Month: June 2023

Solomon dedicates the temple

8 Then Solomon assembled Israel’s elders, all the tribal leaders, and the chiefs of Israel’s clans at Jerusalem to bring up the chest containing the Lord’s covenant from David’s City Zion. ² Everyone in Israel assembled before King Solomon in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim,^[a] during the festival. ³ When all of Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests picked up the chest. ⁴ They brought the Lord’s chest, the meeting tent, and all the holy equipment that was in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up, ⁵ while King Solomon and the entire Israelite assembly that had joined him before the chest sacrificed countless sheep and oxen. ⁶ The priests brought the chest containing the Lord’s covenant to its designated spot beneath the wings of the winged creatures in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the most holy place. ⁷ The winged creatures spread their wings over the place where the chest rested, covering the chest and its carrying poles. ⁸ The carrying poles were so long that their tips could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, though they weren’t visible from outside. They are still there today. ⁹ Nothing was in the chest except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there while at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they left Egypt. ¹⁰ When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the Lord’s temple, ¹¹ and the priests were unable to carry out their duties due to the cloud because the Lord’s glory filled the Lord’s temple.

¹² Then Solomon said, “The Lord said that he would live in a dark cloud, ¹³ but I have indeed built you a lofty temple as a place where you can live forever.” ¹⁴ The king turned around, and while the entire assembly of Israel was standing there, he blessed them, ¹⁵ saying, “Bless Israel’s God, the Lord, who spoke directly to my father David and now has kept his promise: ¹⁶ ‘From the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt I haven’t selected a city from any Israelite tribe as a site for the building of a temple for my name. But now I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ ¹⁷ My father David wanted to build a temple for the name of the Lord, Israel’s God.

¹⁸ “But the Lord said to my father David, ‘It is very good that you thought to build a temple for my name. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, you yourself won’t build that temple. Instead, your very own son will build the temple for my name.’ ²⁰ The Lord has kept his promise—I have succeeded my father David on Israel’s throne just as the Lord said, and I have built the temple for the name of the Lord, Israel’s God. ²¹ There I’ve placed the chest that contains the covenant that the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

²² Solomon stood before the Lord’s altar in front of the entire Israelite assembly and, spreading out his hands toward the sky, ²³ he said:

⁵⁴ As soon as Solomon finished praying and making these requests to the Lord, he got up from before the Lord’s altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out to heaven. ⁵⁵ He stood up and blessed the whole Israelite assembly in a loud voice: ⁵⁶ “May the Lord be blessed! He has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. He hasn’t neglected any part of the good promise he made through his servant Moses. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us. ⁵⁸ May he draw our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and observe his commands, his laws, and his judgments that he gave our ancestors. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine that I have cried out before the Lord remain near to the Lord our God day and night so that he may do right by his servant and his people Israel for each day’s need, ⁶⁰ and so that all the earth’s peoples may know that the Lord is God. There is no other God! ⁶¹ Now may you be committed to the Lord our God with all your heart by following his laws and observing his commands, just as you are doing right now.”

⁶² Then the king and all Israel with him sacrificed to the Lord. ⁶³ Solomon offered well-being sacrifices to the Lord: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand sheep when the king and all Israel dedicated the Lord’s temple. ⁶⁴ On that day the king made holy the middle of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s temple. He had to offer the entirely burned offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of well-being sacrifices there, because the bronze altar that was in the Lord’s presence was too small to contain the entirely burned offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the well-being sacrifices. ⁶⁵ At that time Solomon, together with all Israel, held a celebration. It was a large assembly from Lebo-hamath to the border of Egypt. They celebrated for seven days and then for another seven days in the presence of the Lord our God: fourteen days in all. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day,^[g] Solomon dismissed the people. They blessed the king and went back to their tents happy and pleased about all the good that the Lord had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people! In your thoughts and hearing, you are like those who have had no part in God’s covenant! You continuously set yourself against the Holy Spirit, just like your ancestors did. ⁵² Was there a single prophet your ancestors didn’t harass? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the righteous one, and you’ve betrayed and murdered him! ⁵³ You received the Law given by angels, but you haven’t kept it.”

⁵⁴ Once the council members heard these words, they were enraged and began to grind their teeth at Stephen. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, enabled by the Holy Spirit, stared into heaven and saw God’s majesty and Jesus standing at God’s right side. ⁵⁶ He exclaimed, “Look! I can see heaven on display and the Human One^[a] standing at God’s right side!” ⁵⁷ At this, they shrieked and covered their ears. Together, they charged at him, ⁵⁸ threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses placed their coats in the care of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ As they battered him with stones, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, accept my life!” ⁶⁰ Falling to his knees, he shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” Then he died. 8 ¹ Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder.

The church scatters

At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. ² Some pious men buried Stephen and deeply grieved over him. ³ Saul began to wreak havoc against the church. Entering one house after another, he would drag off both men and women and throw them into prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way. ⁵ Philip went down to a city in Samaria^[b] and began to preach Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds were united by what they heard Philip say and the signs they saw him perform, and they gave him their undivided attention. ⁷ With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many people, and many who were paralyzed or crippled were healed. ⁸ There was great rejoicing in that city.

