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David in His Old Age
1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms,[a] that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (A)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King
5 Now (B)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” (C)And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, (D)and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with (E)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (F)Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But (G)Zadok the priest and (H)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and (I)Nathan the prophet and (J)Shimei and Rei and (K)David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside (L)En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or (M)Solomon his brother.
Nathan and Bathsheba Before David
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that (N)Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, (O)“Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ 14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm[b] your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). 16 Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, (P)‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 (Q)He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, (R)Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but (S)Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king (T)sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he has gone down this day and (U)has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders[c] of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, (V)‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (W)But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
Solomon Anointed King
28 Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore, saying, (X)“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30 (Y)as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, (Z)“May my lord King David live forever!”
32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you (AA)the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to (AB)Gihon. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there (AC)anoint him king over Israel. (AD)Then blow the trumpet and say, (AE)‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. 37 (AF)As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, (AG)and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (AH)and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. 39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of (AI)oil from the tent and (AJ)anointed Solomon. (AK)Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, (AL)“Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (AM)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, (AN)for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, 44 and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the (AO)Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at (AP)Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 (AQ)Solomon sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, (AR)‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king (AS)bowed himself on the bed. 48 And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, (AT)who has granted someone[d] to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.’”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way. 50 And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went (AU)and took hold of (AV)the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, (AW)not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
Peter and John Before the Council
4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and (A)the captain of the temple and (B)the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming (C)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and (D)put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and (E)the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with (F)Annas the high priest and (G)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, (H)“By what power or (I)by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, (J)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today (K)concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that (L)by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, (M)whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 (N)This Jesus[a] is the stone that was (O)rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.[b] 12 And there is (P)salvation (Q)in no one else, for (R)there is no other (S)name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.”
13 (T)Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed (U)standing beside them, (V)they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, (W)“What shall we do with these men? For that (X)a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them (Y)to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, (Z)“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for (AA)we cannot but speak of what (AB)we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, (AC)because of the people, for all were praising God (AD)for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray for Boldness
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices (AE)together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, (AF)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,[d] said by the Holy Spirit,
(AG)“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and (AH)the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his (AI)Anointed’[e]—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your (AJ)holy servant Jesus, (AK)whom you anointed, both (AL)Herod and (AM)Pontius Pilate, along (AN)with the Gentiles and (AO)the peoples of Israel, 28 (AP)to do whatever your hand and (AQ)your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, (AR)look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all (AS)boldness, 30 while (AT)you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed (AU)through the name of your (AV)holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, (AW)the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and (AX)they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and (AY)continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
They Had Everything in Common
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of (AZ)one heart and (BA)soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but (BB)they had everything in common. 33 And with great (BC)power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and (BD)great grace was upon them all. 34 (BE)There was not a needy person among them, for (BF)as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and (BG)laid it at the apostles' feet, and (BH)it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means (BI)son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and (BJ)laid it at the apostles' feet.
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of (A)Ascents. Of David.
124 (B)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
(C)let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have (D)swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then (E)the flood would have (F)swept us away,
the torrent would have gone (G)over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from (H)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 (I)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.