Bible in 90 Days
19 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place;(A)
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;(B)
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.(C)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord(D)
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.
23 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances(E) in mind[a]
and have not disregarded His statutes.
24 I was blameless before Him
and kept myself from sinning.
25 So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness[b] in His sight.
26 With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;
27 with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.
28 You rescue an afflicted people,(F)
but Your eyes are set against the proud—
You humble them.(G)
29 Lord, You are my lamp;
the Lord illuminates my darkness.(H)
30 With You I can attack a barrier,[c]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.(I)
31 God—His way is perfect;(J)
the word of the Lord is pure.(K)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is a rock? Only our God.
33 God is my strong refuge;[d]
He makes my way perfect.[e]
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the[f] heights.[g]
35 He trains my hands for war;(L)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;(M)
Your help[h] exalts me.
37 You widen a place beneath me for my steps,
and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.
39 I wipe them out and crush them,
and they do not rise;
they fall beneath my feet.
40 You have clothed me with strength for battle;
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.(N)
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me;[i]
I annihilate those who hate me.
42 They look, but there is no one to save them—
they look to the Lord, but He does not answer them.(O)
43 I pulverize them like dust of the earth;
I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.(P)
44 You have freed me from the feuds among my people;(Q)
You have appointed me the head of nations;
a people I had not known serve me.(R)
45 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;
as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(S)
47 The Lord lives—may my rock be praised!
God, the rock of my salvation,(T) is exalted.
48 God—He gives me vengeance
and casts down peoples under me.(U)
49 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
You rescue me from violent men.(V)
50 Therefore I will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing about Your name.(W)
51 He is a tower of salvation for[j] His king;
He shows loyalty to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.(X)
David’s Last Words
23 These are the last words of David:
The declaration of David son of Jesse,(Y)
the declaration of the man raised on high,[k]
the one anointed by the God of Jacob,(Z)
the favorite singer of Israel:
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me,
His word was on my tongue.(AA)
3 The God of Israel spoke;
the Rock of Israel said to me,
“The one who rules the people with justice,
who rules in the fear of God,(AB)
4 is like the morning light when the sun rises
on a cloudless morning,
the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”
5 Is it not true my house is with God?
For He has established an everlasting covenant(AC) with me,
ordered and secured in every detail.(AD)
Will He not bring about
my whole salvation and my every desire?
6 But all the wicked are like thorns raked aside;
they can never be picked up by hand.
7 The man who touches them
must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear.
They will be completely burned up on the spot.
Exploits of David’s Warriors
8 These are the names of David’s warriors:(AE)
Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the officers.[l] He wielded his spear[m] against 800 men that he killed at one time.
9 After him, Eleazar son of Dodo son of an Ahohite was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines. The men of Israel retreated in the place they had gathered for battle, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and attacked the Philistines until his hand was tired and stuck to his sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops came back to him, but only to plunder the dead.
11 After him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had assembled in formation where there was a field full of lentils. The troops fled from the Philistines, 12 but Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Three of the 30 leading warriors went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam,(AF) while a company of Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(AG) and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David was extremely thirsty[n] and said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So three of the warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. 17 David said, “Lord, I would never do such a thing! Is this not the blood of men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.
18 Abishai, Joab’s brother and son of Zeruiah,(AH) was leader of the Three.[o] He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. 19 Was he not more honored than the Three? He became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.(AI)
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada(AJ) was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons[p] of Ariel[q] of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. 23 He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were:
Joab’s brother Asahel,(AK)
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite,
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite,
Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heleb son of Baanah the Netophahite,
Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash,[r]
31 Abi-albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan son of[s] 33 Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai son of the Maacathite,
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,(AL)
35 Hezro the Carmelite,
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,
Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah(AM) the Hittite.(AN)
There were 37 in all.
David’s Military Census
24 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and He stirred up David against them to say: “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”(AO)
2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number.”(AP)
3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops 100 times more than they are(AQ)—while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?”
4 Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer,(AR) south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites[t] and continued on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterward, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba.
8 When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days. 9 Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were 800,000 fighting men from Israel and 500,000 men from Judah.(AS)
10 David’s conscience troubled him(AT) after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish,(AU) please take away Your servant’s guilt.”
David’s Punishment
11 When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the Lord had come to the prophet Gad,(AV) David’s seer:(AW) 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’”
13 So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three[u] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me.”