⁹ Before Philip’s arrival, a certain man named Simon had practiced sorcery in that city and baffled the people of Samaria. He claimed to be a great person. ¹⁰ Everyone, from the least to the greatest, gave him their undivided attention and referred to him as “the power of God called Great.” ¹¹ He had their attention because he had baffled them with sorcery for a long time. ¹² After they came to believe Philip, who preached the good news about God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. ¹³ Even Simon himself came to believe and was baptized. Afterward, he became one of Philip’s supporters. As he saw firsthand the signs and great miracles that were happening, he was astonished.

Psalm 129

A pilgrimage song.

Solomon builds palaces

7 Now as for Solomon’s palace, it took thirteen years for him to complete its construction. ² He built the Forest of Lebanon Palace one hundred fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet in width, and forty-five feet in height. It had four rows of cedar columns with cedar engravings above the columns. ³ The palace’s cedar roof stood above forty-five beams resting on the columns, fifteen beams to each row. ⁴ Three sets of window frames faced each other. ⁵ All the doorframes were rectangular, facing each other in three sets. ⁶ He made a porch with columns that was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. Another porch was in front of these with roofed columns in front of them.^{[a] 7} He made the throne room the Hall of Justice, where he would judge. It was covered with cedar from the lower to the upper levels. ⁸ The royal residence where Solomon lived was behind this hall. It had a similar design. Solomon also made a similar palace for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter. ⁹ He built all these with the best stones cut to size, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the highest points and from the outer boundary to the great courtyard. ¹⁰ The foundation was laid with large stones of high quality, some of fifteen feet and some of twelve feet. ¹¹ Above them were high-quality stones cut to measure, as well as cedar. ¹² The surrounding great courtyard had three rows of cut stones and a row of trimmed cedar just like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and its porch.

Solomon’s temple equipment

¹³ Then King Solomon sent a message and brought Hiram from Tyre. ¹⁴ Hiram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a Tyrian skilled in bronze work. He was amazingly skillful in the techniques and knowledge for doing all kinds of work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

¹⁵ He^[b] cast two bronze pillars. Each one was twenty-seven feet high and required a cord of eighteen feet to reach around it.^{[c] 16} He made two capitals of cast bronze for the tops of the columns. They were each seven and a half feet high. ¹⁷ He made an intricate network of chains for the capitals on top of the columns, seven for each capital. ¹⁸ He made the pillars and two rows of pomegranates for each network to adorn each of the capitals. ¹⁹ The capitals on top of the columns in the porch were made like lilies, each six feet high. ²⁰ Above the round-shaped part and next to the network were two hundred pomegranates. These were placed in rows around both of the capitals on top of the columns. ²¹ He set up the columns at the temple’s porch. He named the south column Jachin. The north column he named Boaz. ²² After putting the lily shapes on top of the columns, he was finished with the columns.

²³ He also made a tank of cast metal called the Sea. It was circular in shape, fifteen feet from rim to rim, seven and a half feet high, forty-five feet in circumference. ²⁴ Under the rim were two rows of gourds completely encircling it, ten every eighteen inches, each cast in its mold. ²⁵ The Sea rested on twelve oxen with their backs toward the center, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. ²⁶ The Sea was as thick as the width of a hand. Its rim was shaped like a cup or an open lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.^[d]

²⁷ He also made ten bronze stands. Each was six feet long, six feet wide, and four and a half feet high. ²⁸ This is how each stand was made: There were panels connected between the legs. ²⁹ Lions, bulls, and winged otherworldly creatures appeared on the panels between the legs. On the legs above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths on panels hanging off the stands. ³⁰ There were four bronze wheels with bronze axles for each stand. There were four feet and supports cast for each basin with wreaths on their sides.^{[e] 31} Inside the bowl was an opening eighteen inches deep. The opening was round, measuring twenty-seven inches, with engravings. The panels of the stands were square rather than round. ³² There were four wheels beneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. Each wheel was twenty-seven inches in height. ³³ The construction of the wheels resembled chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all made of cast metal. ³⁴ There was a handle on each of the four corners of every stand, projecting from the side of the stand. ³⁵ The top of the stand had a band running around the perimeter that was nine inches deep. The stand had its own supports and panels. ³⁶ On the surfaces of the supports and panels he carved winged otherworldly creatures, lions, and palm trees with wreaths everywhere.^{[f] 37} In this manner he made ten stands, each one cast in a single mold of the same size and shape.

³⁸ He made ten bronze washbasins, each able to hold forty baths.^[g] Every washbasin was six feet across, and there was one for each of the ten stands. ³⁹ He placed five stands on the south of the temple and five on the north of the temple. He placed the Sea at the southeast corner of the temple.

⁴⁰ Hiram made the basins, shovels, and bowls.

And so Hiram finished his work on the Lord’s temple for King Solomon:

All the equipment that Hiram made for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple was made from polished bronze. ⁴⁶ The king cast it in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan. ⁴⁷ Due to the very large number of objects, Solomon didn’t even try to weigh the bronze.

⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the equipment for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table for the bread of the presence; ⁴⁹ the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold; ⁵⁰ the cups, wick trimmers, bowls, ladles, and censers of pure gold; and the gold sockets for the doors to the most holy place and for the doors to the main hall. ⁵¹ When all King Solomon’s work on the Lord’s temple was finished, he brought the silver, gold, and all the objects his father David had dedicated and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

³⁰ “Forty years later, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. ³¹ Enthralled by the sight, Moses approached to get a closer look and he heard the Lord’s voice: ³² ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’^[a] Trembling with fear, Moses didn’t dare to investigate any further. ³³ The Lord continued, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have clearly seen the oppression my people have experienced in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning. I have come down to rescue them. Come! I am sending you to Egypt.’^[b]

³⁵ “This is the same Moses whom they rejected when they asked, ‘Who appointed you as our leader and judge?’ This is the Moses whom God sent as leader and deliverer. God did this with the help of the angel who appeared before him in the bush. ³⁶ This man led them out after he performed wonders and signs in Egypt at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. ³⁷ This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’^{[c] 38} This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. He is the one who received life-giving words to give to us. ³⁹ He’s also the one whom our ancestors refused to obey. Instead, they pushed him aside and, in their thoughts and desires, returned to Egypt. ⁴⁰ They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will lead us. As for this Moses who led us out of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him!’^{[d] 41} That’s when they made an idol in the shape of a calf, offered a sacrifice to it, and began to celebrate what they had made with their own hands. ⁴² So God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the stars in the sky, just as it is written in the scroll of the Prophets:

⁴⁴ “The tent of testimony was with our ancestors in the wilderness. Moses built it just as he had been instructed by the one who spoke to him and according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ In time, when they had received the tent, our ancestors carried it with them when, under Joshua’s leadership, they took possession of the land from the nations whom God expelled. This tent remained in the land until the time of David. ⁴⁶ God approved of David, who asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.^{[f] 47} But it was Solomon who actually built a house for God. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High doesn’t live in houses built by human hands. As the prophet says,

Psalm 128

A pilgrimage song.

Wood and stone for the temple

5 ^[a] Because King Hiram^[b] of Tyre was loyal to David throughout his rule, Hiram sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that Solomon had become king after his father. ² Solomon sent the following message to Hiram: ³ “You know that my father David wasn’t able to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. This was because of the enemies that fought him on all sides until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. ⁴ Now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side, without enemies or misfortune. ⁵ So I’m planning to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord indicated to my father David, ‘I will give you a son to follow you on your throne. He will build the temple for my name.’ ⁶ Now give the order and have the cedars of Lebanon cut down for me. My servants will work with your servants. I’ll pay your servants whatever price you set, because you know we have no one here who is skilled in cutting wood like the Sidonians.”

⁷ Hiram was thrilled when he heard Solomon’s message. He said, “Today the Lord is blessed because he has given David a wise son who is in charge of this great people.” ⁸ Hiram sent word back to Solomon: “I have heard your message to me. I will do as you wish with the cedar and pinewood. ⁹ My servants will bring the wood down the Lebanon Mountains to the sea. I’ll make rafts out of them and float them on the sea to the place you specify. There I’ll dismantle them, and you can carry them away. Now, as for what you must do for me in return, I ask you to provide for my royal house.”

¹⁰ So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and pinewood that he wanted. ¹¹ In return, Solomon gave an annual gift to Hiram of twenty thousand kors^[c] of wheat to eat, and twenty thousand kors of pure oil for his palace use. ¹² Now the Lord made Solomon wise, just as he had promised. Solomon and Hiram made a covenant and had peace.

¹³ King Solomon called up a work gang of thirty thousand workers from all over Israel. ¹⁴ He sent ten thousand to work in Lebanon each month. Then they would spend two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the work gang. ¹⁵ Solomon had 70,000 laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the highlands. ¹⁶ This doesn’t include Solomon’s 3,300 supervisors in charge of the work, who had oversight over the laborers. ¹⁷ At the king’s command, they quarried huge stones of the finest quality in order to lay the temple’s foundation with carefully cut stone. ¹⁸ The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram, along with those of Byblos, prepared the timber and the stones for the construction of the temple.

Solomon builds the temple

6 In the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the month of Ziv, the second month,^[d] in the fourth year of Solomon’s rule over Israel, he built the Lord’s temple. ² The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. ³ The porch in front of the temple’s main hall was thirty feet long. It ran across the whole width of the temple and extended fifteen feet in front of the temple. ⁴ He made recessed and latticed windows^[e] for the temple ⁵ and built side rooms against the temple walls around both the main hall and the most holy place. ⁶ The lower walls were seven and a half feet wide. At the second floor the walls were nine feet wide, and at the third floor they were ten and a half feet wide. He made niches around the outside of the temple so the beams wouldn’t be inserted into the temple walls.^{[f] 7} When the temple was built, they did all the stonecutting at the quarry. No hammers, axes, or any iron tools were heard in the temple during its construction. ⁸ The door to the stairs was at the south side of the temple. Winding stairs went up to the second floor and from there to the third floor. ⁹ He completed the temple with a roof of cedar beams and cross-planks.^{[g] 10} Then he built the side rooms all around the temple. They were seven and a half feet high. He attached them to the temple with cedarwood.

¹¹ The Lord’s word came to Solomon, ¹² Regarding this temple that you are building: If you follow my laws, enact my regulations, and keep all my commands faithfully, then I will fulfill for you my promise that I made to your father David. ¹³ I will live among the Israelites. I won’t abandon my people Israel.

