 Then he made (NK)the hall of pillars; its length was [fj]fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a (NL)threshold in front of them.

7 And he made the hall of the (NM)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and (NN)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

8 And his house where he was to live, the other courtyard inward from the hall, was of this same workmanship. (NO)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (NP)whom Solomon had married.

9 All of these were made of valuable stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the [fk]coping, and from the outside to the large courtyard.

10 And the foundation was of valuable stones, large stones, stones of [fl]ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were valuable stones, cut according to measure, and cedar. 12 So (NQ)the large courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams as well as the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and (NR)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now (NS)King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. 14 (NT)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and (NU)he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (NV)performed all his work.

15 He fashioned (NW)the two pillars of bronze; [fm](NX)eighteen cubits was the height of [fn]each pillar, and a line of [fo]twelve cubits [fp]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was [fq]five cubits and the height of the other capital was [fr]five cubits. 17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the [fs]rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and (NY)the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around [ft]both capitals. 21 (NZ)And he set up the pillars at the (OA)porch of the [fu]main room: he set up the right pillar and named it [fv]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [fw]Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 (OB)He also he made the [fx]Sea of (OC)cast metal [fy]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and [fz]it was [ga]thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under its brim (OD)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (OE)completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast [gb]with the rest. 25 (OF)It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a [gc]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold [gd]two thousand baths.