14 David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great,(AX) but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba 70,000 men died. 16 Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,(AY) but the Lord relented concerning the destruction(AZ) and said to the angel who was destroying(BA) the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah[v] the Jebusite.(BB)
17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one[w] who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”
David’s Altar
18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.
21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”(BC)
22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants[x] and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.(BD) 23 My king, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces[y] of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer on behalf of the land,(BE) and the plague on Israel ended.
David’s Last Days
1 Now King David was old and getting on in years.(BF) Although they covered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm.(BG) 2 So his servants said to him: “Let us[z] search for a young virgin for my lord the king.(BH) She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.” 3 They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag(BI) the Shunammite[aa](BJ) and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was of unsurpassed beauty,(BK) and she became the king’s caregiver. She served him, but he was not intimate with[ab] her.
Adonijah’s Bid for Power
5 Adonijah son of Haggith(BL) kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king!” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and 50 men to run ahead of him.[ac](BM) 6 But his father had never once reprimanded[ad](BN) him by saying, “Why do you act this way?”(BO) In addition, he was quite handsome(BP) and was born after Absalom.(BQ) 7 He conspired[ae] with Joab son of Zeruiah(BR) and with Abiathar the priest.(BS) They supported(BT) Adonijah, 8 but Zadok the priest,(BU) Benaiah son of Jehoiada,(BV) Nathan the prophet,(BW) Shimei,(BX) Rei, and David’s warriors(BY) did not side with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel.(BZ) He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,(CA) 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the warriors, or his brother Solomon.(CB)
Nathan’s and Bathsheba’s Appeals
11 Then Nathan(CC) said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother,(CD) “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king(CE) and our lord David does not know it?(CF) 12 Now please come and let me advise(CG) you. Save your life and the life of your son Solomon.(CH) 13 Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne?(CI) So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14 At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.”(CJ)
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him.(CK) 16 Bathsheba bowed down and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”
17 She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’ 18 Now look, Adonijah has become king. And,[af] my lord the king, you didn’t know it. 19 He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20 Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers,(CL) I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”(CM)
22 At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived,(CN) 23 and it was announced to the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” He came into the king’s presence and bowed to him with his face to the ground.
24 “My lord the king,” Nathan said, “did you say, ‘Adonijah is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’? 25 For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And look! They’re eating and drinking in his presence, and they’re saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me—me, your servant—or Zadok the priest or Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your servant Solomon. 27 I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant[ag] know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.”
Solomon Confirmed King
28 King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king swore an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty,(CO) 30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place,(CP) that is exactly what I will do this very day.”(CQ)
31 Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king,(CR) and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”(CS)
32 King David then said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.”(CT) So they came into the king’s presence. 33 The king said to them, “Take my servants(CU) with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule,(CV) and take him down to Gihon.(CW) 34 There, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him as king over Israel.(CX) You are to blow the ram’s horn(CY) and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’(CZ) 35 You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler(DA) over Israel and Judah.”(DB)
36 “Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it.(DC) 37 Just as the Lord was with my lord the king,(DD) so may He[ah] be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”(DE)
38 Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites(DF) went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon.(DG) Then they blew the ram’s horn,(DH) and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”(DI) 40 All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy(DJ) that the earth split open from the sound.[ai]
Adonijah Hears of Solomon’s Coronation
41 Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him(DK) heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar?”(DL) 42 He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest,(DM) suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are an excellent man, and you must be bringing good news.”(DN)
43 “Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon.(DO) They have gone from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard. 46 Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne.(DP)
47 “The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’(DQ) Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.(DR) 48 And the king went on to say this: ‘May the Lord God of Israel be praised! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne,(DS) and I am a witness.’”[aj]
49 Then all of Adonijah’s guests got up trembling and went their separate ways. 50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.(DT)
51 It was reported to Solomon: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first[ak] swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”
52 Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground,(DU) but if evil is found in him, he dies.”(DV) 53 So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”
David’s Dying Instructions to Solomon
2 As the time approached for David to die,(DW) he instructed his son Solomon, 2 “As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth.(DX) Be strong and be courageous like a man,(DY) 3 and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do(DZ) and wherever you turn, 4 and so that the Lord will carry out His promise that He made to me: ‘If your sons are careful to walk faithfully before Me with their whole mind and heart,(EA) you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’(EB)
5 “You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me(EC) and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner(ED) and Amasa son of Jether.(EE) He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet.[al] 6 Act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace.
