Bible in 90 Days
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
(A)But Yahweh was my support.
20 (B)He brought me forth also into a broad place;
He rescued me, (C)because He delighted in me.
21 (D)Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
(E)According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
22 (F)For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 (G)For all His [a]judgments were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from [b]them.
24 (H)I was also [c]blameless toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 (I)Therefore Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness before His eyes.
26 (J)With the [d]kind You show Yourself [e]kind,
With the [f]blameless You show Yourself [g]blameless;
27 (K)With the pure You show Yourself pure,
(L)And with the crooked You show Yourself [h]astute.
28 (M)And You save an afflicted people;
(N)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You bring down.
29 (O)For You are my lamp, O Yahweh;
And Yahweh illumines my darkness.
30 (P)For by You I can [i]run upon a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 (Q)As for God, His way is [j]blameless;
(R)The word of Yahweh is [k]tried;
(S)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 (T)For who is God, but Yahweh?
(U)And who is a rock, but our God?
33 (V)God is my strong fortress;
And He [l]sets the [m]blameless in [n]His way.
34 (W)He makes [o]my feet like hinds’ 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 answer to me makes me great.
37 (AB)You enlarge my steps under me,
And my ankles have not given way.
38 I pursued my enemies and (AC)destroyed them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 And I have consumed them and crushed them, so that they did not rise;
And (AD)they fell under my feet.
40 For You have girded me with strength for battle;
You have [p]subdued under me (AE)those who rose up against me.
41 [q]You have also (AF)made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I [r]destroyed those who hated me.
42 (AG)They looked, but there was none to save;
(AH)Even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them.
43 (AI)Then I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;
(AJ)I pulverized and stamped them as the mire of the streets.
44 (AK)You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people;
(AL)You have kept me as head of the nations;
(AM)A people whom I have not known serve me.
45 (AN)Foreigners cower before me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners fade away,
(AO)And [s]come trembling out of their [t]fortresses.
47 Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock;
And let [u](AP)God, the rock of my salvation, be lifted high,
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 even lift me above (AS)those who rise up against me;
(AT)You rescue me from the violent man.
50 (AU)Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Yahweh, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 (AV)He [v]gives great salvation to His king,
And (AW)shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
(AX)To David and his seed forever.”
David’s Last Words
23 Now these are the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse declares,
(AY)The man who was raised on high declares,
(AZ)The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel,
2 “(BA)The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
(BB)The Rock of Israel spoke to me,
‘(BC)He who rules over men as a righteous one,
(BD)Who rules in the fear of God,
4 (BE)Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
From brightness of the sun after rain.’
With the tender grass springing from the earth,
5 [w]Truly is not my house so with God?
For (BF)He has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Ordered in all things, and secured;
For all my salvation and all my desire,
Will He not indeed make it grow?
6 (BG)But the vile men, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,
Because they cannot be taken in hand;
7 But the man who touches them
Must be [x]armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And (BH)they will be completely burned with fire where they sit.”
David’s Mighty Men
8 (BI)These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the [y]captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time; 9 and after him was Eleazar the son of (BJ)Dodo the (BK)son of Ahohi, one of the three mighty men with David when they [z]reproached the Philistines who were gathered together there to battle and the men of Israel had gone up to retreat. 10 (BL)He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and [aa]clung to the sword, and (BM)Yahweh brought about a great salvation that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.
11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a (BN)Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered [ab]into a troop where there was a portion of the field full of lentils; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of that portion and delivered it and struck down the Philistines. So (BO)Yahweh brought about a great salvation.
13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the (BP)cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in (BQ)the valley of Rephaim. 14 And David was then (BR)in the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 (BS)Then 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 broke through 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. Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but (BU)poured it out to Yahweh; 17 and he said, “Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. (BV)Shall I drink the blood of the men who went [ac]at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
18 (BW)Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was (BX)chief of the [ad]thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred [ae]who were slain by him; and he had a name as well as the three. 19 Of the thirty he was most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three.
20 Then (BY)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of (BZ)Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the [af]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He had also struck down an Egyptian, [ag]an impressive man. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear, 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 as well as the three mighty men. 23 He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.
24 (CB)Asahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; 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 (CW)Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.