27 Then (OG)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was [ge]four cubits, its width four cubits, and its height was three cubits. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, 29 and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a [gf]cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form [gg]half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [gh]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (OH)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the [gi]same casting, [gj]same measure, and [gk]same form.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit it
  2. 2 Samuel 22:24 Lit complete; or having integrity
  3. 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
  4. 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
  5. 2 Samuel 22:27 As in two Heb mss and Ps 18:26; MT pretend stupidity
  6. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or wall
  7. 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit complete; or having integrity
  8. 2 Samuel 22:33 Or sets free
  9. 2 Samuel 22:33 Lit complete; or having integrity
  10. 2 Samuel 22:33 Another reading is my
  11. 2 Samuel 22:34 Another reading is His
  12. 2 Samuel 22:36 Lit answering
  13. 2 Samuel 22:37 Lit ankles
  14. 2 Samuel 22:41 Or silenced
  15. 2 Samuel 22:46 Reading based on Ps 18:45; MT belt up themselves
  16. 2 Samuel 22:47 As in LXX; MT the God of the rock
  17. 2 Samuel 22:50 Or praise
  18. 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit acts of salvation
  19. 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit seed
  20. 2 Samuel 23:7 Lit filled
  21. 2 Samuel 23:7 Lit sitting
  22. 2 Samuel 23:8 Or three
  23. 2 Samuel 23:9 Lit gone up
  24. 2 Samuel 23:10 Lit his hand
  25. 2 Samuel 23:11 Or possibly, at Lehi
  26. 2 Samuel 23:18 As in two Heb mss and Syriac; MT three
  27. 2 Samuel 23:18 Lit slain ones
  28. 2 Samuel 23:18 Lit among the
  29. 2 Samuel 23:20 Lit struck
  30. 2 Samuel 23:20 Or two warriors of Moab
  31. 2 Samuel 23:21 Lit struck
  32. 2 Samuel 23:21 Lit a man of appearance
  33. 2 Samuel 23:22 Lit among the
  34. 2 Samuel 24:6 Another reading is Kadesh in the land of the Hittite
  35. 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit struck
  36. 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit allow to pass
  37. 2 Samuel 24:15 Lit gave
  38. 2 Samuel 24:18 In 2 Chr 3:1, Ornan
  39. 2 Samuel 24:21 Or brought to a halt
  40. 2 Samuel 24:24 Lit gratuitously
  41. 2 Samuel 24:25 Or brought to a halt
  42. 1 Kings 1:1 Lit coming into days
  43. 1 Kings 1:2 Lit stand before
  44. 1 Kings 1:4 Lit know her
  45. 1 Kings 1:6 Lit she gave him birth
  46. 1 Kings 1:7 Lit his words were
  47. 1 Kings 1:9 Or Sliding; or Serpent Stone
  48. 1 Kings 1:13 Lit and enter to
  49. 1 Kings 1:16 Lit to
  50. 1 Kings 1:16 Lit to you
  51. 1 Kings 1:21 I.e., dies
  52. 1 Kings 1:21 Lit sinners
  53. 1 Kings 1:23 Lit to
  54. 1 Kings 1:27 Some mss servant
  55. 1 Kings 1:40 Lit was split
  56. 1 Kings 1:41 Lit sound of the city an uproar
  57. 1 Kings 2:1 Lit days
  58. 1 Kings 2:2 Lit become a man
  59. 1 Kings 2:3 Or carefully perform
  60. 1 Kings 2:4 Lit word
  61. 1 Kings 2:4 Or faithfulness
  62. 1 Kings 2:4 Lit there shall not be cut off to you a man from upon
  63. 1 Kings 2:5 Lit brought blood...on peace
  64. 1 Kings 2:6 I.e., the netherworld
  65. 1 Kings 2:7 Lit so they came near to me
  66. 1 Kings 2:9 I.e., the netherworld
  67. 1 Kings 2:10 I.e., died
  68. 1 Kings 2:15 Lit set their faces toward me
  69. 1 Kings 2:16 Lit turn away my face
  70. 1 Kings 2:17 Lit turn away your face
  71. 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away my face
  72. 1 Kings 2:20 Lit turn away your face
  73. 1 Kings 2:23 Lit soul
  74. 1 Kings 2:24 Lit spoke
  75. 1 Kings 2:25 Lit attacked
  76. 1 Kings 2:26 Lit are a man of death
  77. 1 Kings 2:26 Lit day
  78. 1 Kings 2:26 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  79. 1 Kings 2:29 Lit behold, beside
  80. 1 Kings 2:29 Lit attack
  81. 1 Kings 2:31 Lit attack
  82. 1 Kings 2:31 Or cause
  83. 1 Kings 2:32 Lit attacked
  84. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
  85. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
  86. 1 Kings 2:34 Lit attacked
  87. 1 Kings 2:37 Or wadi
  88. 1 Kings 2:37 I.e., your own responsibility
  89. 1 Kings 2:43 Lit commanded
  90. 1 Kings 2:44 Lit your heart acknowledges
  91. 1 Kings 2:46 Lit attacked
  92. 1 Kings 3:1 Lit made himself a son-in-law of Pharaoh
  93. 1 Kings 3:6 Or faithfulness
  94. 1 Kings 3:6 Lit kept
  95. 1 Kings 3:7 I.e., conduct daily business
  96. 1 Kings 3:9 Or a heart that listens
  97. 1 Kings 3:9 Lit heavy
  98. 1 Kings 3:10 Lit the thing was
  99. 1 Kings 3:11 Lit many days
  100. 1 Kings 3:17 Lit I and this woman
  101. 1 Kings 3:17 Lit with her in
  102. 1 Kings 3:22 Lit this one was saying
  103. 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
  104. 1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
