Bible in 90 Days
19 “They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
(A)But the Lord was my support.
20 “(B)He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, (C)because He delighted in me.
21 “(D)The Lord 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 the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 “(G)For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from [a]them.
24 “(H)I was also [b]blameless toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 “(I)Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness before His eyes.
26 “(J)With the [c]kind You show Yourself [d]kind,
With the [e]blameless You show Yourself [f]blameless;
27 (K)With the pure You show Yourself pure,
(L)And with the perverted You show Yourself [g]astute.
28 “(M)And You save an afflicted people;
(N)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.
29 “(O)For You are my lamp, O Lord;
And the Lord illumines my darkness.
30 “(P)For by You I can [h]run upon a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 “(Q)As for God, His way is [i]blameless;
(R)The word of the Lord is tested;
(S)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 “(T)For who is God, besides the Lord?
(U)And who is a rock, besides our God?
33 “(V)God is my strong fortress;
And He [j]sets the [k]blameless in [l]His way.
34 “(W)He makes [m]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 [n]help makes me great.
37 “(AB)You enlarge my steps under me,
And my [o]feet have not slipped.
38 “I pursued my enemies and (AC)destroyed them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 “And I have devoured them and shattered 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 “You have also (AF)made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I [q]destroyed those who hated me.
42 “(AG)They looked, but there was none to save;
(AH)Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 “(AI)Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
(AJ)I crushed and 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 pretend obedience to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 “Foreigners [r]lose heart,
(AO)And [s]come trembling out of their [t]fortresses.
47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be [u](AP)God, the rock of my salvation,
48 (AQ)The God who executes vengeance for me,
(AR)And brings down peoples under me,
49 Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You 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 Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 “(AV)He is a tower of [v]deliverance to His king,
And (AW)shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
(AX)To David and his [w]descendants forever.”
David’s Last Song
23 Now these are the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse declares,
(AY)The man who was raised on high declares,
(AZ)The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel,
2 “(BA)The Spirit of the Lord 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 righteously,
(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,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’
5 “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 worthless, 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 in their [y]place.”
His Mighty Men
8 (BI)These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the [z]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)Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they [aa]defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had [ab]withdrawn. 10 (BL)He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and [ac]clung to the sword, and (BM)the Lord brought about a great [ad]victory 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 [ae]into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and (BO)the Lord brought about a great [af]victory.
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 David was then (BR)in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 (BS)David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” 16 (BT)So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but (BU)poured it out to the Lord; 17 and he said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. (BV)Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
18 (BW)Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was (BX)chief of the [ag]thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred [ah]and killed them, and had a name as well as the three. 19 He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he 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, who had done mighty deeds, [ai]killed the [aj]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He [ak]killed an Egyptian, [al]an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things (CA)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name 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.
The Census Taken
24 (CX)Now (CY)again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “(CZ)Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, (DA)from Dan to Beersheba, and [am]register the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “(DB)Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to [an]register the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and camped in (DC)Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward (DD)Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead and to [ao]the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to (DE)Sidon, 7 and came to the (DF)fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the (DG)Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to (DH)Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave (DI)the number of the [ap]registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel (DJ)eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 Now (DK)David’s heart [aq]troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “(DL)I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please [ar]take away the iniquity of Your servant, for (DM)I have acted very foolishly.” 11 When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (DN)the prophet Gad, David’s (DO)seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the Lord says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do 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 foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord (DQ)for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
Pestilence Sent
15 So (DR)the Lord [as]sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people (DS)from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 (DT)When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, (DU)the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, (DV)it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but (DW)these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
David Builds an Altar
18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “(DX)Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of [at]Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 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 the Lord, (DY)that the plague may be held back from the people.” 22 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 the Lord 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 the Lord my God [au]which cost me nothing.” So (EC)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (ED)Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from 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 [av]attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (EE)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not [aw]cohabit with her.