David Sins in Taking a Census
24 (CX)And (CY)again the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “(CZ)Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the military force who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, (DA)from Dan to Beersheba, and [ah]take a census of the people, that I may know the total count of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “(DB)Now may Yahweh your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab and against the commanders of the military force. So Joab and the commanders of the military force went out from the presence of the king to [ai]take a census of the people of Israel. 5 And 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 [aj]the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to (DE)Sidon, 7 and came to the (DF)fortified city 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 they had gone about through the whole land, and they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave (DI)the total count of the [ak]census of the people to the king; and there were in Israel (DJ)800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.
10 Then (DK)David’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. So David said to Yahweh, “(DL)I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Yahweh, please [al]take away the iniquity of Your slave, for (DM)I have acted very foolishly.” 11 Then David arose in the morning, and the word of Yahweh came to (DN)the prophet Gad, David’s (DO)seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that 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 three months before your adversaries while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now, know and see what word I should 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 Yahweh, (DQ)for His compassions are abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15 So (DR)Yahweh [am]sent a pestilence against Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and 70,000 men of the people (DS)from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 (DT)Then the angel sent forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, and (DU)Yahweh [an]relented of the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of Yahweh was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to Yahweh 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 unrighteousness; but (DW)these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and my father’s house.”
David Erects an Altar
18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “(DX)Go up, erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of [ao]Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up according to the word of Gad, just as Yahweh had commanded. 20 And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and 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 Yahweh, (DY)that the plague may be checked from being upon the people.” 22 And Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, (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 Yahweh your God (EA)accept you.” 24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for (EB)I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God [ap]which cost me nothing.” So (EC)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty [aq]shekels of silver. 25 Then David built there an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (ED)Thus Yahweh was moved by the entreaty for the land, and the plague was checked from being upon Israel.
David in Old Age
1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her stand before the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (EE)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 Now the young woman was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and attended him, but the king did not [ar]know her.
5 Now (EF)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (EG)he prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men as runners before him. 6 But his father had never [as]grieved him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man in form, and [at](EH)he was born after Absalom. 7 [au]And he had conferred with (EI)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (EJ)Abiathar the priest; and following (EK)Adonijah, they helped him. 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 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [av]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, and (ER)Solomon his brother.
Nathan Speaks to 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 counsel and provide escape for your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [aw]at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “(EU)Surely Solomon your son 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 fully confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now (EV)the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [ax]before the king. And the king said, “What [ay]do you wish?” 17 And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by [az]Yahweh your God, saying, ‘(EW)Surely your son Solomon 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)And he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will be, (EY)as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [ba]offenders.”
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he came in before the king and prostrated himself [bb]before the king with his [bc]face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you 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 fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘(FA)Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (FB)But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing happened by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your [bd]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said, “(FC)As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as (FD)I swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will surely do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her [be]face to the ground, and prostrated herself [bf]before the king and said, “(FE)May my lord King David live forever.”
32 Then King David said, “Call 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 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet shall (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 commanded him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 (FL)As Yahweh 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 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 [bg]were playing on flutes and were glad with great gladness, so that the earth [bh]shook at their sound.
41 And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. Then Joab heard the sound of the trumpet and said, “Why is the sound of the city 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 bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! 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 made him ride on the king’s mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there with gladness, (FW)so that the city is in an uproar. This is the sound which you have heard. 46 And also, (FX)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And also, 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 And also, the king said thus, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, 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 they arose and each went on his way. 50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went, and (GB)took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let 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 evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [bi]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Command to Solomon
2 Then David’s [bj](GD)time to die drew near, so he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(GE)I am going the way of all the earth. (GF)So you shall be strong, and be a man. 3 And you shall keep the responsibility given by Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, (GG)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (GH)you may be prosperous in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (GI)Yahweh may establish His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(GJ)If your sons keep their way, (GK)to walk before Me in [bk]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, [bl](GL)you shall not have a man cut off from the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you 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 [bm]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [bn]about his [bo]waist, and on his sandals [bp]on his feet. 6 (GP)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But (GQ)show lovingkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (GR)let them be among those who eat at your table; (GS)for they [bq]assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Behold, (GT)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a [br]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (GU)he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 So now, do not let him go unpunished, (GV)for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”
The Death of David
10 Then (GW)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (GX)the city of David. 11 (GY)And the [bs]time which David reigned over Israel was forty years; in Hebron he reigned (GZ)seven years and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 And (HA)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Adonijah’s Request
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And 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 know that (HC)the kingdom was mine and (HD)that all Israel [bt]expected me to be king; (HE)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (HF)for it was his from Yahweh. 16 So now, I am making one request of you; do not [bu]turn me away.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [bv]turn you away, 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 Put to Death
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he (HH)had a throne set 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 turn [bw]me away.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn [bx]you away.” 21 So she said, “(HK)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 Then King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (HL)Ask for him also the kingdom—(HM)for he is my older brother—even for him, for (HN)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (HO)not spoken this word against his own [by]life. 24 So now, as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and (HP)who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon (HQ)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon 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 [bz]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (HT)you carried the ark of Lord Yahweh before my father David, and because (HU)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon drove Abiathar away from being priest to Yahweh, in order to fulfill (HV)the word of Yahweh, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Put to Death
28 Now the news came to Joab, (HW)for Joab had followed Adonijah, (HX)although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and (HY)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon (HZ)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(IA)Go, fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 And the king said to him, “(IB)Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, (IC)that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. 32 (ID)And Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, (IE)because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, but my father David did not know 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 shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever; but to David and his seed and his house and his throne, may there be peace from Yahweh forever.” 34 Then (II)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (IJ)in the wilderness. 35 (IK)And the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (IL)Zadok the priest (IM)in the place of Abiathar.
