Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise the Lord’s Goodness
111 Praise the Lord!
I will ·thank [praise] the Lord with all my heart
in the ·meeting of his good people [council of the upright/virtuous, in the assembly].
2 The ·Lord does great things [L deeds of the Lord are great];
those who enjoy them ·seek [study] them.
3 ·What he does is [L His deeds are] ·glorious [beautiful] and ·splendid [majestic],
and his ·goodness [righteousness] ·continues [stands] forever.
4 His ·miracles [wonderful acts] are ·unforgettable [remembered; well-known].
The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·merciful [compassionate].
5 He gives ·food [L prey] to those who fear him [Prov. 1:7].
He remembers his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever.
6 He has ·shown [proclaimed to] his people ·his power [L the power/strength of his deeds]
when he gave them the ·lands [L inheritance] of other nations [C the conquest; Josh. 1–12].
7 ·Everything he does is [L The deeds of his hands are] ·good [faithful; true] and ·fair [just];
all his ·orders [precepts] ·can be trusted [are faithful/true/reliable].
8 They will ·continue [endure; be unshakeable] forever.
They were made ·true [faithful] and ·right [virtuous; with integrity].
9 He ·sets his people free [L sent redemption to his people].
He ·made his agreement everlasting [L commanded his covenant/treaty forever].
·He [L His name] is holy and ·wonderful [awesome].
10 ·Wisdom begins with respect for [L The beginning/foundation of wisdom is fear of] the Lord [Prov. 1:7];
those who ·obey [L do] ·his orders [L them] have good ·understanding [insight].
He ·should be praised [endures; L stands] forever.
Adonijah Tries to Become King
1 At this time King David was ·very old [L old and advanced in years], and although his servants covered him with ·blankets [bedclothes], he could not keep warm. 2 They said to him, “·We will look for [Let us find] a young woman to ·care for you [L serve/wait on my lord the king]. She will lie ·close to you [L in your bosom] and keep you warm.” 3 After searching everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman, they found a girl named Abishag from Shunam and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful, and she cared for the king and served him. But the king did not have sexual relations with her.
5 Adonijah was the son of King David and Haggith, and he ·was very proud [began boasting; L exalted himself]. “I will be the king,” he said. So he got chariots and ·horses [or horsemen; charioteers] for himself and fifty men ·for his personal bodyguard [L to run ahead of him]. 6 Now David had never ·interfered with [disciplined; crossed; rebuked] Adonijah by ·questioning what he did [L asking, “Why are you doing that?”]. Born next after Absalom, Adonijah was a very handsome man.
7 Adonijah ·spoke [conferred] with Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest, and they agreed to ·help [support] him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and King David’s ·special guard [L mighty men] did not join Adonijah.
9 Then Adonijah killed some sheep, ·cows [oxen], and fat calves for sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring of Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come, as well as all the men of Judah. 10 But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, ·his father’s special guard [L the mighty men], or his brother Solomon.
11 When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Have you heard that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has ·made himself [become] king?” Nathan asked. “Our ·real king, [lord] David, does not know it. 12 Now I will give you advice on how to save yourself and your son Solomon. 13 Go to King David and tell him, ‘My master and king, ·you promised [L didn’t you promise/vow/swear…?] that my son Solomon would be king and would rule on your throne after you. Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still talking to the king, I will come in and ·tell him that what you have said about Adonijah is true [confirm your words].”
15 So Bathsheba went in to see the aged king in his bedroom, where Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him. 16 Bathsheba bowed and knelt before the king. He asked, “What do you ·want [wish]?”
17 She answered, “My master, you ·made a promise [vowed; swore] to me in the name of the Lord your God. You said, ‘Your son Solomon will surely become king after me, and he will ·rule [sit] on my throne.’ 18 But now, unknown to you, Adonijah ·has become [is] king. 19 He has killed many ·cows [oxen], fat calves, and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite Solomon, who serves you. 20 My master and king, ·all the Israelites are watching you [L the eyes of Israel are on you], waiting for you to decide who will ·be [L sit on the throne of my lord the] king after you. 21 Otherwise, as soon as ·you die [L my lord the king sleeps with his fathers/ancestors], Solomon and I will be treated as ·criminals [offenders].”
22 While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king and ·bowed facedown [prostrated himself] on the ground before him.
24 Nathan said, “My ·master and [lord the] king, have you ·said [decreed] that Adonijah will be the king after you and that he will ·rule [sit] on your throne? 25 Today he has sacrificed many ·cows [oxen], fat calves, and sheep, and he has invited all ·your other [the king’s] sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me, your own servant, or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your ·son [L servant] Solomon. 27 Did ·you [the lord my king] do this? Since we are your servants, why didn’t you tell us who should ·be [L sit on the throne of the lord my] king after you?”
David Makes Solomon King
28 Then the king said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in!” So she came in and stood before the king.
29 Then the king ·made this promise [vowed; swore this oath], “The Lord has ·saved [rescued; delivered] me from all ·trouble [adversity; danger; distress]. As surely as he lives, 30 I will do today what I have ·promised [vowed/sworn to] you ·in the name of [by] the Lord, the God of Israel. I ·promised [vowed/swore to] that your son Solomon would be king after me and ·rule [sit] on my throne in my place.”
Stephen Is Accused
8 Stephen was ·richly blessed by God who gave him the power [L full of grace and power] to do great ·miracles [wonders] and signs among the people. 9 But some people ·were [rose up] against him. They belonged to the synagogue of Free Men [C Jews who were freed slaves] (as it was called), which included people from Cyrene, Alexandria [C both in North Africa], Cilicia, and Asia [C both in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. They all ·came [rose up; came forward] and ·argued [debated; disputed] with Stephen.
10 But ·the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him [L they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit/spirit by which he spoke]. 11 So they ·secretly urged [or bribed] some men to say, “We heard Stephen ·speak [L speaking blasphemous words] against Moses and against God.”
12 They ·stirred up [roused; incited] the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law. They ·came [or confronted] and grabbed Stephen and brought him to ·a meeting of the leaders [L the Sanhedrin; 4:15]. 13 They brought in some ·people to tell lies about Stephen [L false witnesses], saying, “This man is always speaking against this holy place [C the Temple] and the law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene] will destroy this place and that Jesus will change the customs Moses gave us [C for a similar charge leveled against Jesus see Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58].” 15 All the people [who sat] in the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·were watching Stephen closely [or stared intently at Stephen] ·and [or because they] saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
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