¹⁴ So Solomon constructed the temple and completed it. ¹⁵ He built the walls within the temple with cedar planks, paneled from the floor to the ceiling. He overlaid the floor of the temple with pine planks. ¹⁶ At the back of the temple he built thirty feet of cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling. Solomon built the inner sanctuary, the most holy place. ¹⁷ In front of this, the main hall was sixty feet. ¹⁸ The cedar inside the temple was carved with gourds and blossoming flowers. The whole thing was cedar. No stone was seen. ¹⁹ He set up the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that he could put the chest containing the Lord’s covenant there. ²⁰ The inner sanctuary was thirty feet in length, width, and height. Solomon overlaid it with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar.^{[h] 21} Solomon covered the temple’s interior with pure gold. He placed gold chains in front of the inner sanctuary and covered it with gold. ²² He overlaid the whole temple inside with gold until the temple was completely covered. He covered the whole altar that was in the inner sanctuary with gold. ²³ He made two winged creatures of olive wood for the inner sanctuary, each fifteen feet high. ²⁴ The wings of the first winged creature were each seven and a half feet long. It was fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of the other. ²⁵ The second winged creature also measured fifteen feet. Both winged creatures had identical measurements and form. ²⁶ The height of both winged creatures was fifteen feet. ²⁷ Solomon placed the winged creatures inside the temple. Their wings spread out so that the wing of the one touched one wall and the wing of the other touched the other wall. In the middle of the temple, the wings of the two winged creatures touched each other. ²⁸ He covered the winged creatures with gold.

²⁹ Solomon carved all the walls of the temple—inner and outer rooms—with engravings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. ³⁰ He also covered the floor of the temple with gold, in both the inner and the outer rooms. ³¹ He made the doors of the inner sanctuary from olive wood and carved the doorframes with five recesses.^{[i] 32} He overlaid the two olive-wood doors with gold-plated carvings of winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers. ³³ He made the door of the main hall with doorframes of olive wood with four recesses.^{[j] 34} The two doors of pinewood each pivoted on a socket. ³⁵ Solomon carved winged creatures, palm trees, and blossoming flowers, and covered them with gold. ³⁶ He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone followed by one row of trimmed cedar.

³⁷ Solomon laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple in the fourth year in the month of Ziv.^{[k] 38} He finished the temple in all its details and measurements in the eleventh year during the eighth month, the month of Bul.^[l] He built it in seven years.

7 The high priest asked, “Are these accusations true?”

² Stephen responded, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran. ³ God told him, ‘Leave your homeland and kin, and go to the land that I will show you.’^{[a] 4} So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God had him resettle in this land where you now live. ⁵ God didn’t give him an inheritance here, not even a square foot of land. However, God did promise to give the land as his possession to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham had no child. ⁶ God put it this way: His descendants will be strangers in a land that belongs to others, who will enslave them and abuse them for four hundred years.^{[b] 7} And I will condemn the nation they serve as slaves, God said, and afterward they will leave^[c] that land and serve me in this place. ⁸ God gave him the covenant confirmed through circumcision. Accordingly, eight days after Isaac’s birth, Abraham circumcised him. Isaac did the same with Jacob, and Jacob with the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into slavery in Egypt. God was with him, however, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles. The grace and wisdom he gave Joseph were recognized by Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole palace. ¹¹ A famine came upon all Egypt and Canaan, and great hardship came with it. Our ancestors had nothing to eat. ¹² When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there for the first time. ¹³ During their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. ¹⁴ Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives—seventy-five in all—and invited them to live with him. ¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. ¹⁶ Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had purchased for a certain sum of money from Hamor’s children, who lived in Shechem.

¹⁷ “When it was time for God to keep the promise he made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly expanded. ¹⁸ But then another king rose to power over Egypt who didn’t know anything about Joseph.^{[d] 19} He exploited our people and abused our ancestors. He even forced them to abandon their newly born babies so they would die. ²⁰ That’s when Moses was born. He was highly favored by God, and for three months his parents cared for him in their home. ²¹ After he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and cared for him as though he were her own son. ²² Moses learned everything Egyptian wisdom had to offer, and he was a man of powerful words and deeds.

²³ “When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit his family, the Israelites. ²⁴ He saw one of them being wronged so he came to his rescue and evened the score by killing the Egyptian. ²⁵ He expected his own kin to understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn’t. ²⁶ The next day he came upon some Israelites who were caught up in an argument. He tried to make peace between them by saying, ‘You are brothers! Why are you harming each other?’ ²⁷ The one who started the fight against his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who appointed you as our leader and judge? ²⁸ Are you planning to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’^{[e] 29} When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he lived as an immigrant and had two sons.

Psalm 127

A pilgrimage song. Of Solomon.

³ Now Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the laws of his father David, with the exception that he also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines.

⁴ The king went to the great shrine at Gibeon in order to sacrifice there. He used to offer a thousand entirely burned offerings on that altar. ⁵ The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.”

⁶ Solomon responded, “You showed so much kindness to your servant my father David when he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and with a heart true to you. You’ve kept this great loyalty and kindness for him and have now given him a son to sit on his throne. ⁷ And now, Lord my God, you have made me, your servant, king in my father David’s place. But I’m young and inexperienced. I know next to nothing. ⁸ But I’m here, your servant, in the middle of the people you have chosen, a large population that can’t be numbered or counted due to its vast size. ⁹ Please give your servant a discerning mind in order to govern your people and to distinguish good from evil, because no one is able to govern this important people of yours without your help.”

¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— ¹² I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. ¹³ I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. ¹⁴ And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”

¹⁵ Solomon awoke and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood before the chest containing the Lord’s covenant. Then he offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices, and held a celebration for all his servants.

