22Then Davidsaid, “aThis is the house of YahwehGod, and this is the altar of burntoffering for Israel.”
2So Davidsaid to gatherathe sojournerswho were in the land of Israel, and bhe 1appointed2stonecutters to hewoutstones to build the house of God. 3And Davidapreparedlargequantities of iron1to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and morebbronze than could be weighed; 4and timbers of cedar logs beyondnumber, for athe Sidonians and Tyriansbroughtlargequantities of cedartimber to David. 5And Davidsaid, “My sonaSolomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh shall behighlyexalted, for a name and beauty throughout alllands. Thereforenow I will makepreparation for it.” So Davidmadeamplepreparationsbefore his death.
Solomon to Build Yahweh’s House
6Then ahe called for his sonSolomon, and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. 7And Davidsaid to Solomon, “aMy son, 1I had it within my heart to build a house to the name of Yahweh my God. 8“But the word of Yahwehcame to me, saying, ‘aYou have shedmuchblood and have 1wagedgreatwars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shedsomuchblood on the earthbefore Me. 9‘Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and aI will give him rest from all his enemies on everyside; for bhis name shall be 1Solomon, and I will givepeace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10‘aHe shall build a house for My name, and he shall be a son to Me and I will be a father to him; and I will establish the throne of his kingdomoverIsrael forever.’ 11“Now, my son, aYahweh be with you that you may besuccessful, and build the house of Yahweh your Godjust as He has spokenconcerning you. 12“aOnlyYahwehgive you insight and understanding, and give you commandoverIsrael, so that you may bkeep the law of Yahweh your God. 13“aThen you will succeed, if you arecareful to do the statutes and the judgmentswhichYahwehcommandedMosesconcerningIsrael. bBe strong and courageous, do not fearnor be dismayed. 14“Now behold, 1with greatpains I have prepared for the house of Yahweha100,000 2talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bbronze and ironbeyondweight, for 3they are in greatquantity; also timber and stone I have prepared, and you may add to them. 15“Moreover, there are many of those who do the work with you, hewersof stone and craftsmen of stone and wood, and allmen who are 1wise in every kind of work. 16“Of the gold, the silver and the bronze and the ironthereisnonumber. Arise and work, and may aYahweh be with you.”
17aDavid also commandedall the officials of Israel to help his sonSolomon, saying,18“Is not Yahweh your God with you? And ahas He not given you rest on everyside? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subduedbeforeYahweh and before His people. 19“Nowagive your heart and your soul to seekYahweh your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of YahwehGod, bso that you may bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holyvessels of God into the house that is to be builtcfor the name of Yahweh.”
1 Kings 1 - 2
David in Old Age
1Now KingDavidwasold, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keepwarm. 2So his servantssaid to him, “Let them seek a youngvirgin for my lord the king, and let her standbefore the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keepwarm.” 3So they sought for a beautifulyoungwoman throughout all the territory of Israel, and foundAbishag the aShunammite, and brought her to the king. 4Now the youngwoman was verybeautiful; and she became the king’snurse and attended him, but the king did not 1know her.
5Now aAdonijah the son of Haggithexalted himself, saying, “I will beking.” So bhe prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fiftymen as runnersbefore him. 6But his father had never1grieved him at anytime by asking, “Why have you doneso?” And he was also a veryhandsomeman in form, and 2,ahe was bornafterAbsalom. 71And he had conferred with aJoab the son of Zeruiah and with bAbiathar the priest; and followingcAdonijah, they helped him. 8But aZadok the priest, bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, cNathan the prophet, dShimei, Rei, and ethe mightymenwho belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9And Adonijahsacrificedsheep and oxen and fatlings by the 1stone of Zoheleth, which is besideaEn-rogel; and he invitedall his brothers, the king’ssons, and all the men of Judah, the king’sservants. 10But he did not inviteNathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mightymen, and aSolomon his brother.
Nathan Speaks to Bathsheba
11Then Nathanspoke to aBathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has becomeking, and David our lord does not knowit? 12“So nowcome, please let me agive you counsel and provideescape for your life and the life of your sonSolomon. 13“Go1at once to KingDavid and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “aSurelySolomon your son shall bekingafter me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijahbecomeking?’ 14“Behold, while you are stilltherespeaking with the king, I will comeinafter you and fullyconfirm your words.”
15So Bathshebawent in to the king in the bedroom. Now athe kingwasveryold, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16Then Bathshebabowed and prostrated herself 1before the king. And the kingsaid, “What2do you wish?” 17And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by 1Yahweh your God, saying, ‘aSurely your sonSolomon shall bekingafter me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18“But now, behold, Adonijahisking; and now, my lord the king, you do not knowit.19“aAnd he has sacrificedoxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invitedall the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invitedSolomon your servant. 20“As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of allIsrael are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the kingafter him. 21“Otherwise it will be, aas soon as my lord the kingsleeps with his fathers, that I and my sonSolomon will be considered 1offenders.”
