Chronological
1 ¶ Now king David was old and stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he did not become warm.
2 Therefore, his slaves said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin, and let her stand before the king and let her warm him and let her lie in thy bosom, and she shall warm my lord the king.
3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel and found Abishag, a Shunammite and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was very fair and warmed the king and ministered to him, but the king knew her not.
5 ¶ Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will reign, and he prepared chariots and horsemen for himself and fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was very handsome; and he had begotten him after Absalom.
7 And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar, the priest who helped Adonijah.
8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei and Rei and the mighty men of David did not follow Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s slaves;
10 but he did not invite Nathan, the prophet, nor Benaiah nor the mighty men nor Solomon his brother.
11 ¶ And Nathan spoke unto Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, reigns without David our lord knowing of it?
12 Now, therefore, come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel that thou may deliver thine own life and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go and enter in unto King David and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?
14 And while thou art yet speaking there with the king, I also will come in after thee and finish thy words.
15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag, the Shunammite, ministered unto the king.
16 And Bathsheba bowed and worshipped the king. And the king said, What dost thou desire?
17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou didst sware by the LORD thy God unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne;
18 and now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my lord the king, thou dost not know it.
19 He has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance and has called all the sons of the king and Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the captain of the host; but he has not invited Solomon, thy slave.
20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee that thou should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise, it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers that I and my son Solomon shall be counted as sinners.
22 And while she yet spoke with the king, Nathan, the prophet, also came in.
23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan, the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
25 For today he has gone down and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance and has called all the king’s sons and the captains of the host and Abiathar, the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him and say, Long live King Adonijah.
26 But he did not invite me, thy slave, nor Zadok, the priest, nor Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, nor thy slave Solomon.
27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not declared unto thy slave who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 Then King David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 And the king swore and said, As the LORD lives, who has ransomed my soul out of all distress,
30 even as I swore unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth and did reverence to the king and said, Let my lord King David live for ever.
32 ¶ And King David said, Call me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they entered into the presence of the king.
33 And the king said unto them, Take with you the slaves of your lord and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule and bring him down to Gihon.
34 And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel; and ye shall blow the shofar and say, Long live king Solomon.
35 Afterward ye shall come up after him that he may come and sit upon my throne, for he shall reign in my stead, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
36 Then Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king and said, Amen. Let the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
37 As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so let him be with Solomon and let him make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.
38 So Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and caused Solomon to ride upon King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.
39 And Zadok, the priest, took the horn of the oil of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the shofar, and all the people said, Long live king Solomon.
40 Afterward all the people came up following him, and the people sang with flutes and rejoiced with great joy so that it seemed the earth rent with the sound of them.
41 ¶ And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it when they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the shofar, he said, Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
42 And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, the priest, came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come in, for thou art a valiant man and bringest good tidings.
43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord King David has made Solomon king.
44 And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule;
45 and Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.
46 And also Solomon has been seated on the throne of the kingdom.
47 And moreover, the king’s slaves came to bless our lord King David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king worshipped upon the bed.
48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, mine eyes even seeing it.
49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid and rose up and went each one his way.
50 And Adonijah, fearing the presence of Solomon, arose and went and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his slave with the sword.
52 And Solomon said, If he will show himself virtuous, there shall not one hair of him fall to the ground, but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon. And Solomon said unto him, Go to thy house.
2 ¶ Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon, his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore and show thyself a man.
3 Keep the charge of the LORD thy God, walking in his ways, keeping his statutes and his commandments and his rights and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou may have understanding in all that thou doest and in everything that thou dost undertake,
4 that the LORD may confirm the word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If thy sons take heed to their way, walking before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me and what he did to the two captains of the host of Israel, unto Abner, the son of Ner and unto Amasa, the son of Jether, whom he slew, shedding the blood of war in peace and putting the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do, therefore, according to thy wisdom and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace.
7 But show mercy unto the sons of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table, for they came thus unto me when I fled because of Absalom, thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei, the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for thou art a wise man and knowest what thou should do with him, but thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood.
10 And David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 ¶ Then Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was established greatly.
13 Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have a word to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel had set their faces on me that I should reign, but the kingdom is turned about and is become my brother’s, for by the LORD it was his.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee, do not deny me. And she said unto him, Say on.
17 Then he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king (for he will not deny thee) that he give me Abishag, the Shunammite to wife.
18 And Bathsheba said, Well, I will speak for thee unto the king.
19 Bathsheba, therefore, went unto King Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed himself unto her and sat down on his throne and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, do not deny me. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny thee.
21 And she said, Let Abishag, the Shunammite, be given to Adonijah, thy brother, to wife.
22 And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag, the Shunammite, for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother and he also has Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now, therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me, and set me on the throne of David, my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.