Solomon and the prostitutes

¹⁶ Sometime later, two prostitutes came and stood before the king. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Please, Your Majesty, listen: This woman and I have been living in the same house. I gave birth while she was there. ¹⁸ This woman gave birth three days after I did. We stayed together. Apart from the two of us, there was no one else in the house. ¹⁹ This woman’s son died one night when she rolled over him. ²⁰ She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him on her chest and laid her dead son on mine. ²¹ When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the daylight, it turned out that it wasn’t my son—not the baby I had birthed.”

²² The other woman said, “No! My son is alive! Your son is the dead one.”

But the first woman objected, “No! Your son is dead! My son is alive!” In this way they argued back and forth in front of the king.

²³ The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.’ The other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and my son is alive.’ ²⁴ Get me a sword!” They brought a sword to the king. ²⁵ Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two! Give half to one woman and half to the other woman.”

²⁶ Then the woman whose son was still alive said to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the living child; please don’t kill him,” for she had great love for her son.

But the other woman said, “If I can’t have him, neither will you. Cut the child in half.”

²⁷ Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living newborn. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”

²⁸ All Israel heard about the judgment that the king made. Their respect for the king grew because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him so he could execute justice.

Solomon’s administration

4 King Solomon became king of all Israel.

² These were his officials: the priest Azariah, Zadok’s son; ³ the scribes Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha; Jehoshaphat, the recorder, Ahilud’s son; ⁴ the general Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son; the priests Zadok and Abiathar; ⁵ Azariah, Nathan’s son, who was in charge of the officials; Zabud, Nathan’s son, a priest and royal friend; ⁶ Ahishar, who was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram, Abda’s son, who was supervisor of the work gangs.

⁷ Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel. They supplied the king and his palace with food. Each would provide the supplies for one month per year. ⁸ Here are their names:

²⁰ Judah and Israel grew numerous like the sand alongside the sea. They ate, drank, and celebrated.

^21 [b] Solomon ruled over all the states from the Euphrates River through the Philistines’ land and as far as the border of Egypt. These areas brought tribute to Solomon and served him all the days of his life. ²² Solomon’s food requirements for a single day included thirty kors^[c] of refined flour; sixty kors of flour; ²³ ten head of grain-fattened cattle; twenty head of pastured cattle; one hundred sheep; as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and the best of fowl. ²⁴ He ruled over all the lands west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all sides. ²⁵ The people of Judah and Israel from Dan all the way to Beer-sheba lived securely under their vines and fig trees throughout the days of Solomon.

²⁶ Solomon had forty thousand horse stalls for his chariots and twelve thousand additional horses. ²⁷ The officials provided King Solomon and all who joined him at the royal table with monthly food rations. They left out nothing. ²⁸ Each brought their share of barley and straw for the horses and for the chariot horses, bringing it to its proper place. ²⁹ And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding—insight as long as the seashore itself. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than all the famous Easterners, greater even than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone, more wise than Ethan the Ezrahite or Mahol’s sons: Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His reputation was known throughout the region. ³² Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and one thousand five songs. ³³ He described the botany of trees, whether the cedar in Lebanon or the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He also described cattle, birds, anything that crawls on the ground, and fish. ³⁴ People came from everywhere to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; even the earth’s kings who had heard about his wisdom came!

Selection of seven to serve

6 About that time, while the number of disciples continued to increase, a complaint arose. Greek-speaking disciples accused the Aramaic-speaking disciples because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food service. ² The Twelve called a meeting of all the disciples and said, “It isn’t right for us to set aside proclamation of God’s word in order to serve tables. ³ Brothers and sisters, carefully choose seven well-respected men from among you. They must be well-respected and endowed by the Spirit with exceptional wisdom. We will put them in charge of this concern. ⁴ As for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and the service of proclaiming the word.” ⁵ This proposal pleased the entire community. They selected Stephen, a man endowed by the Holy Spirit with exceptional faith, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ The community presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. ⁷ God’s word continued to grow. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased significantly. Even a large group of priests embraced the faith.

Arrest and murder of Stephen

⁸ Stephen, who stood out among the believers for the way God’s grace was at work in his life and for his exceptional endowment with divine power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose from some who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Former Slaves. Members from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia entered into debate with Stephen. ¹⁰ However, they couldn’t resist the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. ¹¹ Then they secretly enticed some people to claim, “We heard him insult Moses and God.” ¹² They stirred up the people, the elders, and the legal experts. They caught Stephen, dragged him away, and brought him before the Jerusalem Council. ¹³ Before the council, they presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. ¹⁴ In fact, we heard him say that this man Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and alter the customary practices Moses gave us.” ¹⁵ Everyone seated in the council stared at Stephen, and they saw that his face was radiant, just like an angel’s.

Psalm 126

A pilgrimage song.

