1 Kings 1; 1 Kings 2; Psalms 37; Psalms 71; Psalms 94

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1 Kings 1

1 King David had grown old, and although he was covered with blankets, he couldn't get warm.

2 His officials told him, "Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm."

3 So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.

4 The woman was very beautiful. She became the king's servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.

5 Adonijah, son of Haggith, was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after Maacah had Absalom. Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him.

6 His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this.

7 But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him.

8 But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David's [thirty] fighting men did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king's [other] sons, all the men of Judah, and the king's officials.

10 But he didn't invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the fighting men, or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan asked Solomon's mother Bathsheba, "Haven't you heard that Adonijah, Haggith's son, has become king, and our master David doesn't [even] know about it?

12 Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son's life.

13 Go to King David and ask him, 'Your Majesty, didn't you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?'

14 And while you're still there talking to the king, I'll come in and confirm what you have said."

15 Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him.

16 Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. "What do you want?" the king asked.

17 "Sir," she answered, "You took an oath to the LORD your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne.

18 But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don't [even] know anything about it, Your Majesty.

19 He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army [to his feast]. But he hasn't invited your servant Solomon.

20 All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne.

21 Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors."

22 While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived.

23 The servants told the king, "The prophet Nathan is here." When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him.

24 Nathan said, "Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne,

25 because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king's sons, the army's commanders, and the priest Abiathar [to his feast]. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!'

26 But he didn't invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada's son, or your servant Solomon.

27 Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?"

28 Then King David answered, "Call Bathsheba in here." So she stood in front of him,

29 and he swore an oath. He said, "I solemnly swear, as the LORD who has saved my life from all trouble lives,

30 I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne."

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. "May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!" she said.

32 King David said, "Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada." So they came to the king,

33 and he said, "Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon.

34 Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram's horn and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'

35 Follow him [back] here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah."

36 "So be it!" Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. "The LORD your God says so too.

37 As the LORD has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David."

38 Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon.

39 The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram's horn, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!"

40 All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

41 Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, "What's the reason for the noise in the city?"

42 He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. "Come in," Adonijah said. "You're an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news."

43 "Not at all," Jonathan answered Adonijah. "His Majesty King David has made Solomon king.

44 The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king's mule.

45 The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard.

46 Solomon is now seated on the royal throne.

47 Furthermore, the royal officials have come [to congratulate] His Majesty King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.' The king himself bowed down on his bed

48 and said, 'Praise the LORD God of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.'"

49 Adonijah's guests were frightened, so they got up and scattered in all directions.

50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went [to the tent of meeting,] and took hold of the horns of the altar.

51 Someone told Solomon, "Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, 'Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.'"

52 Solomon said, "If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does [anything] wrong, he will die."

53 King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. "Go home," Solomon told him.

1 Kings 2

1 When David was about to die, he instructed his son Solomon,

2 "I'm about to leave this world. Be strong and mature.

3 Fulfill your duty to the LORD your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses' Teachings. Then you'll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go.

4 [You'll succeed] because the LORD will keep the promise he made to me: 'If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.'

5 "You know what Joab (Zeruiah's son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel's army--Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.

6 Use your wisdom. Don't let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.

7 "Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

8 "Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the LORD and said, 'As long as I'm king, I won't have you killed.'

9 Now, don't let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him."

10 David lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.

11 He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon sat on his father David's throne, and his power was firmly established.

13 Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. "Is this a friendly visit?" she asked. "Yes," he answered.

14 Then he added, "I have a matter [to discuss] with you." "What is it?" she asked.

15 He said, "You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because the LORD gave it to him.

16 Now I want to ask you for one thing. Don't refuse me." "What is it?" she asked.

17 He said, "Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife. He will not refuse you."

18 "Very well," Bathsheba answered. "I will talk to the king for you."

19 Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him on Adonijah's behalf. The king got up to meet her and bowed down in front of her. Then he sat on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother, and she sat at his right side.

20 "I'm asking you for one little thing," she said. "Don't refuse me." "Ask, Mother," the king told her. "I won't refuse you."

21 She replied, "Let Abishag from Shunem be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife."

22 King Solomon then said, "Why do you ask that Abishag from Shunem be given to Adonijah? That would be the same as giving him the kingship. After all, he is my older brother. The priest Abiathar and Joab (Zeruiah's son) are supporting him."

23 King Solomon took an oath by the LORD and said, "May God strike me dead if Adonijah doesn't pay with his life for this request!