  105. 1 Kings 3:26 Lit her compassion grew hot
  106. 1 Kings 3:27 Lit her the living
  107. 1 Kings 3:28 Lit judged
  108. 1 Kings 3:28 Lit do
  109. 1 Kings 4:11 Or Naphoth-dor
  110. 1 Kings 4:16 Or in Aloth
  111. 1 Kings 4:20 Lit sea
  112. 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Heb
  113. 1 Kings 4:22 Lit bread
  114. 1 Kings 4:22 About 231 cubic feet or 6.5 cubic meters
  115. 1 Kings 4:22 About 462 cubic feet or 13 cubic meters
  116. 1 Kings 4:23 Lit oxen of the pasture
  117. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  118. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  119. 1 Kings 4:26 One LXX ms reads 4,000, cf. 2 Chr 9:25
  120. 1 Kings 4:29 Lit heart
  121. 1 Kings 4:30 Lit sons
  122. 1 Kings 4:31 In 1 Chr 2:6, Dara
  123. 1 Kings 4:31 Lit name
  124. 1 Kings 4:34 Lit peoples
  125. 1 Kings 5:1 Ch 5:15 in Heb
  126. 1 Kings 5:1 Lit all the days
  127. 1 Kings 5:4 Lit evil occurrence
  128. 1 Kings 5:5 Lit say
  129. 1 Kings 5:9 Lit send to me
  130. 1 Kings 5:10 Heb Hirom
  131. 1 Kings 5:10 Lit was giving
  132. 1 Kings 5:11 In 2 Chr 2:3, Huram
  133. 1 Kings 5:11 About 154,000 cubic feet or 4,360 cubic meters
  134. 1 Kings 5:11 About 154 cubic feet or 4.4 cubic meters
  135. 1 Kings 5:12 Lit spoke to
  136. 1 Kings 5:13 Lit raised up
  137. 1 Kings 5:16 Lit work
  138. 1 Kings 5:18 Heb Hirom’s
  139. 1 Kings 5:18 Or chiseled
  140. 1 Kings 6:1 Lit built
  141. 1 Kings 6:2 About 90 ft. long, 30 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high or 27 m, 9 m, and 14 m
  142. 1 Kings 6:3 About 30 ft. long and 15 ft. deep or 9 m and 4.6 m
  143. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit its length
  144. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit on the face of
  145. 1 Kings 6:5 I.e., Most Holy Place
  146. 1 Kings 6:6 About 7.5 ft. wide, 9 ft. wide, and 11 ft. wide or 2.3 m, 2.7 m, and 3.3 m
  147. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit gave
  148. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit take hold
  149. 1 Kings 6:8 As in LXX and ancient versions; MT middle
  150. 1 Kings 6:9 Or rows
  151. 1 Kings 6:10 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  152. 1 Kings 6:10 Lit took hold
  153. 1 Kings 6:15 Lit walls of the ceiling
  154. 1 Kings 6:16 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  155. 1 Kings 6:16 Lit walls
  156. 1 Kings 6:17 About 60 ft. or 18 m
  157. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit Before the
  158. 1 Kings 6:23 Heb plural of cherub
  159. 1 Kings 6:23 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  160. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  161. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  162. 1 Kings 6:34 As in LXX; MT curtains
  163. 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 ft. long, 75 wide, and 45 high or 46 m long, 23 wide, and 14 high;
  164. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit paces
  165. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit paces
  166. 1 Kings 7:6 About 75 ft. long and 45 ft. wide or 23 m long and 7 m wide
  167. 1 Kings 7:9 I.e., top sloping course of stone
  168. 1 Kings 7:10 About 15 and 12 ft. or 4.5 and 3.7 m
  169. 1 Kings 7:15 About 27 ft. or 8 m
  170. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit the one
  171. 1 Kings 7:15 About 18 ft. or 5.5 m
  172. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit went around the other pillar
  173. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  174. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  175. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit belly
  176. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit on the other capital
  177. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit sanctuary
  178. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., he shall establish
  179. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., in it is strength
  180. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e., large basin
  181. 1 Kings 7:23 About 15 ft. in diameter and 7.5 ft. high or 4.6 m and 2.3 m high
  182. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit a line of 30 cubits went around it all around;
  183. 1 Kings 7:23 About 45 ft. or 14 m
  184. 1 Kings 7:24 Lit in its casting
  185. 1 Kings 7:26 About 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  186. 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons or 45,424 liters
  187. 1 Kings 7:27 About 6 ft. long and wide and 4.5 ft. high or 1.8 m and 1.4 m
  188. 1 Kings 7:31 About 18 in. or 45 cm
  189. 1 Kings 7:35 About 9 in. or 23 cm
  190. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit hands
  191. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  192. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  193. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
Listen to 2 Samuel 22:19 - 1 Kings 4:26
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2 Samuel 22:19 - 1 Kings 4:26
New International Version