David’s last words

2 David’s time was coming to an end. So he commanded Solomon his son, ² “I’m following the path that the whole earth takes. Be strong and be a man. ³ Guard what is owed to the Lord your God, walking in his ways and observing his laws, his commands, his judgments, and his testimonies, just as it is written in the Instruction from Moses. In this way you will succeed in whatever you do and wherever you go. ⁴ So also the Lord will confirm the word he spoke to me: ‘If your children will take care to walk before me faithfully, with all their heart and all their being, then one of your own children will never fail to be on the throne of Israel.’ ⁵ You should know what Joab, Zeruiah’s son, has done to me and what he did to the two generals of Israel, Abner, Ner’s son, and Amasa, Jether’s son. He murdered them, spilling blood at peacetime and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. ⁶ So act wisely: Don’t allow him to die a peaceful death. ⁷ As for Barzillai’s sons from Gilead, show them kindness. Let them eat with you. When I was running away from your brother Absalom, they came to me. ⁸ Now as for this Shimei, Gera’s son—a Benjaminite from Bahurim—who is with you, he cursed me viciously when I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, ‘Surely I won’t execute you with the sword.’ ⁹ But you don’t need to excuse him. You are wise and know what to do to him. Give him a violent death.”

¹⁰ Then David lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David’s City. ¹¹ He ruled over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

Solomon secures his throne

¹² Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his royal power was well established. ¹³ Adonijah, Haggith’s son, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She said, “Are you coming in peace?”

He said, “Yes. ¹⁴ I have something to say to you.”

She said, “Say it.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know how the kingdom was mine. All Israel had appointed me as their king. Then suddenly the kingdom went to my brother as the Lord willed. ¹⁶ Now I have just one request of you. Don’t refuse me!”

She said to him, “Go on.”

¹⁷ Adonijah continued, “Ask King Solomon to let me marry Abishag from Shunem—he won’t refuse you.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Okay; I’ll speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk with him about Adonijah. The king stood up to meet her and bowed low to her. Then he returned to his throne and had a throne set up for the queen mother. She sat to his right. ²⁰ She said, “I have just one small request for you. Don’t refuse me.”

The king said to her, “Mother, ask me. I won’t refuse you.”

²¹ “Let Abishag from Shunem be married to your brother Adonijah,” she said.

²² King Solomon replied to his mother, “Why ask only for Abishag from Shunem for Adonijah? Why not ask for the entire kingdom for him? After all, he is my older brother and has the support of Abiathar the priest and Joab, Zeruiah’s son.” ²³ King Solomon swore by the Lord, “May God do to me as he sees fit! Adonijah has made this request at the cost of his life! ²⁴ Now, as surely as the Lord lives—the one who supported me, put me on the throne of my father David, and provided a royal house for me exactly as he promised—Adonijah will be executed today.” ²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son. He attacked Adonijah, and Adonijah died.

²⁶ The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to your fields at Anathoth, because you are a condemned man. However, I won’t kill you today because you carried the Lord’s chest in front of my father David and because you shared in all my father’s sufferings.” ²⁷ So Solomon expelled Abiathar from the Lord’s priesthood in order to fulfill the Lord’s word that was spoken against Eli’s family at Shiloh.

²⁸ Now the news reached Joab because he had supported Adonijah, though he hadn’t supported Absalom. Joab ran to the Lord’s tent and grabbed the horns of the altar. ²⁹ King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the Lord’s tent and was now beside the altar. So Solomon sent Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, instructing him, “Go. Attack Joab!”

³⁰ Benaiah came to the Lord’s tent and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”

Joab said, “No! I’d rather die here.”

Benaiah sent a report back to the king: “This is what Joab said and how he answered me.”

³¹ The king said to him, “Do as he said. Attack him and then bury him. In doing this, you will remove from me and from my father’s royal house the guilt over the innocent blood that Joab shed. ³² May the Lord return that bloodguilt back on his own head for attacking the two men who were better and more righteous than he was. He murdered those two with the sword: Abner, Ner’s son and Israel’s general, and Amasa, Jether’s son and Judah’s general. But my father David didn’t know about it. ³³ May the bloodguilt for their deaths return on Joab’s head and on the head of his family line forever. But may the Lord’s peace be on David, his family, and his royal house forever.” ³⁴ So Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, went and attacked Joab and killed him.

Joab was buried at his home in the wilderness. ³⁵ In his place, the king gave leadership of the army to Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son. The king put the priest Zadok in Abiathar’s position. ³⁶ Then he sent for Shimei and said, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and stay in the city. Don’t leave to go anywhere else. ³⁷ If you try to leave, be advised that on the day you cross the Kidron Valley you will most certainly die. Your bloodguilt will be on your own head.”

³⁸ Shimei said to the king, “This is a good idea. Your servant will do just what my master the king said.” So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ After three years, two of Shimei’s servants fled to the king of Gath, Achish, Maacah’s son. Shimei was informed, “Your servants are now in Gath.” ⁴⁰ Shimei saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to look for his servants. Shimei then brought his servants back from Gath. ⁴¹ Solomon was told that Shimei had left Jerusalem for Gath and then returned.

⁴² The king sent for Shimei and asked him, “Didn’t I make you swear a solemn pledge by the Lord? And didn’t I swear to you, ‘If you try to leave and go anywhere, be advised that on that very day you will most certainly die’? You said to me, ‘This is a good idea. I agree to it.’ ⁴³ Why didn’t you keep your solemn promise to the Lord and the command that I gave you?” ⁴⁴ The king said further, “You know quite well all the evil that you did to my father David. May the Lord return your evil on your own head. ⁴⁵ However, may King Solomon be blessed and David’s throne be secure before the Lord forever.” ⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, who went and attacked Shimei, and he died.

In these ways royal power was handed over to Solomon.

Solomon first meets God

3 Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, when he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to David’s City until he finished building his royal palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² Unfortunately, the people were sacrificing at the shrines because a temple hadn’t yet been built for the Lord’s name in those days.