24 The LORD set me on my father David's throne and gave me a dynasty as he promised. So I solemnly swear, as the LORD who has established me lives, that Adonijah will be put to death today."

25 King Solomon gave this task to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. Benaiah attacked and killed Adonijah.

26 The king told the priest Abiathar, "Go to your land in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won't kill you at this time because you carried the ark of the Almighty LORD ahead of my father David and because you shared all my father's sufferings."

27 So Solomon removed Abiathar as the LORD's priest and fulfilled the LORD's word spoken at Shiloh about Eli's family.

28 The news reached Joab. (He had supported Adonijah, although he hadn't supported Absalom.) So Joab fled to the LORD's tent and clung to the horns of the altar.

29 After King Solomon heard that Joab had fled to the altar in the tent of the LORD, Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to kill Joab.

30 When Benaiah came to the tent of the LORD, he told Joab, "The king says, 'Come out.'" "No," Joab answered, "I'll die here." So Benaiah reported to the king what Joab had said and how he had answered.

31 The king answered, "Do as he said. Kill him, and bury him. You can remove the innocent blood--the blood which Joab shed--from me and my father's family.

32 The LORD will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel's army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah's army). Joab did this without my father's knowledge.

33 The responsibility for their blood will fall on Joab and his descendants forever. But may David, his descendants, family, and throne always receive peace from the LORD."

34 Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and attacked Joab, killed him, and buried him at his home in the desert.

35 The king then appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to replace Joab as commander of the army. King Solomon also replaced Abiathar with the priest Zadok.

36 The king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and stay there. Don't leave [the city] to go anywhere else.

37 But the day you leave and cross the brook in the Kidron Valley, you can be certain that you will die. You will be responsible for your own death."

38 "Very well," Shimei answered. "I'll do just what Your Majesty said." So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39 But after three years, two of Shimei's slaves fled to Gath's King Achish, son of Maacah. Shimei was told that his slaves were in Gath,

40 so he saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went to Gath and got his slaves.

41 After Solomon heard that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and back,

42 he summoned Shimei. Solomon asked him, "Didn't I make you take an oath by the LORD? Didn't I warn you that if you left [the city] to go anywhere, you could be certain that you would die? Didn't you say to me, 'Very well. I'll do just what you said'?

43 Why didn't you keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?

44 Shimei, you know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. The LORD is going to pay you back for the evil you have done.

45 But King Solomon is blessed, and David's dynasty will always be firmly established by the LORD."

46 Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He went to attack and kill Shimei. Solomon's power as king was now firmly established.

Psalms 37

1 Do not be preoccupied with evildoers. Do not envy those who do wicked things.

2 They will quickly dry up like grass and wither away like green plants.

3 Trust the LORD, and do good things. Live in the land, and practice being faithful.

4 Be happy with the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Entrust your ways to the LORD. Trust him, and he will act [on your behalf].

6 He will make your righteousness shine like a light, your just cause like the noonday sun.

7 Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with [an evildoer] who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes.

8 Let go of anger, and leave rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil.

9 Evildoers will be cut off [from their inheritance], but those who wait with hope for the LORD will inherit the land.

10 In a little while a wicked person will vanish. Then you can carefully examine where he was, but there will be no trace of him.

11 Oppressed people will inherit the land and will enjoy unlimited peace.

12 The wicked person plots against a righteous one and grits his teeth at him.

13 The Lord laughs at him because he has seen that his time is coming.

14 Wicked people pull out their swords and bend their bows to kill oppressed and needy people, to slaughter those who are decent.

15 [But] their own swords will pierce their hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 The little that the righteous person has is better than the wealth of many wicked people.

17 The arms of wicked people will be broken, but the LORD continues to support righteous people.

18 The LORD knows the daily [struggles] of innocent people. Their inheritance will last forever.

19 They will not be put to shame in trying times. Even in times of famine they will be satisfied.

20 But wicked people will disappear. The LORD's enemies will vanish like the best part of a meadow. They will vanish like smoke.

21 A wicked person borrows, but he does not repay. A righteous person is generous and giving.

22 Those who are blessed by him will inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

23 A person's steps are directed by the LORD, and the LORD delights in his way.

24 When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst because the LORD holds on to his hand.

25 I have been young, and now I am old, but I have never seen a righteous person abandoned or his descendants begging for food.

