One Year Bible.

Abishag Cares for David

¹Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm. ²So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

³Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. ⁴The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.

Adonijah Usurps the Kingdom

⁵At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

⁶(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)

⁷So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him. ⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

⁹And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king. ¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

Nathan and Bathsheba before David

¹¹Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it? ¹²Now please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

¹⁵So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him. ¹⁶And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

¹⁷“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it. ¹⁹And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not invited your servant Solomon. ²⁰And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”

²²And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.

²⁴“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’? ²⁵For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶But me your servant he has not invited, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. ²⁷Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”

David Renews His Oath to Bathsheba

²⁸Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

²⁹And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, ³⁰I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

³¹Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

Solomon Anointed King

³²Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.

³³“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. ³⁴There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. ³⁷Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”

³⁸Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. ³⁹Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁴⁰All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.

Adonijah Learns of Solomon’s Kingship

⁴¹Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.

⁴²As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”

⁴³“Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.

⁴⁶Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.

⁴⁷The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’

And the king has bowed in worship on his bed, ⁴⁸saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’”

⁴⁹At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered. ⁵⁰But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.

⁵¹It was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’”

⁵²And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”

⁵³So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”

David Commissions Solomon

¹Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials and mighty men— every mighty man of valor.

²Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build it, ³but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has shed blood.’

⁴Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel. ⁵And of all my sons— for the LORD has given me many sons— He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. ⁶And He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father. ⁷I will establish his kingdom forever, if he resolutely carries out My commandments and ordinances, as is being done this day.’

⁸So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever. ⁹As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. ¹⁰Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

The Plans for the Temple

¹¹Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat. ¹²The plans contained everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things, ¹³for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD:

¹⁴the weight of all the gold articles for every kind of service;

the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service;

¹⁵the weight of the gold lampstands and their lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps;

the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;

¹⁶the weight of gold for each table of showbread, and of silver for the silver tables;

¹⁷the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers;

the weight of each gold dish;

the weight of each silver bowl;

¹⁸the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense;

and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

¹⁹“All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”

²⁰David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. ²¹The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”

The Beheading of John

¹At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus ²and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ⁴because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.

⁶On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod ⁷so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.

⁸Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

⁹The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted ¹⁰and sent to have John beheaded in the prison.

¹¹John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

¹²Then John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

¹³When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds found out about it and followed Him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

¹⁶“They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸“Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. ¹⁹And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹About five thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on Water

²²Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. ²³After He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, ²⁴but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

²⁸“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”

²⁹“Come,” said Jesus.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

³²And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. ³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret

³⁴When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him ³⁶and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

The Tradition of the Elders

¹Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ²“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

³Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ⁵But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ⁶he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:

⁸‘These people honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me.

⁹They worship Me in vain;

they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

What Defiles a Man

¹⁰Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

¹²Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

¹³But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. ¹⁴Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

¹⁶“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. ²⁰These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

²¹Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

²³But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

²⁹Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down. ³⁰Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them. ³¹The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

³²Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”

³³The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”

³⁴“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

³⁷They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸A total of four thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

³⁹After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.