19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.(A)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(B) place;
    he rescued(C) me because he delighted(D) in me.(E)

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(F)
    according to the cleanness(G) of my hands(H) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(I) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(J)
    I have not turned(K) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(L) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(M)
    according to my cleanness[a] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(N) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(O)
28 You save the humble,(P)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(Q) to bring them low.(R)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(S)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[b];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:(T)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(U)
    he shields(V) all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock(W) except our God?(X)
33 It is God who arms me with strength[c]
    and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(Y)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.(Z)
35 He trains my hands(AA) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow(AB) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(AC)
    your help has made[d] me great.
37 You provide a broad path(AD) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed(AE) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.(AF)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(AG) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(AH) but there was no one to save them—(AI)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.(AJ)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust(AK) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled(AL) them like mud(AM) in the streets.

44 “You have delivered(AN) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved(AO) me as the head of nations.
People(AP) I did not know now serve me,
45     foreigners cower(AQ) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.(AR)
46 They all lose heart;
    they come trembling[e](AS) from their strongholds.

47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted(AT) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!(AU)
48 He is the God who avenges(AV) me,(AW)
    who puts the nations under me,
49     who sets me free from my enemies.(AX)
You exalted me(AY) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises(AZ) of your name.(BA)

51 “He gives his king great victories;(BB)
    he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,(BC)
    to David(BD) and his descendants forever.”(BE)

David’s Last Words

23 These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
    the utterance of the man exalted(BF) by the Most High,
the man anointed(BG) by the God of Jacob,
    the hero of Israel’s songs:

2 “The Spirit(BH) of the Lord spoke through me;
    his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
    the Rock(BI) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(BJ)
    when he rules in the fear(BK) of God,(BL)
4 he is like the light(BM) of morning(BN) at sunrise(BO)
    on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(BP)
    that brings grass from the earth.’

5 “If my house were not right with God,
    surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(BQ)
    arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
    and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(BR)
    which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
    uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
    they are burned up where they lie.”

David’s Mighty Warriors(BS)

8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:(BT)

Josheb-Basshebeth,[f](BU) a Tahkemonite,[g] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[h] in one encounter.

9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(BV) the Ahohite.(BW) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[i] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(BX) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(BY) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(BZ) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(CA) 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(CB) it out before the Lord. 17 “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood(CC) of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

18 Abishai(CD) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[j] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

20 Benaiah(CE) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(CF) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

24 Among the Thirty were:

Asahel(CG) the brother of Joab,

Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

25 Shammah the Harodite,(CH)

Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez(CI) the Paltite,

Ira(CJ) son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,

27 Abiezer(CK) from Anathoth,(CL)

Sibbekai[k] the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite,

Maharai(CM) the Netophathite,(CN)

29 Heled[l](CO) son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah(CP) in Benjamin,

30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,(CQ)

Hiddai[m] from the ravines of Gaash,(CR)

31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Barhumite,(CS)

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of Jashen,

Jonathan 33 son of[n] Shammah the Hararite,

Ahiam son of Sharar[o] the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,(CT)

Eliam(CU) son of Ahithophel(CV) the Gilonite,

35 Hezro the Carmelite,(CW)

Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,(CX)

the son of Hagri,[p]

37 Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite,(CY) the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira the Ithrite,(CZ)

Gareb the Ithrite

39 and Uriah(DA) the Hittite.

There were thirty-seven in all.

David Enrolls the Fighting Men(DB)

24 Again(DC) the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,(DD) and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of(DE) Israel and Judah.”

2 So the king said to Joab(DF) and the army commanders[q] with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba(DG) and enroll(DH) the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

3 But Joab(DI) replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,(DJ) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,(DK) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.(DL) 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.(DM) 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre(DN) and all the towns of the Hivites(DO) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba(DP) in the Negev(DQ) of Judah.