7 “Show loyalty to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table(EF) because they supported me when I fled from your brother Absalom.(EG)
8 “Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim.(EH) But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will never kill you with the sword.’(EI) 9 So don’t let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
10 Then David rested with his fathers(EJ) and was buried in the city of David.(EK) 11 The length of time David reigned over Israel was 40 years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.(EL) 12 Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingship was firmly established.(EM)
Adonijah’s Foolish Request
13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith(EN) came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peacefully?”
“Peacefully,” he replied,(EO) 14 and then asked, “May I talk with you?”[am]
“Go ahead,” she answered.
15 “You know the kingship was mine,”(EP) he said. “All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother,(EQ) for the Lord gave it to him.(ER) 16 So now I have just one request of you; don’t turn me down.”[an]
She said to him, “Go on.”
17 He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite(ES) as a wife.”
18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother.(ET) So she sat down at his right hand.(EU)
20 Then she said, “I have just one small request of you. Don’t turn me down.”
“Go ahead and ask, mother,” the king replied, “for I won’t turn you down.”
21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother,(EV) you might as well ask the kingship for him,(EW) for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.”[ao](EX) 23 Then Solomon took an oath by the Lord: “May God punish me and do so severely(EY) if Adonijah has not made this request at the cost of his life. 24 And now, as the Lord lives, the One who established me, seated me on the throne of my father David, and made me a dynasty as He promised(EZ)—I swear Adonijah will be put to death today!” 25 Then King Solomon gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada,(FA) who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
Abiathar’s Banishment
26 The king said to Abiathar the priest,(FB) “Go to your fields in Anathoth.(FC) Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death today, since you carried the ark of the Lord God in the presence of my father David(FD) and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”(FE) 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being the Lord’s priest, and it fulfilled the Lord’s prophecy He had spoken at Shiloh against Eli’s family.(FF)
Joab’s Execution
28 The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah(FG) but not Absalom,(FH) Joab fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.(FI)
29 It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the Lord’s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.” Then Solomon sent[ap] Benaiah son of Jehoiada(FJ) and told him, “Go and strike him down!”(FK)
30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’”(FL)
But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.”
So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”
31 The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s house the blood that Joab shed without just cause.(FM) 32 The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner(FN) son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa(FO) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33 Their blood will come back on Joab’s head and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever.”(FP)
34 Benaiah son of Jehoiada(FQ) went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness.(FR) 35 Then the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army,(FS) and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
Shimei’s Banishment and Execution
36 Then the king summoned Shimei(FT) and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but don’t leave there and go anywhere else. 37 On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley,(FU) know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head.”(FV)
38 Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish(FW) son of Maacah, king of Gath.(FX) Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath.
41 It was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42 So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Didn’t I make you swear by the Lord and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will obey.’ 43 So why have you not kept the Lord’s oath and the command that I gave you?” 44 The king also said, “You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David.(FY) Therefore, the Lord has brought back your evil on your head, 45 but King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain established before the Lord forever.”(FZ)
46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.(GA)
The Lord Appears to Solomon
3 Solomon made an alliance[aq] with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter.(GB) Solomon brought her to live in the city of David(GC) until he finished building his palace,(GD) the Lord’s temple,(GE) and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.(GF) 2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places,(GG) because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name(GH) had not been built. 3 Solomon loved the Lord(GI) by walking in the statutes of his father David,(GJ) but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon(GK) to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.(GL) 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon(GM) in a dream at night.(GN) God said, “Ask.(GO) What should I give you?”
6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and[ar] integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne,(GP) as it is today.(GQ)
7 “Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place.(GR) Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.[as](GS) 8 Your servant is among Your people You have chosen,(GT) a[at] people too numerous to be numbered or counted.(GU) 9 So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge(GV) Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”(GW)
10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life[au] or riches for yourself,(GX) or the death[av] of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice,(GY) 12 I will therefore do what you have asked.(GZ) I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.(HA) 13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor,(HB) so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life.(HC) 14 If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”(HD)
15 Then Solomon woke up(HE) and realized it had been a dream.(HF) He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant,(HG) and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.(HH) Then he held a feast(HI) for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wisdom
16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.(HJ) 17 One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18 On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else[aw] was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19 During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
22 “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.