Pretenders of sharing

5 However, a man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s knowledge, he withheld some of the proceeds from the sale. He brought the rest and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles. ³ Peter asked, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has influenced you to lie to the Holy Spirit by withholding some of the proceeds from the sale of your land? ⁴ Wasn’t that property yours to keep? After you sold it, wasn’t the money yours to do with whatever you wanted? What made you think of such a thing? You haven’t lied to other people but to God!” ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard this conversation was terrified. ⁶ Some young men stood up, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later, his wife entered, but she didn’t know what had happened to her husband. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you and your husband receive this price for the field?”

She responded, “Yes, that’s the amount.”

⁹ He replied, “How could you scheme with each other to challenge the Lord’s Spirit? Look! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out too.” ¹⁰ At that very moment, she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men entered and found her dead, they carried her out and buried her with her husband. ¹¹ Trepidation and dread seized the whole church and all who heard what had happened.

Responses to the church

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. They would come together regularly at Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ No one from outside the church dared to join them, even though the people spoke highly of them. ¹⁴ Indeed, more and more believers in the Lord, large numbers of both men and women, were added to the church. ¹⁵ As a result, they would even bring the sick out into the main streets and lay them on cots and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow could fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Even large numbers of persons from towns around Jerusalem would gather, bringing the sick and those harassed by unclean spirits. Everyone was healed.

The Jerusalem Council harasses the apostles

¹⁷ The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. ¹⁸ They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison. ¹⁹ An angel from the Lord opened the prison doors during the night and led them out. The angel told them, ²⁰ “Go, take your place in the temple, and tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ Early in the morning, they went into the temple as they had been told and began to teach.

When the high priest and his colleagues gathered, they convened the Jerusalem Council, that is, the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent word to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. ²² However, the guards didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison locked and well-secured, with guards standing at the doors, but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!” ²⁴ When they received this news, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were baffled and wondered what might be happening. ²⁵ Just then, someone arrived and announced, “Look! The people you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain left with his guards and brought the apostles back. They didn’t use force because they were afraid the people would stone them.

²⁷ The apostles were brought before the council where the high priest confronted them: ²⁸ “In no uncertain terms, we demanded that you not teach in this name. And look at you! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are determined to hold us responsible for this man’s death.”

²⁹ Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than humans! ³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God has exalted Jesus to his right side as leader and savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins. ³² We are witnesses of such things, as is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ When the council members heard this, they became furious and wanted to kill the apostles. ³⁴ One council member, a Pharisee and teacher of the Law named Gamaliel, well-respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be taken outside for a few moments. ³⁵ He said, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you intend to do to these people. ³⁶ Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and some four hundred men joined him. After he was killed, all of his followers scattered, and nothing came of that. ³⁷ Afterward, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and got some people to follow him in a revolt. He was killed too, and all his followers scattered far and wide. ³⁸ Here’s my recommendation in this case: Distance yourselves from these men. Let them go! If their plan or activity is of human origin, it will end in ruin. ³⁹ If it originates with God, you won’t be able to stop them. Instead, you would actually find yourselves fighting God!” The council was convinced by his reasoning. ⁴⁰ After calling the apostles back, they had them beaten. They ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, then let them go. ⁴¹ The apostles left the council rejoicing because they had been regarded as worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name. ⁴² Every day they continued to teach and proclaim the good news that Jesus is the Christ, both in the temple and in houses.

Psalm 125

A pilgrimage song.

David and Abishag

1 King David had become very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he couldn’t stay warm. ² They said to him, “Allow us to find a young woman for our master the king. She will serve the king and take care of him by lying beside our master the king and keeping him warm.” ³ So they looked in every corner of Israel until they found Abishag from Shunem. They brought her to the king. ⁴ She was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him, but the king didn’t have sex with her.

Adonijah’s rebellion

⁵ Adonijah, Haggith’s son, bragged about himself and said, “I’ll rule as king myself.” He got his own chariot and horses with fifty runners to go in front. ⁶ Now Adonijah’s father had never given him direction; he never questioned why Adonijah did what he did. He was very handsome and was born after Absalom. ⁷ He took advice from Joab, Zeruiah’s son, and from the priest Abiathar. They assisted Adonijah. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei and his friends, and David’s veterans didn’t join Adonijah. ⁹ So Adonijah prepared lamb, oxen, and fattened cattle at the Stone of Zoheleth, next to En-rogel. He invited his brothers (the royal princes) and all the citizens of Judah who were the royal servants to come. ¹⁰ But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, David’s veterans, or his brother Solomon.

¹¹ Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Did you hear that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, but our master David doesn’t know about it? ¹² Let me give you some advice on how you and your son Solomon can survive this. ¹³ Go to King David and say, ‘Didn’t my master the king swear to your servant, “Your son Solomon will certainly rule after me. He will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ While you are speaking there with the king, I’ll come along and support your words.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was serving the king. ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed down on her face before the king.

The king asked, “What do you want?”

¹⁷ She said to him, “Your Majesty, you swore by the Lord your God to your servant, ‘Your son Solomon will certainly rule after me. He will sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ But now, look, Adonijah has become king, and my master the king doesn’t know about it. ¹⁹ He has prepared large quantities of oxen, fattened cattle, and lamb. He has invited all the royal princes as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the general. However, he didn’t invite your servant Solomon. ²⁰ As for you, my master the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will follow you on the throne of my master the king. ²¹ When my master the king lies down with his ancestors, then I and my son Solomon will become outlaws.”