5 Now (EF)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (EG)he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never [ax]crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and [ay](EH)he was born after Absalom. 7 [az]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 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [ba]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 and Bathsheba
11 Then Nathan spoke to (ES)Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me (ET)give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [bb]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 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 [bc]before the king. And the king said, “What [bd]do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘(EW)Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 (EX)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 come about, (EY)as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [be]offenders.”
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself [bf]before the king with his 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 been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your [bg]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king vowed and said, “(FC)As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as (FD)I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself [bh]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 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 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet (FI)anoint him there as king over Israel, and (FJ)blow the trumpet and say, ‘(FK)Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 (FL)As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and (FM)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Solomon Anointed King
38 So (FN)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (FO)the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to (FP)Gihon. 39 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 All the people went up after him, and the people [bi]were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth [bj]shook at their noise.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why [bk]is the city making such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (FU)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for (FV)you are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan replied 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 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, (FW)so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. 46 Besides, (FX)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May (FY)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’ And (FZ)the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 The king has also said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who (GA)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; 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 Now it was told Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for 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 Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, (GC)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [bl]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Charge to Solomon
2 As David’s [bm](GD)time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(GE)I am going the way of all the earth. (GF)Be strong, therefore, and [bn]show yourself a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (GG)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (GH)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (GI)the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(GJ)If your sons are careful of their way, (GK)to walk before Me in [bo]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, [bp](GL)you shall not lack a man on 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 [bq]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [br]about his waist, and on his sandals [bs]on his feet. 6 (GP)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to [bt]Sheol in peace. 7 But (GQ)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (GR)let them be among those who eat at your table; (GS)for they [bu]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 [bv]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 the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore, 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 [bw]Sheol with blood.”
Death of David
10 Then (GW)David slept with his fathers and was buried in (GX)the city of David. 11 (GY)The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: (GZ)seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12 And (HA)Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Now 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 [bx]expected me to be king; (HE)however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, (HF)for it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I am making one request of you; do not [by]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not [bz]refuse you, that he may give me (HG)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Executed
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king 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 [ca]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not [cb]refuse you.” 21 So she said, “(HK)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 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 the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has (HO)not spoken this word against his own [cc]life. 24 Now therefore, as the Lord 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 [cd]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because (HT)you carried the ark of the Lord [ce]God before my father David, and because (HU)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill (HV)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Executed
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 the Lord and (HY)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, 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 the Lord 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 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)The Lord 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, while 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 [cf]descendants forever; but to David and his [cg]descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then (II)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (IJ)in the wilderness. 35 (IK)The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (IL)Zadok the priest (IM)in the place of Abiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Now 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 For on the day you go out and (IO)cross over the [ch]brook Kidron, 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 came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away (IQ)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told 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 the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you depart 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 the Lord, and the command which I [ci]have laid on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(IR)You know all the evil which [cj]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (IS)the Lord 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 the Lord 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 Rule Consolidated
3 Then (IW)Solomon [ck]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter (IX)and brought her to the city of David (IY)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and (IZ)the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (JA)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.
3 Now (JB)Solomon loved the Lord, (JC)walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 (JD)The king went to (JE)Gibeon to sacrifice there, (JF)for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 (JG)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (JH)in a dream at night; and God said, “(JI)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “(JJ)You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, (JK)according as he walked before You in [cl]truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and (JL)You have [cm]reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, (JM)You have made Your servant 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)Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, (JQ)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (JR)give Your servant [cn]an understanding heart to judge Your people (JS)to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this [co]great people of Yours?”
God’s Answer
10 [cp]It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have (JT)not asked for yourself [cq]long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself [cr]discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, (JU)I have done according to your words. Behold, (JV)I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 (JW)I have also given you what you have not asked, both (JX)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 (JY)If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will (JZ)prolong your days.”
15 Then (KA)Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and (KB)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 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, [cs]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 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 This woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it. 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 [ct]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, “[cu]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and [cv]the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 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 child was the living one spoke to the king, for [cw](KC)she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” 27 Then the king said, “Give [cx]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had [cy]handed down, they feared the king, for (KD)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to [cz]administer justice.