Shimei Put to Death
36 Then the king sent and called for (IN)Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. 37 Now it will be on the day you go out and (IO)cross over the [ca]brook Kidron, that you will know for certain that you shall surely die; (IP)your blood shall be on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it happened at the end of three years, that two of the slaves of Shimei ran away (IQ)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to search for his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you go out and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the command which I have commanded you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(IR)You know all the evil which [cb]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (IS)Yahweh shall return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and (IT)the throne of David shall be established before Yahweh forever.” 46 (IU)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died.
(IV)Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
Solomon’s Marriage and Sacrifices
3 Then (IW)Solomon [cc]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 completed building his own house and the house of Yahweh 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 Yahweh until those days.
3 And (JB)Solomon loved Yahweh, (JC)walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 (JD)And the king went to (JE)Gibeon to sacrifice there, (JF)for that was the great high place; Solomon offered one thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (JG)In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon (JH)in a dream at night; and God said, “(JI)Ask what I should give to you.”
God Gives Wisdom to Solomon
6 Then Solomon said, “(JJ)You have shown great lovingkindness to Your slave David my father, (JK)according to how he walked before You in [cd]truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and (JL)You have kept for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 So now, O Yahweh my God, (JM)You have made Your slave king in place of my father David, yet (JN)I am but a little child; (JO)I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 (JP)And Your slave is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, (JQ)a numerous people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (JR)give Your slave a listening heart to judge Your people (JS)to discern between good and evil. For who is able to [ce]judge this glorious people of Yours?”
10 [cf]And 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 [cg]long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to listen to 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 (JY)Now 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)made a feast for all his servants.
Solomon Wisely Judges
16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, “Oh, my lord, [ch]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child 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 And this woman’s son died in the night because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully 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 [ci]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “[cj]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and [ck]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 Then the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was the living one spoke to the king, for [cl](KC)she was deeply stirred with compassion over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” 27 Then the king said, “Give [cm]the first woman the living child, and by no means put him to death. She is his mother.” 28 Then all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had [cn]handed down, and they feared the king, for (KD)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
Solomon’s Officials
4 So 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 recorder;
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 friend;
6 and Ahishar was over the household;
and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.
7 Now Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who sustained the king and his household; each man had to sustain them for a month in the year. 8 These are 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 [co]the (KO)height 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 (now [cp](KV)Havvoth-Jair—Jair being the son of Manasseh—which is in Gilead was 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 [cq]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.
Judah’s and Israel’s Abundance and Security
20 (LC)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [cr]seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and being glad.
21 [cs](LD)Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms (LE)from the [ct]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 And Solomon’s [cu]provision for one day was [cv]thirty kors of fine flour and [cw]sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [cx]pasture-fed oxen, one hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over everything [cy]west of the [cz]River, from Tiphsah even to (LG)Gaza, (LH)over all the kings [da]west of the [db]River; and (LI)he had peace on all sides around about him. 25 (LJ)So Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and his fig tree, (LK)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (LL)Solomon had [dc]40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 And these deputies sustained King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and (LM)swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to the legal judgment for him.
