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David’s Instructions for Solomon
2 The days of David came near for him to die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the world. Be strong and be courageous.[a] 3 You shall keep the charge of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, as are written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and everywhere you turn, 4 so that Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed of their way, to walk before me in faithfulness, with all their heart and with all their soul, no man of yours will be cut off from the throne of Israel.’”
5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me when he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Jether, and he murdered them and put the blood of war in a time of peace. He put the blood of war on the leather belt that was on his waist and on the sandals which were on his feet. 6 You must act according to your wisdom, but you must not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 7 Regarding the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, you shall do loyal love and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 And look, Shimei the son of Gera the son of the Benjaminite from Bahurim is with you. Now he cursed me severely[b] when I went to Mahanaim, but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, so I swore to him by Yahweh, ‘I surely will not kill you with the sword.’ 9 So then, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you must do to him. You must bring his grey hair down to Sheol with blood.”
10 Then David slept with his ancestors[c] and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Adonijah’s Persistence
13 Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she said, “Are you coming in peace?”[d] He said, “Peace.” 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?”[e] Then she said, “Go on.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingship was mine and that all Israel had set their face toward me as king, but the kingship turned around and became my brother’s, for it was from Yahweh for him to have it. 16 Now one request I am asking from you, and you must not refuse me.”[f] Then she said to him, “Go on.” 17 He said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, so that he will give to me Abishag the Shunnamite as wife.” 18 Then Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king concerning you.”
Solomon’s Responses to Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei
19 Bathsheba came to King Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonijah, and the king got up to meet her, bowed down to her, and then sat on his throne. Then he set up a throne for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 She said, “I have one small request I am asking from you. Do not refuse me.”[g] The king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”[h] 21 Then she said, “Let Abishag the Shunnamite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.” 22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Why are you asking Abishag the Shunnamite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom, for he is my brother, older than I; and ask for him also Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “Thus may God do to me and thus may he add, if Adonijah hasn’t spoken this thing at the expense of his life. 24 So then, as Yahweh lives,[i] who has established me and seated me on the throne of my father David and who has established for me a dynasty as he promised, then surely Adonijah will be put to death today.” 25 King Solomon sent through the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, so he struck him, and he died.
26 To Abiathar the priest, the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your field, for you deserve to die,[j] but on this day I will not kill you, for you carried the ark of the Lord Yahweh before David my father, and because you endured hardship in all the hardship that my father endured.” 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to Yahweh, thus fulfilling the word which Yahweh had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the message came to Joab (now Joab had supported[k] Adonijah but had not supported[l] Absalom), he fled to the tent of Yahweh and grasped the horns of the altar. 29 It was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was beside the altar. So Solomon sent word to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go and fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah went to the tent of Yahweh, and he said to him, “Thus says the king: ‘Come out.’” And he said, “No, for I want to die here.” So Benaiah returned a word to the king, saying, “Thus Joab spoke, and thus he answered me.” 31 Then the king said to him, “Do as he spoke; fall upon him and bury him, and so you shall remove the innocent blood that Joab shed from on me and from on the house of my father. 32 Yahweh will return his blood on his head, because he fell upon two men, more righteous and better than he, and he killed them with the sword, even though my father did not know it; namely Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 And their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David and his descendants and for his house and his throne, there will be peace forever from Yahweh.” 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, and he fell on him and killed him, and he was buried in his house in the wilderness. 35 Then the king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you must not go out anywhere whatsoever[m] from there. 37 It shall happen that on the day you go out and cross over the Wadi[n] Kidron, know for certain that you will surely die.[o] Your blood will be on your head.” 38 Shimei said to the king, “The word is good that my lord the king has spoken to me; thus will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 It happened that at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves fled to Achish, son of Maacah, the king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, “Your slaves are here in Gath.” 40 So Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and he went to Gath, to Achish, to search for his slaves. So Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh? I warned you, saying, ‘On the day you go out and you go anywhere whatsoever,[p] know for certain that you will surely die.’[q] And you said to me, ‘The word is good; I accept.’ 43 Why have you not kept the oath of Yahweh and the command which I commanded you?” 44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which your heart knows, what you did to David my father. Now Yahweh will return the evil on your head, 45 but King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever.” 46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Solomon’s Walk with Yahweh
3 Solomon intermarried with Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he took the daughter of Pharaoh and brought her to the city of David until he finished building his house, the house of Yahweh, and the walls of Jerusalem all around. 2 But the people were sacrificing on the high places, for the house for the name of Yahweh had not yet been built in those days.
