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David’s Command to Solomon
2 As David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. So (C)be strong, and [b]prove yourself a man. 3 Do your duty to the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to [c]keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that (E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)the Lord may fulfill His [d]promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons are careful about their way, (H)to walk before Me in [e]truth with all their heart and all their soul, [f](I)you shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you yourself also know what Joab the (J)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (K)Abner the son of Ner and to (L)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [g]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. 6 (M)So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to [h]Sheol in peace. 7 However, (N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for [i]they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And behold, you have with you (Q)Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a painful curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (R)he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 But now do not leave him unpunished, (S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [j]Sheol with blood.”
Death of David
10 Then (T)David [k]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried in (U)the city of David. 11 Now (V)the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: in Hebron he reigned for (W)seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 12 Then (X)Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “(Y)Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15 So he said, “You yourself know that (Z)the kingdom was mine and (AA)that all Israel [l]intended for me to be king; (AB)however, the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, (AC)for it was his from the Lord. 16 So now I am making one request of you; do not [m]refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king—for he will not [n]refuse you—that he may give me (AD)Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Executed
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king stood to meet her, bowed to her, and sat on his throne; then he (AE)had a throne set up for the king’s mother, and (AF)she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; (AG)do not [o]refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not [p]refuse you.” 21 So she said, “(AH)Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22 But King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? (AI)Request for him the kingdom as well—(AJ)since he is my older brother—for him, for (AK)Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more so, if Adonijah has (AL)not spoken this word against his own [q]life! 24 Now then, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and (AM)has made me a house just as He [r]promised, Adonijah certainly shall be put to death today!” 25 Then King Solomon (AN)sent the order by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he [s]struck him so that he died.
26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “(AO)Go to Anathoth to your own field, (AP)for you [t]deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this [u]time, because (AQ)you carried the ark of the Lord [v]God before my father David, and because (AR)you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, to fulfill (AS)the word of the Lord, which He had spoken regarding the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Executed
28 Now the news came to Joab (AT)because Joab had followed Adonijah, (AU)though he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and (AV)took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was reported to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and [w]was beside the altar. Then Solomon (AW)sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “(AX)Go, [x]execute him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “This is what the king has said: ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “This is what Joab spoke, and so he answered me.” 31 And the king said to him, “(AY)Do just as he has spoken, and [y]execute him and bury him, (AZ)so that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without [z]justification. 32 (BA)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, (BB)because he [aa]struck two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know about it: (BC)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (BD)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (BE)So their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his [ab]descendants forever; but for David and his [ac]descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then (BF)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and [ad]struck him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house (BG)in the wilderness. 35 And (BH)the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed (BI)Zadok the priest (BJ)in place of Abiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Now the king sent men and summoned (BK)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not leave there for any other place. 37 For on the day you leave and (BL)cross the [ae]brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you will assuredly die; (BM)your blood will be [af]on your own head.” 38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. Just as my lord the king has spoken, so your servant shall do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.
39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of Shimei’s servants ran away (BN)to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And others told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to search for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So the king sent men and summoned Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall assuredly die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I [ag]imposed on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “(BO)You yourself know all the evil that [ah]you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore (BP)the Lord will return your evil on your own head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and (BQ)the throne of David will be established before the Lord forever.” 46 (BR)So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and [ai]struck him so that he died.
(BS)And the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
Solomon’s Rule Consolidated
3 Now (BT)Solomon [aj]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter (BU)and brought her to the city of David (BV)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and (BW)the wall around Jerusalem. 2 (BX)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.
Fate of Ananias and Sapphira
5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and (A)kept back some of the [a]proceeds for himself, with his wife’s [b]full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he (B)laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has (C)Satan filled your heart to lie (D)to the Holy Spirit and to (E)keep back some of the [c]proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not [d]under your control? Why is it that you have [e]conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but (F)to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias (G)collapsed and [f]died; and (H)great fear came over all who heard about it. 6 The young men got up and (I)covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land (J)for [g]this price?” And she said, “Yes, for [h]that price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to (K)put (L)the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she (M)collapsed at his feet and [i]died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And (N)great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.
12 [j]At the hands of the apostles many [k](O)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all [l]together in (P)Solomon’s [m]portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (Q)the people held them in high esteem. 14 And increasingly (R)believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being (S)added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by (T)at least his shadow might fall on any of them. 16 The [n]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick [o]or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
Imprisonment and Release
17 But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is (U)the sect of (V)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and (W)put them in a public prison. 19 But during the night (X)an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said, 20 “Go, stand and [p]speak to the people in the temple area [q](Y)the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple area (Z)about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when (AA)the high priest and his associates came, they called (AB)the [r]Council together, that is, all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison for them to be brought. 22 But (AC)the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported, 23 saying, “We found the prison locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when (AD)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [s]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!” 26 Then (AE)the captain went along with (AF)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for (AG)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
27 When they had brought them, they had them stand [t]before (AH)the Council. The high priest interrogated them, 28 saying, “We gave you (AI)strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and [u]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and (AJ)intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “(AK)We must obey God rather than men. 30 (AL)The God of our fathers (AM)raised up Jesus, whom you (AN)put to death by hanging Him on [v](AO)a cross. 31 (AP)He is the one whom God exalted [w]to His right hand as a [x](AQ)Prince and a (AR)Savior, to grant (AS)repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are (AT)witnesses [y]of these things; and (AU)so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Gamaliel’s Counsel
33 But when they heard this, they became (AV)infuriated and nearly decided to execute them. 34 But a Pharisee named (AW)Gamaliel, a (AX)teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in (AY)the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful as to what you are about to do with these men. 36 For, some time ago Theudas appeared, (AZ)claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. [z]But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee appeared in the days of (BA)the census and drew away some people after him; he also perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. 38 And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if the source of this plan or [aa]movement (BB)is men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found (BC)fighting against God.”
40 They followed his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they (BD)flogged them and ordered them not to [ab]speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the [ac](BE)Council, (BF)rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame (BG)for His name. 42 (BH)And every day, in the temple and [ad]from house to house, they did not stop teaching and (BI)preaching the good news of Jesus as the [ae]Christ.
The Lord Surrounds His People.
A Song of Ascents.
125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion, which (A)cannot be moved but (B)remains forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So (C)the Lord surrounds His people
(D)From this time and forever.
3 For the (E)scepter of wickedness will not rest upon the [a]land of the righteous,
So that the righteous (F)will not extend their hands to do wrong.
25 (A)There is a way which seems right to a person,
But its end is the way of death.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.