23 The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” 24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25 Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion[ax](HK) for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
27 The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom(HL) was in him to carry out justice.
Solomon’s Officials
4 King Solomon ruled over Israel,(HM) 2 and these were his officials:(HN)
Azariah son of Zadok, priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar, priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies;
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar, in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labor.
7 Solomon had 12 deputies for all Israel. They provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month out of the year.(HO) 8 These were their names:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan;
10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher);
11 Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife);
12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam;
13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, 60 great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon—Basemath);
16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.
There was one deputy in the land of Judah.[ay]
Solomon’s Provisions
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea;(HP) they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21 [az]Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.(HQ) They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.(HR)
22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were 150 bushels[ba] of fine flour and 300 bushels[bb] of meal, 23 10 fattened oxen, 20 range oxen, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry,[bc](HS) 24 for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders. 25 Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba,(HT) each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.(HU) 26 Solomon had 40,000[bd] stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.(HV) 27 Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing. 28 Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses(HW) to the required place according to his assignment.[be]
Solomon’s Wisdom and Literary Gifts
29 God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding(HX) as vast as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,(HY) greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.(HZ) 31 He was wiser than anyone(IA)—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite,(IB) and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol.(IC) His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations.(ID)
32 Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs,(IE) and his songs numbered 1,005.(IF) 33 He described trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34 People came from everywhere, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.(IG)
Hiram’s Building Materials
5 [bf]Hiram king of Tyre(IH) sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place,(II) for Hiram had always been friends with David.(IJ)
2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram: 3 “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahweh his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(IK) 4 The Lord my God has now given me rest all around; there is no enemy or crisis.(IL) 5 So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahweh my God,(IM) according to what the Lord promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for My name.’(IN)
6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”(IO)
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he greatly rejoiced and said, “May the Lord be praised today!(IP) He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”(IQ)
10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 11 and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels[bg] of wheat as food for his household and 110,000 gallons[bh] of oil from crushed olives.(IR) Solomon did this for Hiram year after year.
12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him.(IS) There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(IT)
Solomon’s Work Force
13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel;(IU) the labor force numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent 10,000 to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,(IV) 16 not including his 3,300[bi] deputies(IW) in charge of the work. They ruled over the people doing the work. 17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.(IX) 18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders,(IY) along with the Gebalites,(IZ) quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.
Building the Temple
6 Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year(JA) after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv.[bj](JB) 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord(JC) was 90 feet[bk] long, 30 feet[bl] wide, and 45 feet[bm] high.(JD) 3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was 30 feet[bn] long extending across the temple’s width, and 15 feet deep[bo] in front of the temple.(JE) 4 He also made windows with beveled frames[bp] for the temple.(JF)
5 He then built a chambered structure[bq] along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary.(JG) And he made side chambers[br] all around.(JH) 6 The lowest chamber was 7½ feet[bs] wide, the middle was nine feet[bt] wide, and the third was 10½ feet[bu] wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. 7 The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.(JI)
8 The door for the lowest[bv] side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They[bw] went up a stairway[bx] to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. 9 When he finished building the temple,(JJ) he paneled it with boards and planks of cedar. 10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams;(JK) each story was 7½ feet[by] high.
11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon:(JL) 12 “As for this temple you are building—if you walk in My statutes, observe My ordinances, and keep all My commands by walking in them,(JM) I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David.(JN) 13 I will live among the Israelites and not abandon My people Israel.”(JO)
14 When Solomon finished building the temple,[bz](JP) 15 he paneled the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the surface of the ceiling he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards.(JQ) 16 Then he lined 30 feet[ca] of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling,[cb] and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place.(JR) 17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place,[cc] was 60 feet[cd] long. 18 The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds(JS) and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar;(JT) not a stone could be seen.
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(JU) inside the temple to put the ark of the Lord’s covenant(JV) there. 20 The interior of the sanctuary was 30 feet[ce] long, 30 feet[cf] wide, and 30 feet[cg] high; he overlaid it with pure gold.(JW) He also overlaid the cedar altar. 21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung[ch] gold chains(JX) across the front of the inner sanctuary(JY) and overlaid it with gold. 22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was completely finished, including the entire altar(JZ) that belongs to the inner sanctuary.