²² While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. ²³ The king was informed, “The prophet Nathan is here.” Then Nathan came in before the king and bowed his face to the ground. ²⁴ He said, “My master the king, you must have said, ‘Adonijah will become king after me and will sit on my throne.’ ²⁵ Indeed, today he went down and prepared oxen, fattened cattle, and lamb in large numbers. He invited all the royal princes, the generals, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking with him, and they said, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ Adonijah didn’t invite me, your servant, Zadok the priest, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, or your servant Solomon. ²⁷ If this message was from my master the king, you didn’t make it known to your servant. Who should follow you on the throne of my master the king?”

²⁸ King David answered, “Bring me Bathsheba.” She came and stood before the king. ²⁹ The king made a solemn pledge and said, “As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued me from every trouble, ³⁰ regarding what I swore to you by the Lord, Israel’s God, ‘Your son Solomon will certainly succeed me; he will sit on the throne after me’—I’ll see that it happens today.”

³¹ Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground. She honored the king and said, “May my master King David live forever!”

³² King David said, “Bring me Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son.” They came to the king, ³³ who said to them, “Take with you the servants of your masters. Put my son Solomon on my mule and bring him down to Gihon. ³⁴ There Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan will anoint him king over Israel. Blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ You will follow him. He will enter and sit on my throne, and so he will succeed me as king. I have appointed him to become ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, responded to the king, “Yes, may it happen as the Lord, the God of my king, says. ³⁷ Just as the Lord was with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon. May his throne be even greater than the throne of my master King David.” ³⁸ Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule. They led him to Gihon. ³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of 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 playing flutes and celebrating. The ground shook at their noise.

⁴¹ Adonijah and all his invited guests heard this when they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he said, “What’s that noise coming from the city?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, Jonathan, Abiathar the priest’s son, arrived.

Adonijah said, “Come on in! You are an honest man and will bring a good report.”

⁴³ Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon king! ⁴⁴ To support him, the king sent along Zadok the priest; the prophet Nathan; Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son; and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. They’ve put Solomon on the royal mule. ⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They went up from there celebrating so that the city was thrown into a commotion. That is the sound you heard. ⁴⁶ There’s more: Solomon has taken over the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ The royal attendants blessed our master King David: ‘May your God make Solomon’s name better than your name. May God elevate his throne above your throne.’”

The king then worshipped on his bed ⁴⁸ and said, “Bless Israel’s God, the Lord, who today has set my son^[a] on my throne, and has allowed my eyes to see it.”

⁴⁹ Trembling with fear, all of Adonijah’s guests got up and fled, each going a different way. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to grab hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ Solomon was told, “Look! Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and has grabbed the horns of the altar. He’s saying, ‘King Solomon must swear to me first that he won’t execute his servant with the sword.’”

⁵² Solomon said, “If he shows himself to be an honorable person, then not a hair of his head will be harmed. But if any evil is found in him, he will die.” ⁵³ King Solomon sent word and had him brought down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon. Solomon said to him, “Go home!”

Peter and John questioned

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. ² They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. ³ They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) ⁴ Many who heard the word became believers, and their number grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the leaders, elders, and legal experts gathered in Jerusalem, ⁶ along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others from the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and asked, “By what power or in what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, answered, “Leaders of the people and elders, ⁹ are we being examined today because something good was done for a sick person, a good deed that healed him? ¹⁰ If so, then you and all the people of Israel need to know that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone you builders rejected; he has become the cornerstone! ¹² Salvation can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been given among humans through which we must be saved.”

¹³ The council was caught by surprise by the confidence with which Peter and John spoke. After all, they understood that these apostles were uneducated and inexperienced. They also recognized that they had been followers of Jesus. ¹⁴ However, since the healed man was standing with Peter and John before their own eyes, they had no rebuttal. ¹⁵ After ordering them to wait outside, the council members began to confer with each other. ¹⁶ “What should we do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem is aware of the sign performed through them. It’s obvious to everyone and we can’t deny it. ¹⁷ To keep it from spreading further among the people, we need to warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.” ¹⁸ When they called Peter and John back, they demanded that they stop all speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹ Peter and John responded, “It’s up to you to determine whether it’s right before God to obey you rather than God. ²⁰ As for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ They threatened them further, then released them. Because of public support for Peter and John, they couldn’t find a way to punish them. Everyone was praising God for what had happened, ²² because the man who had experienced this sign of healing was over 40 years old.

The believers pray

²³ After their release, Peter and John returned to the brothers and sisters and reported everything the chief priests and elders had said. ²⁴ They listened, then lifted their voices in unison to God, “Master, you are the one who created the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ You are the one who spoke by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

²⁷ Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with Gentiles and Israelites, did gather in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did what your power and plan had already determined would happen. ²⁹ Now, Lord, take note of their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with complete confidence. ³⁰ Stretch out your hand to bring healing and enable signs and wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus, your holy servant.” ³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.

Sharing among the believers

³² The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. ³³ The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. ³⁴ There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, ³⁵ and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need.

³⁶ Joseph, whom the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (that is, “one who encourages”), was a Levite from Cyprus. ³⁷ He owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles.

Psalm 124

A pilgrimage song. Of David.