Solomon’s Officials
4 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (KE)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were secretaries; (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 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who [da]provided for the king and his household; each man had to [db]provide 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 [dc]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 ((KV)the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: (KW)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in (KX)Mahanaim; 15 (KY)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana the son of (KZ)Hushai, in Asher and [dd]Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 (LA)Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, (LB)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only deputy who was in the land.
Solomon’s Power, Wealth and Wisdom
20 (LC)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [de]seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 [df](LD)Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms (LE)from the [dg]River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (LF)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon’s [dh]provision for one day was thirty [di]kors of fine flour and sixty [dj]kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [dk]pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over everything [dl]west of the [dm]River, from Tiphsah even to (LG)Gaza, (LH)over all the kings [dn]west of the [do]River; and (LI)he had peace on all sides around about him. 25 (LJ)So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, (LK)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (LL)Solomon had [dp]40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 Those deputies [dq]provided for 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 his charge.
29 Now (LN)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [dr]mind, (LO)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (LP)the sons of the east and (LQ)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (LR)he was wiser than all men, than (LS)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (LT)Calcol and [ds]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [dt]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (LU)He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 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 [du]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.
Alliance with King Hiram
5 [dv](LW)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for (LX)Hiram had [dw]always been a friend of David. 2 Then (LY)Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that (LZ)David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (MA)the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [dx]misfortune. 5 Behold, (MB)I [dy]intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord 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 Now therefore, 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 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do [dz]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 [ea]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 [eb]Hiram [ec]gave Solomon [ed]as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 (MF)Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 [ee]kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty [ef]kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 (MG)The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [eg]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.
Conscription of Laborers
13 Now (MH)King Solomon [eh]levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers [ei]numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And (MI)Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 Now (MJ)Solomon had 70,000 [ej]transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 (MK)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the [ek]project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (ML)the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [el]Hiram’s builders and (MM)the Gebalites [em]cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.
The Building of the Temple
6 (MN)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he [en]began to build the house of the Lord. 2 As for the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty [eo]cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits [ep]in length, [eq]corresponding to the width of the house, and its [er]depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4 Also for the house (MO)he made windows with artistic frames. 5 (MP)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the 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 [es]made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not [et]be inserted in the walls of the house.
7 (MS)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone [eu]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 [ev]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 finished it; and he covered the house with beams and [ew]planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each five [ex]cubits high; and they [ey]were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.
11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, 12 “Concerning this house which you are building, (MU)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 (MV)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and (MW)will not forsake My people Israel.”
14 (MX)So Solomon built the house and finished 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 [ez]ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16 (MZ)He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the [fa]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as (NA)the most holy place. 17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty [fb]cubits long. 18 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 the Lord. 20 [fc]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 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 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 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 He placed 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. So 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, inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, 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 [fd]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. 36 (NG)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 the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.
Solomon’s Palace
7 Now (NI)Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. 2 (NJ)He built the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was 100 [fe]cubits and its width 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 It was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row. 4 There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three ranks. 5 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 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 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 costly 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 The foundation was of costly stones, even large stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were costly 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 the Lord, and (NR)the porch of the house.
Hiram’s Work in the Temple
13 Now (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 understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (NV)performed all his work.
15 He fashioned (NW)the two pillars of bronze; (NX)eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits [ff]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 [fg]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 The capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 There were capitals on the two pillars, even above and close to the [fh]rounded projection which was beside the network; and (NY)the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around [fi]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 [fj]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [fk]Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.
23 (OB)Now he made the sea of (OC)cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and [fl]thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under its brim (OD)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (OE)completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast [fm]with the rest. 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 It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold 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 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the [fn]frames, 29 and on the borders which were between the [fo]frames were lions, oxen and cherubim; and on the [fp]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 basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a [fq]cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [fr]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 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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