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim(KA) 15 feet[ci] high out of olive wood. 24 One wing of the first cherub was 7½ feet long,[cj] and the other wing was 7½ feet long. The wingspan was 15 feet[ck] from tip to tip. 25 The second cherub also was 15 feet;[cl] both cherubim had the same size and shape. 26 The first cherub’s height was 15 feet[cm] and so was the second cherub’s. 27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other[cn] wall, and in the middle of the temple their wings were touching wing to wing.(KB) 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings—cherubim,(KC) palm trees and flower blossoms—in both the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors.(KD) The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided.[co] 32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees. 33 In the same way, he made four-sided[cp] olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. 34 The two doors(KE) were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. 36 He built the inner courtyard(KF) with three rows of dressed stone(KG) and a row of trimmed cedar beams.
37 The foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. 38 In his eleventh year in the eighth month, in the month of Bul,[cq] the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification.(KH) So he built it in seven years.(KI)
Solomon’s Palace Complex
7 Solomon completed his entire palace complex after 13 years of construction.(KJ) 2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(KK) It was 150 feet[cr] long, 75 feet[cs] wide, and 45 feet[ct] high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. 3 It was paneled above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on 45 pillars, 15 per row. 4 There were three rows of window frames, facing each other[cu] in three tiers.[cv](KL) 5 All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other[cw] in three tiers.[cx] 6 He made the hall of pillars 75 feet[cy] long and 45 feet[cz] wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars[da] was in front of them. 7 He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge(KM)—the Hall of Judgment. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.[db] 8 Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife.[dc](KN)
9 All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was made of large, costly stones 12 and 15 feet[dd] long. 11 Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 12 Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.(KO)
13 King Solomon had Hiram[de](KP) brought from Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze craftsman. Hiram had great skill,(KQ) understanding, and knowledge to do every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.(KR)
The Bronze Pillars
15 He cast two hollow bronze pillars:(KS) each 27 feet[df] high and 18 feet[dg] in circumference.[dh](KT) 16 He also made two capitals(KU) of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars; 7½ feet[di] was the height of the first capital, and 7½ feet[dj] was also the height of the second capital. 17 The capitals on top of the pillars had gratings of latticework, wreaths[dk] made of chainwork—seven for the first capital and seven for the second.
18 He made the pillars with two encircling rows of pomegranates on the one grating to cover the capital on top; he did the same for the second capital. 19 And the capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, six feet[dl] high. 20 The capitals on the two pillars were also immediately above the rounded surface next to the grating, and 200 pomegranates(KV) were in rows encircling each[dm] capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the portico(KW) of the sanctuary: he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin;[dn] then he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz.[do](KX) 22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. Then the work of the pillars was completed.(KY)
The Reservoir
23 He made the cast metal reservoir,[dp](KZ) 15 feet[dq] from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7½ feet[dr] high and 45 feet[ds] in circumference. 24 Ornamental gourds(LA) encircled it below the brim, 10 every half yard,[dt] completely encircling the reservoir.(LB) The gourds were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast. 25 It stood on 12 oxen,(LC) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 The reservoir was three inches[du] thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom. It held 11,000 gallons.[dv]
The Bronze Water Carts
27 Then he made 10 bronze water carts.[dw](LD) Each water cart was six feet[dx] long, six feet[dy] wide, and 4½ feet[dz] high. 28 This was the design of the carts: They had frames; the frames were between the cross-pieces, 29 and on the frames between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim.(LE) On the cross-pieces there was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging[ea] work. 30 Each cart(LF) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. Underneath the four corners of the basin were cast supports, each next to a wreath. 31 And the water cart’s opening inside the crown on top was 18 inches[eb] wide. The opening was round, made as a pedestal 27 inches[ec] wide. On it were carvings, but their frames were square, not round. 32 There were four wheels under the frames, and the wheel axles were part of the water cart; each wheel was 27 inches[ed] tall. 33 The wheels’ design was similar to that of chariot wheels: their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34 Four supports were at the four corners of each water cart; each support was one piece with the water cart. 35 At the top of the cart was a band nine inches[ee] high encircling it; also, at the top of the cart, its braces and its frames were one piece with it. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees(LG) on the plates of its braces and on its frames, wherever each had space, with encircling wreaths. 37 In this way he made the 10 water carts using the same casting, dimensions, and shape for all of them.
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