Ananias and Sapphira Lie to the Holy Spirit
5 Now a certain man named[a] Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and he kept back for himself some of the proceeds, and his[b] wife was aware of it.[c] And he brought a certain part and[d] placed it[e] at the feet of the apostles. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, for what reason has Satan filled your heart, that you lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back for yourself some of the proceeds of the piece of land? 4 When it[f] remained to you, did it not remain yours? And when it[g] was sold, was it at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people, but to God!”
5 And when[h] Ananias heard these words, he fell down and[i] died. And great fear came on all those who heard about it.[j] 6 So the young men stood up, wrapped him up, and carried him[k] out and[l] buried him.[m] 7 And it happened that there was an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you both[n] were paid this much for the piece of land.” And she said, “Yes, this much.” 9 So Peter said to her, “How is it that it was agreed by you two[o] to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 And immediately she fell down at his feet and died. So when[p] the young men came in, they found her dead, and carried her[q] out and[r] buried her[s] with her husband. 11 And great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard about these things.
Many Signs and Wonders Are Performed by the Apostles
12 Now many signs and wonders were being performed among the people through the hands of the apostles. And they were all together[t] in Solomon’s Portico. 13 And none of the rest dared to join them, but the people spoke highly of them. 14 And even more believers in the Lord[u] were being added, large numbers of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and put them[v] on cots and mats[w] so that when[x] Peter came by, at least his[y] shadow would fall on some of them. 16 And the people of the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, who were all being healed.
The Apostles Arrested and Imprisoned
17 Now the high priest rose up and all those who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and[z] they were filled with jealousy. 18 And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out and[aa] said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts[ab] and[ac] proclaim to the people all the words of this life.” 21 And when they[ad] heard this,[ae] they entered at daybreak into the temple courts[af] and began teaching.[ag]
Now when[ah] the high priest and those with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin—even the whole council of elders of the sons of Israel—and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But the officers who came[ai] did not find them in the prison, and they returned and[aj] reported, 23 saying, “We found the prison locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but when we[ak] opened them,[al] we found no one inside!” 24 Now when both the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed concerning them, as to what this might be. 25 But someone came and[am] reported to them, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple courts[an] and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain went with the officers and[ao] brought them, not with force (for they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned by them).[ap]
The Apostles on Trial Before the Sanhedrin
27 And when they[aq] had brought them, they made them[ar] stand in the Sanhedrin,[as] and the high priest put a question to them, 28 saying, “We strictly commanded[at] you[au] not to teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching! And you are intending to bring upon us the blood of this man!” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered and[av] said, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by[aw] hanging him[ax] on a tree. 31 This one God has exalted to his right hand as Leader and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses of these things, and so is[ay] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 Now when[az] they heard this,[ba] they were infuriated, and were wanting to execute them. 34 But a certain man stood up in the Sanhedrin,[bb] a Pharisee named[bc] Gamaliel, a teacher of the law respected by all the people, and[bd] gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, “Men and Israelites, take care for yourselves what you are about to do to these men! 36 For before these days, Theudas rose up saying he was somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him.[be] He[bf] was executed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and caused people to follow him in revolt.[bg] And that one perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 And now I tell you, keep away from these men, and leave them alone, because if this plan or this matter is from people, it will be overthrown.[bh] 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you even be found fighting against God.” So they were persuaded by him. 40 And they summoned the apostles, beat them,[bi] commanded them[bj] not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.[bk] 41 So they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin[bl] rejoicing, because they had been considered worthy to be dishonored for the sake of the name. 42 Every day, both in the temple courts[bm] and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ[bn] was Jesus.
Confidence in Yahweh’s Protection
A song of ascents.[a]
125 Those who trust in Yahweh
are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved,
but abides forever.
2 As mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so Yahweh is round about his people,
from now until forever.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land[b] of the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wickedness.[c]
4 Do good, O Yahweh, to the good,
and to those upright in their hearts.
5 But regarding those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
Yahweh will lead them away with the evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel.
25 There is a way that seems upright to[a] a man,
but its end is the way of death.
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