26 He is always generous and lends freely. His descendants are a blessing.

27 Avoid evil, do good, and live forever.

28 The LORD loves justice, and he will not abandon his godly ones. They will be kept safe forever, but the descendants of wicked people will be cut off.

29 Righteous people will inherit the land and live there permanently.

30 The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom. His tongue speaks what is fair.

31 The teachings of his God are in his heart. His feet do not slip.

32 The wicked person watches the righteous person and seeks to kill him.

33 But the LORD will not abandon him to the wicked person's power or condemn him when he is brought to trial.

34 Wait with hope for the LORD, and follow his path, and he will honor you by giving you the land. When wicked people are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked person [acting like] a tyrant, spreading himself out like a large cedar tree.

36 But he moved on, and now there is no trace of him. I searched for him, but he could not be found.

37 Notice the innocent person, and look at the decent person, because the peacemaker has a future.

38 But rebels will be completely destroyed. The future of wicked people will be cut off.

39 The victory for righteous people comes from the LORD. He is their fortress in times of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and rescues them. He rescues them from wicked people. He saves them because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalms 71

1 I have taken refuge in you, O LORD. Never let me be put to shame.

2 Rescue me and free me because of your righteousness. Turn your ear toward me, and save me.

3 Be a rock on which I may live, a place where I may always go. You gave the order to save me! Indeed, you are my rock and my fortress.

4 My God, free me from the hands of a wicked person, from the grasp of one who is cruel and unjust.

5 You are my hope, O Almighty LORD. You have been my confidence ever since I was young.

6 I depended on you before I was born. You took me from my mother's womb. My songs of praise constantly speak about you.

7 I have become an example to many people, but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise, with your glory all day long.

9 Do not reject me when I am old or abandon me when I lose my strength.

10 My enemies talk about me. They watch me as they plot to take my life.

11 They say, "God has abandoned him. Pursue him and grab him because there is no one to rescue him."

12 O God, do not be so distant from me. O my God, come quickly to help me.

13 Let those who accuse me come to a shameful end. Let those who want my downfall be covered with disgrace and humiliation.

14 But I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more.

15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, about your salvation all day long. Even then, it is more than I can understand.

16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Almighty LORD. I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, you have taught me ever since I was young, and I still talk about the miracles you have done.

18 Even when I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me live to tell the people of this age what your strength has accomplished, to tell about your power to all who will come.

19 Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God. You have done great things. O God, who is like you?

20 You have made me endure many terrible troubles. You restore me to life again. You bring me back from the depths of the earth.

21 You comfort me and make me greater than ever.

22 Because of your faithfulness, O my God, even I will give thanks to you as I play on a lyre. I will make music with a harp to praise you, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will sing with joy when I make music to praise you. My soul, which you have rescued, also will sing joyfully.

24 My tongue will tell about your righteousness all day long, because those who wanted my downfall have been disgraced and put to shame.

Psalms 94

1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, appear!

2 Arise, O Judge of the earth. Give arrogant people what they deserve.

3 How long, O LORD, will wicked people triumph? How long?

4 They ramble. They speak arrogantly. All troublemakers brag about themselves.

5 They crush your people, O LORD. They make those who belong to you suffer.

6 They kill widows and foreigners, and they murder orphans.

7 They say, "The LORD doesn't see it. The God of Jacob doesn't even pay attention to it."

8 Pay attention, you stupid people! When will you become wise, you fools?

9 God created ears. Do you think he can't hear? He formed eyes. Do you think he can't see?

10 He disciplines nations. Do you think he can't punish? He teaches people. Do you think he doesn't know anything?

11 The LORD knows that people's thoughts are pointless.

12 O LORD, blessed is the person whom you discipline and instruct from your teachings.

13 You give him peace and quiet from times of trouble while a pit is dug to trap wicked people.

14 The LORD will never desert his people or abandon those who belong to him.

15 The decisions of judges will again become fair, and everyone whose motives are decent will pursue justice.

16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will stand by my side against troublemakers?

17 If the LORD had not come to help me, my soul would have quickly fallen silent [in death].

18 When I said, "My feet are slipping," your mercy, O LORD, continued to hold me up.

19 When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul.

20 Are wicked rulers who use the law to do unlawful things able to be your partners?

21 They join forces to take the lives of righteous people. They condemn innocent people to death.

22 The LORD has become my stronghold. My God has become my rock of refuge.

23 He has turned their own wickedness against them. He will destroy them because of their sins. The LORD our God will destroy them.