29 And (LN)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of understanding in his heart, (LO)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 And Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (LP)the sons of the east and (LQ)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 And (LR)he was wiser than all men, than (LS)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (LT)Calcol, and [dd]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and the renown of his name was in all the surrounding nations. 32 (LU)He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 [de]And men (LV)came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Covenant with Hiram King of Tyre
5 [df](LW)Then 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 [dg]always been one who loved David. 2 And (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 Yahweh his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (MA)Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [dh]calamity. 5 So behold, (MB)I [di]intend to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 So now, command that they cut for me (MC)cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
7 Now it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he was very glad and said, “Blessed be Yahweh 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 have sent me; I will do [dj]what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea (MD)to the place where you [dk]direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then (ME)you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.” 10 So [dl]Hiram [dm]gave Solomon [dn]as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 (MF)Solomon then gave Hiram [do]20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and [dp]20 kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 (MG)Now Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [dq]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them cut a covenant.
13 And (MH)King Solomon raised up forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers [dr]numbered 30,000 men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in [ds]shifts; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And (MI)Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 And (MJ)Solomon had 70,000 [dt]who carried loads, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 (MK)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the [du]project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (ML)the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, precious stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [dv]Hiram’s builders and (MM)the Gebalites [dw]carved them out, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.
The House Solomon Built for Yahweh
6 (MN)Now it happened 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 which is the second month, that he [dx]began to build the house of Yahweh. 2 As for the house which King Solomon built for Yahweh, its length was [dy]sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. 3 And the porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits [dz]in length, [ea]corresponding to the width of the house, and its [eb]depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4 Also for the house (MO)he made windows with artistic frames. 5 (MP)And he built, against the wall of the house, stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the (MQ)inner sanctuary; thus he made (MR)side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he [ec]made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not [ed]be inserted in the walls of the house.
7 (MS)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone [ee]prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.
8 The doorway for the [ef]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9 So (MT)he built the house and completed it; and he paneled the house with beams and [eg]planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each five [eh]cubits high; and they [ei]were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.
11 And the word of Yahweh came to Solomon saying, 12 “Concerning this house which you are building, (MU)if you will walk in My statutes and do My judgments and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will establish My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 (MV)And I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and (MW)will not forsake My people Israel.”
14 (MX)So Solomon built the house and completed it. 15 Then he (MY)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the [ej]ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 (MZ)And he built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the [ek]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as (NA)the Holy of Holies. 17 And the house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was [el]forty cubits long. 18 And there was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of (NB)gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. 19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. 20 Now [em]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 overlaid the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also (NC)the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
23 (ND)Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25 The other cherub was also ten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27 And he put the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and (NE)the wings of the cherubim were 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 each other in the center of the house. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, from within the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, in the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31 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 spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
33 So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood 34 and (NF)two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two [en]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 And he carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. 36 (NG)And he built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.
37 (NH)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 Now in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was completed throughout all its parts and according to all its [eo]plans. So he built it in seven years.
Solomon Builds His Own House
7 Now (NI)Solomon built his own house thirteen years, and he completed all his house. 2 (NJ)And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was [ep]100 cubits and its width 50 cubits and its height 30 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 45 pillars, 15 in each row. 4 Now there were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three ranks. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window in three ranks.
6 Then he made (NK)the hall of pillars; its length was 50 cubits and its width 30 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 Now his house where he was to live, the other court inward from the hall, was of the same workmanship. (NO)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (NP)whom Solomon had married.
9 All these were of precious stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court.
10 And the foundation was of precious stones, even large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were precious stones, stone cut according to measure, and cedar. 12 So (NQ)the great court all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams even as the inner court of the house of Yahweh, and (NR)the porch of the house.
Hiram’s Work in the House of Yahweh
13 Then (NS)King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 (NT)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and (NU)he was filled with wisdom and discernment and knowledge to do any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (NV)did all his work.
15 And he fashioned (NW)the two pillars of bronze; (NX)eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits [eq]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five [er]cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of network and twisted threads 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 network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 Now the capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 And there were capitals on the two pillars, even right above the [es]rounded projection which was on the one side of the network; and (NY)the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around [et]both capitals. 21 (NZ)Thus he set up the pillars at the (OA)porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it [eu]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [ev]Boaz. 22 And on the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.
23 (OB)And he made the sea of (OC)cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and [ew]thirty cubits in its circumference. 24 Now under its brim (OD)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (OE)entirely encircling the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the Sea when it was cast. 25 (OF)It stood 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 [ex]handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold [ey]two thousand baths.
27 Then (OG)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. 28 Now this was the workmanship of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the [ez]frames, 29 and on the borders which were between the [fa]frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the [fb]frames 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 laver were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the capital at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the workmanship of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 And 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 Now 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 half a [fc]cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [fd]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, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (OH)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form.
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