Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 111[a]
Praise of God for His Wondrous Works
1 Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart[b]
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord;[c]
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 His deeds[d] show forth majesty and splendor,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has won renown for his wonders;[e]
gracious and compassionate is the Lord.
5 He provides food for those who fear him,[f]
and is forever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has manifested the power of his works to his people
by giving them the lands[g] of the nations.
7 The works of his hands[h] are faithful and right,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever
to be observed in fidelity and truthfulness.
9 He has granted deliverance to his people
and established his covenant forever;
holy and awe-inspiring is his name.[i]
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;[j]
those who are guided by it will grow in understanding.
His praise will last forever.
The Reign of Solomon
Chapter 1
Help for King David. 1 Now King David was old, well on in years. They would cover him up, but he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “My lord, the king, let a young virgin be found for you to attend to you and to care for you. She can lie alongside of you so that my lord, the king, can keep warm.” 3 And so they searched for a beautiful young woman all throughout the territory of Israel, and they found Abishag the Shunamite, and they brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful, and she cared for the king. She served the king, but he did not have intimate relations with her.
Adonijah’s Plan. 5 Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exulted himself saying, “I will be king.” He had his own chariots and horsemen, and he had fifty men to run in front of him.[a] 6 His father never rebuked him by saying, “Why have you done this?” He was very handsome, and he had been born after Absalom.
7 Adonijah conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, and they helped Adonijah and followed after him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, David’s brave warriors, did not side with Adonijah.
9 [b]Adonijah sacrificed some sheep, oxen, and fatted calves at the stone of Zoheleth in En-rogel. He invited all of his brethren, the king’s sons, and all of the men of Judah, the king’s servants, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the king’s brave men, or Solomon, his brother.
11 Solomon Becomes King. Nathan, therefore, spoke to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, is reigning, and our lord David does not know about it. 12 Come and let me give you counsel, so that I may save my own life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 “Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did not my lord, the king, make an oath to your handmaid, saying, “Solomon, your son, will reign after me and will sit upon my throne? Why, then, is Adonijah reigning?” 14 While you are still speaking with the king, I will arrive and confirm your words.’ ”
15 So Bathsheba went into the king’s chamber. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunamite served the king.[c] 16 Bathsheba bowed down, paying obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you want?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you made an oath to your handmaid by the Lord, your God, saying, ‘Solomon, your son, will reign after me, and he will sit upon my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah is reigning, and my king does not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed many oxen, fatted calves, and sheep, and he has invited all of the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.
20 “Now, my lord, the king, the eyes of all of Israel are upon you. They want you to tell them who will sit upon your throne, my lord, the king.[d] 21 Otherwise when my lord, the king, sleeps with his fathers, I and Solomon, my son, will be condemned.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet entered. 23 They announced to the king, “Nathan the prophet.” He came before the king and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. 24 Nathan said, “Has my lord, the king, said, ‘Adonijah will rule after me and he will sit upon my throne?’ 25 Today he went down and sacrificed many oxen, fatted calves, and sheep, and he invited all of the king’s sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking with him, and they are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite myself, your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, nor Solomon, your servant. 27 Has my lord, the king, done this thing without informing your servant about who is to sit upon your throne after you, O lord, my king?”
28 Then King David said, “Summon Bathsheba.” She came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king then swore an oath, saying, “As the Lord lives who has delivered me from all of my adversities, 30 and as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel saying, ‘Solomon, your son, will reign after me, and he will sit upon my throne in my place,’ I will fulfill it today.”
Accusation against Stephen.[a] 8 Stephen, a man filled with grace and power, began to work great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, people from Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as others from Cilicia and Asia, came forward to debate with Stephen. 10 However, they were unable to refute him because of his wisdom and the Spirit who inspired his speech.
11 So they bribed some men to say, “We heard this Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 After this, stirring up the people as well as the elders and the scribes, they seized Stephen, placed him under arrest, and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 Then they called forward false witnesses who claimed, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. 14 For we have heard him assert that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the traditions that Moses handed down to us.” 15 All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared like the face of an angel.
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