25 Then King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
26 ¶ And unto Abiathar, the priest, the king said, Go to Anathoth, unto thine own inheritance, for thou art worthy of death; but I will not put thee to death today because thou didst bare the ark of the Lord GOD before David, my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 And the news came to Joab, for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he had not turned after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
29 And it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD and that he was by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
30 And Benaiah entered into the tabernacle of the LORD and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, No, but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
31 And the king said unto him, Do as he has said and fall upon him and bury him that thou may take away from me and from the house of my father the blood which Joab shed without a cause.
32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and slew them with the sword without my father David knowing of it: Abner, the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
33 Their blood shall, therefore, return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but upon David and upon his seed and upon his house and upon his throne shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
34 So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up and fell upon him and slew him, and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 ¶ And the king put Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, in his place over the host; and Zadok, the priest, the king put in the place of Abiathar.
36 Afterward the king sent and called for Shimei and said unto him, Build thee a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go forth from there anywhere.
37 For it shall be that on the day thou goest out and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die; thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei said unto the king, The word is good as my lord the king has said, so will thy slave do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 But it came to pass at the end of three years that two of the slaves of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy slaves are in Gath.
40 And Shimei arose and saddled his ass and went to Gath to Achish to seek his slaves. Shimei went, therefore, and brought his slaves from Gath.
41 And it was told Solomon how Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come again.
42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD and protested unto thee, saying, Know for certain, on the day thou goest out and walkest abroad anywhere that thou shalt surely die? And thou didst say unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart knoweth well that thou didst to David my father; therefore, the LORD has turned thy wickedness upon thine own head;
45 and King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
46 Then the king commanded Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who went out and fell upon him that he died. And the kingdom was confirmed in the hand of Solomon.
A Psalm of David.
Aleph
1 ¶ Do not be angry with the evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
Beth
3 Wait in the LORD and do good; live in the land and uphold the truth.
4 In the same manner delight thyself in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
Gimel
5 Turn thy way unto the LORD and wait in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy uprightness as the noonday.
Daleth
7 ¶ Be silent before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not be angry with him who prospers in his way, with the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
He
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath: let not thy wrath in any wise cause you to become evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Vau
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Zain
12 The wicked plots against the just and gnashes upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
He
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy and to slay such as are of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be broken.
Tet
16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the many riches of the sinners.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
Jod
18 The LORD knows the days of the perfect, and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Caph
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD as the fattest of rams shall be consumed; as smoke they shall fade away.
Lamed
21 ¶ The wicked borrows and does not repay: but the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the earth, and those that are cursed of him shall be cut off.
Mem
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and he delights in his way.
24 Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
Nun
25 I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful and lends, and his seed is a blessing.
Samech
27 Depart from evil, and do good, and thou shalt live for evermore.
28 For the LORD loves uprightness and does not forsake his merciful ones; they are preserved for ever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
Ain
29 The righteous shall inherit the earth and live upon it for ever.
Pe
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue brings forth judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; therefore none of his steps shall slide.
Tzaddi
32 The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Koph
34 ¶ Wait on the LORD and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the earth; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Resh
35 I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, behold, he was not: I sought him, but he could not be found.
Schin
37 Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of each one of them is peace.
38 But the rebels were destroyed all together; the wicked were cut off in the end.
Tau
39 But the salvation of the righteous is the LORD; he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD helped them and delivers them; he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they wait in him.
1 ¶ In thee, O LORD, have I waited; let me not be forever put to shame.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness and cause me to escape; incline thine ear unto me and save me.
3 Be thou my strong habitation unto which I may continually resort; thou hast given a commandment that I should be saved because thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the perverse and violent man.
5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD; thou art my security from my youth.
6 By thee have I been sustained from the womb; thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels; my praise has been continually of thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many, but thou art my strong refuge.
8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me, and those that lay in wait for my soul take counsel together,
11 saying, God has forsaken him; persecute and take him for there is no one to deliver him.
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste for my help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 ¶ But I will continually wait and will add upon all thy praise.
15 My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day, for I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth and until now; I shall manifest thy wondrous works.
18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have showed the strength of thy arm unto the next generation and thy power to every one that is to come,
19 and thy righteousness, O God, unto excellence because thou hast done great things; O God, who is like unto thee!
20 Thou who hast caused me to see great and sore troubles, shalt return and quicken me and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise thee with an instrument of the psaltery, O my God; unto thee will I sing thy truth with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing praises unto thee and my soul, which thou hast ransomed.
24 In the same manner my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness every day, for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
1 ¶ O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thy heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, JAH shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Understand, ye carnal ones among the people, and, ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastens the Gentiles, shall he not correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 ¶ Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O JAH, and teach him out of thy law,
13 to cause him to rest in the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But the judgment shall be returned unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have quickly dwelt with the dead.
18 When I said, My foot slips, thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, who creates toil under the guise of law?
21 They gather themselves together as an army against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my refuge, and my God is the rock of my trust.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International