Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Be Praised

111 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart where those who are right with God gather together and in the meeting of the people. ² The works of the Lord are great. All who find joy in them try to understand them. ³ His work is great and powerful. And He is right and good forever. ⁴ He has made His great works to be remembered. The Lord shows loving-favor and pity. ⁵ He gives food to those who fear Him. He will remember His agreement forever. ⁶ He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the land of other nations.

⁷ The works of His hands are faithful and right. All His Laws are true. ⁸ They stand strong forever and ever. They are done by what is true and right. ⁹ He has made a way for His people to be free. He has set up His agreement forever. His holy name is to be honored with fear. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All who obey His Laws have good understanding. His praise lasts forever.

Adonijah Makes Himself King

1 Now King David was old. He had lived many years. They covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. ² So his servants said to him, “Let a young woman who has never had a man be found for my lord the king. Let her help the king and become his nurse. And let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” ³ So they looked through all the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and found Abishag the Shunammite. And they brought her to the king. ⁴ The girl was very beautiful. She became the king’s nurse and helped him. But the king did not have sex with her.

⁵ Now Haggith’s son Adonijah honored himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he made war-wagons and horsemen ready for himself, with fifty men to run in front of him. ⁶ His father had never troubled him at any time by asking, “Why have you done this?” He was a very good-looking man also, and was born next after Absalom. ⁷ He spoke with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the religious leader. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. ⁸ But Zadok the religious leader, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the man of God, Shimei, Rei, and David’s strong men, were not with Adonijah.

⁹ Adonijah killed sheep and cattle and fat animals by the stone of Zoheleth, beside En-rogel. He asked all his brothers, the king’s sons and all the king’s men of Judah to come. ¹⁰ But he did not ask Nathan the man of God, Benaiah, the strong men or his brother Solomon to come.

¹¹ Then Nathan said to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it? ¹² So now come, let me give you words of wisdom and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go to King David and say to him, ‘My lord, O king, have you not promised your woman servant, saying, “For sure your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ While you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and tell him your words are true.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was helping him. ¹⁶ Bathsheba put her face to the ground in front of the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?” ¹⁷ She said to him, “My lord, you promised your woman servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘For sure your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ Now, see, Adonijah is king. And my lord the king, you do not know it. ¹⁹ He has killed many cattle and sheep and fat animals. He has asked all the king’s sons and Abiathar the religious leader and Joab the captain of the army to come. But he has not asked your servant Solomon to come. ²⁰ Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you. They are waiting for you to tell them who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹ Or else as soon as my lord the king is dead, I and my son Solomon will be thought of as wrong-doers.”

²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the man of God came in. ²³ They told the king, “Here is Nathan who speaks for God.” When Nathan came in front of the king, he put his face to the ground. ²⁴ Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne’? ²⁵ For he has gone down today and has killed many cattle and sheep and fat animals. He has asked all the king’s sons and the captains of the army and Abiathar the religious leader to come. They are eating and drinking with him, and are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But he has not asked me your servant, Zadok the religious leader, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon, to come. ²⁷ Has this been done by my lord the king? Have you not shown your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Makes Solomon King

²⁸ King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came and stood in front of the king. ²⁹ The king made a promise and said, “As the Lord lives, Who has saved me from all trouble, ³⁰ I promised you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne in my place.’ And I will even do so this day.”

Stephen Is Brought in Front of the Religious Leaders’ Court

⁸ Stephen was a man full of faith and power. He did many great things among the people. ⁹ But some men came from their place of worship who were known as the Free people. They started to argue with Stephen. These men were from the countries of Cyrene and Alexandria and Cilicia and Asia. ¹⁰ Stephen spoke with wisdom and power given by the Holy Spirit. They were not able to say anything against what he said. ¹¹ So they told other men to say, “We have heard him say things against Moses and God.” ¹² In this way they got the people talking against Stephen. The leaders of the people and the teachers of the Law came and took him to the religious leaders’ court. ¹³ The people were told to lie and say, “This man keeps on talking against this place of worship and the Law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is going to pull down this place. He is going to change what Moses taught us.’”

¹⁵ The men sitting in the religious leaders’ court were looking at Stephen. They all saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.