8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.(DR)

10 David was conscience-stricken(DS) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned(DT) greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.(DU)”

11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad(DV) the prophet, David’s seer:(DW) 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three[r] years of famine(DX) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague(DY) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy(DZ) is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.(EA) 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented(EB) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord(EC) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[s] have done wrong. These are but sheep.(ED) What have they done?(EE) Let your hand fall on me and my family.”(EF)

David Builds an Altar(EG)

18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah(EH) the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”(EI)

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen(EJ) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[t] gives(EK) all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”(EL)

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[u](EM) of silver for them. 25 David built an altar(EN) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer(EO) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag,(EP) a Shunammite,(EQ) and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

5 Now Adonijah,(ER) whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots(ES) and horses[v] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 (His father had never rebuked(ET) him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

7 Adonijah conferred with Joab(EU) son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar(EV) the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok(EW) the priest, Benaiah(EX) son of Jehoiada, Nathan(EY) the prophet, Shimei(EZ) and Rei and David’s special guard(FA) did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel.(FB) He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,(FC) and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite(FD) Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.(FE)

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba,(FF) Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah,(FG) the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise(FH) you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear(FI) to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag(FJ) the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

“What is it you want?” the king asked.

17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore(FK) to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed(FL) great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest(FM) with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite.(FN) 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Makes Solomon King(FO)

28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,(FP) 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore(FQ) to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call in Zadok(FR) the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule(FS) and take him down to Gihon.(FT) 34 There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint(FU) him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet(FV) and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with(FW) Solomon to make his throne even greater(FX) than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So Zadok(FY) the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites(FZ) and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.(GA) 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil(GB) from the sacred tent(GC) and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet(GD) and all the people shouted,(GE) “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing pipes(GF) and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”(GG)

42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan(GH) son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”(GI)

43 “Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule, 45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds(GJ) with it. That’s the noise you hear. 46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat(GK) on the royal throne. 47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater(GL) than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed 48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor(GM) on my throne today.’”

49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns(GN) of the altar. 51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”

52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair(GO) of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”

David’s Charge to Solomon(GP)

2 When the time drew near for David to die,(GQ) he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,”(GR) he said. “So be strong,(GS) act like a man, 3 and observe(GT) what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper(GU) in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise(GV) to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully(GW) before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you yourself know what Joab(GX) son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner(GY) son of Ner and Amasa(GZ) son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom,(HA) but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7 “But show kindness(HB) to the sons of Barzillai(HC) of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table.(HD) They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei(HE) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim.(HF) When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore(HG) to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom;(HH) you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

10 Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried(HI) in the City of David.(HJ) 11 He had reigned(HK) forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne(HL) of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.(HM)

Solomon’s Throne Established

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

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(HP) 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,(HQ) and she sat down at his right hand.(HR)

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

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag(HT) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother(HU)—yes, for him and for Abiathar(HV) 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,(HW) 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(HX)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah(HY) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.(HZ)

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

28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns(IF) of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar.(IG) Then Solomon ordered Benaiah(IH) son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

30 So Benaiah entered the tent(II) of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!(IJ)’”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood(IK) that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay(IL) him for the blood he shed,(IM) because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa(IN) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better(IO) men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

34 So Benaiah(IP) son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab(IQ) and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah(IR) son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok(IS) the priest.

36 Then the king sent for Shimei(IT) and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,(IU) you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”(IV)

38 Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39 But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish(IW) son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn(IX) you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong(IY) you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure(IZ) before the Lord forever.”

46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah(JA) son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei(JB) down and he died.

The kingdom was now established(JC) in Solomon’s hands.

Solomon Asks for Wisdom(JD)

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married(JE) his daughter.(JF) He brought her to the City of David(JG) until he finished building his palace(JH) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,(JI) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name(JJ) of the Lord. 3 Solomon showed his love(JK) for the Lord by walking(JL) according to the instructions(JM) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.(JN)

4 The king went to Gibeon(JO) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared(JP) to Solomon during the night in a dream,(JQ) and God said, “Ask(JR) for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful(JS) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son(JT) to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child(JU) and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,(JV) a great people, too numerous to count or number.(JW) 9 So give your servant a discerning(JX) heart to govern your people and to distinguish(JY) between right and wrong. For who is able(JZ) to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked(KA) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment(KB) in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked.(KC) I will give you a wise(KD) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not(KE) asked for—both wealth and honor(KF)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal(KG) among kings. 14 And if you walk(KH) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”(KI) 15 Then Solomon awoke(KJ)—and he realized it had been a dream.(KK)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings(KL) and fellowship offerings.(KM) Then he gave a feast(KN) for all his court.

A Wise Ruling

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(KO) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(KP) from God to administer justice.

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials:(KQ)

Azariah(KR) son of Zadok—the priest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;(KS)

Jehoshaphat(KT) son of Ahilud—recorder;

4 Benaiah(KU) son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok(KV) and Abiathar—priests;

5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

6 Ahishar—palace administrator;(KW)

Adoniram(KX) son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.(KY)

7 Solomon had twelve district governors(KZ) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names:

Ben-Hur—in the hill country(LA) of Ephraim;

9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,(LB) Beth Shemesh(LC) and Elon Bethhanan;

10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh(LD) and all the land of Hepher(LE) were his);

11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor(LF) (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan(LG) next to Zarethan(LH) below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah(LI) across to Jokmeam;(LJ)

13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair(LK) son of Manasseh in Gilead(LL) were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities(LM) with bronze gate bars);

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;(LN)

15 Ahimaaz(LO)—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

16 Baana son of Hushai(LP)—in Asher and in Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

18 Shimei(LQ) son of Ela—in Benjamin;

19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon(LR) king of the Amorites and the country of Og(LS) king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand(LT) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.(LU) 21 And Solomon ruled(LV) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River(LW) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.(LX) These countries brought tribute(LY) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

22 Solomon’s daily provisions(LZ) were thirty cors[w] of the finest flour and sixty cors[x] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.(MA) 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah(MB) to Gaza, and had peace(MC) on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,(MD) lived in safety,(ME) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.(MF)

26 Solomon had four[y] thousand stalls for chariot horses,(MG) and twelve thousand horses.[z]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  2. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
  3. 2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
  4. 2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
  5. 2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves
  6. 2 Samuel 23:8 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts suggest Ish-Bosheth, that is, Esh-Baal (see also 1 Chron. 11:11 Jashobeam).
  7. 2 Samuel 23:8 Probably a variant of Hakmonite (see 1 Chron. 11:11)
  8. 2 Samuel 23:8 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:11); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Three; it was Adino the Eznite who killed eight hundred men
  9. 2 Samuel 23:9 See 1 Chron. 11:13; Hebrew gathered there.
  10. 2 Samuel 23:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Thirty
  11. 2 Samuel 23:27 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 21:18; 1 Chron. 11:29); Hebrew Mebunnai
  12. 2 Samuel 23:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also 1 Chron. 11:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Heleb
  13. 2 Samuel 23:30 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:32) Hurai
  14. 2 Samuel 23:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:34); Hebrew does not have son of.
  15. 2 Samuel 23:33 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:35) Sakar
  16. 2 Samuel 23:36 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:38); Hebrew Haggadi
  17. 2 Samuel 24:2 Septuagint (see also verse 4 and 1 Chron. 21:2); Hebrew Joab the army commander
  18. 2 Samuel 24:13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew seven
  19. 2 Samuel 24:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd.
  20. 2 Samuel 24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah
  21. 2 Samuel 24:24 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  22. 1 Kings 1:5 Or charioteers
  23. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
  24. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  25. 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
  26. 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
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