22Behold, while she was stillspeaking with the king, Nathan the prophetcamein. 23Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he cameinbefore the king and prostrated himself 1before the king with his 2face to the ground. 24Then Nathansaid, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall bekingafter me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25“aFor he has gonedowntoday and has sacrificedoxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invitedall the king’ssons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinkingbefore him; and they say, ‘bLongliveKingAdonijah!’ 26“aBut me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servantSolomon, he has not invited. 27“Has thisthinghappened by my lord the king, and you have not madeknown to your 1servantswho should sit on the throne of my lord the kingafter him?”
28Then KingDavidanswered and said, “CallBathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’spresence and stoodbefore the king. 29And the kingswore and said, “aAs Yahwehlives, who has redeemed my life from alldistress, 30surely as aI swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your sonSolomon shall bekingafter me, and he shall sit on my thronein my place’; I will surelydosothisday.” 31Then Bathshebabowed with her 1face to the ground, and prostrated herself 2before the king and said, “aMay my lordKingDavidliveforever.”
32Then KingDavidsaid, “Call to me aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’spresence. 33And the kingsaid to them, “Take with you athe servants of your lord, and have my sonSolomonride on my own mule, and bring him down to bGihon. 34“And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet shall aanoint him there as kingoverIsrael and bblow the trumpet and say, ‘cLongliveKingSolomon!’ 35“Then you shall comeupafter him, and he shall come and sit on my throne. And he shall bekingin my place; for I have commanded him to be ruleroverIsrael and Judah.” 36Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiadaanswered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say. 37“aAs Yahweh has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and bmake his thronegreaterthan the throne of my lordKingDavid!”
Solomon Anointed King
38So aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, bthe Cherethites, and the Pelethiteswentdown and had Solomonride on KingDavid’smule, and brought him to cGihon. 39Zadok the priest then atook the horn of oil from the tent and banointedSolomon. Then they cblew the trumpet, and all the peoplesaid, “dLongliveKingSolomon!” 40And all the peoplewentupafter him, and the people1were playing on flutes and were glad with greatgladness, so that the earth2shook at their sound.
41And Adonijah and all the guestswhowere with him heardit as they finishedeating. Then Joabheard the sound of the trumpet and said, “Why is the sound of the city such anuproar?” 42While he was stillspeaking, behold, aJonathan the son of Abiathar the priestcame. Then Adonijahsaid, “Comein, for byou are a valiantman and bringgoodnews.” 43But Jonathananswered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lordKingDavid has madeSolomonking. 44“The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’smule. 45“And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have comeup from there with gladness, aso that the city is in an uproar. This is the soundwhich you have heard. 46“And also, aSolomon has eventaken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47“And also, the king’sservantscame to bless our lordKingDavid, saying, ‘May ayour Godmake the name of Solomonbetterthan your name and his thronegreaterthan your throne!’ And bthe kingbowed himself on the bed. 48“And also, the kingsaidthus, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, whoahas granted one to sit on my thronetoday while my own eyesseeit.’”
49Then all the guests of Adonijahtrembled; and they arose and eachwent on his way. 50And Adonijahwasafraid of Solomon, and he arose, went, and atookhold of the horns of the altar. 51Then it was told to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijahisafraid of KingSolomon, and behold, he has takenhold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let KingSolomonswear to me today that he will not put his servanttodeath with the sword.’” 52And Solomonsaid, “If he is a worthyman, anot one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but ifevil is found in him, he will die.” 53So KingSolomonsent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself 1before KingSolomon, and Solomonsaid to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Command to Solomon
2Then David’s1,atime to diedrewnear, so he commandedSolomon his son, saying, 2“aI am going the way of all the earth. bSo you shall be strong, and be a man. 3“And you shall keep the responsibilitygiven byYahweh your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, aaccording to what is written in the Law of Moses, that byou may be prosperous in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4so that aYahweh may establish His promisewhich He spokeconcerning me, saying, ‘bIf your sonskeep their way, cto walkbefore Me in 1truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, 2,dyou shall not have a mancut off from the throne of Israel.’
5“Now you alsoknowwhatJoab the ason of Zeruiahdid to me, what he did to the twocommanders of the armies of Israel, to bAbner the son of Ner, and to cAmasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also 1shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt2about his 3waist, and on his sandals4on his feet. 6“aSo act according to your wisdom, and do not let his grayhairgodown to Sheol in peace. 7“But ashowlovingkindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and blet them be among those who eat at your table; cfor they 1assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8“Behold, athere is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a 1violentcurse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when bhe camedown to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you todeath with the sword.’ 9“So now, do not let him gounpunished, afor you are a wiseman; and you will knowwhat you ought to do to him, and you will bring his grayhairdown to Sheol with blood.”
The Death of David
10Then aDavidslept with his fathers and was buried in bthe city of David. 11aAnd the 1time which DavidreignedoverIsraelwasfortyyears; in Hebron he reignedbsevenyears and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12And aSolomonsat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmlyestablished.
Adonijah’s Request
13Then Adonijah the son of Haggithcame to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “aDo you comepeacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14Then he said, “I have somethingto say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15So he said, “You know that athe kingdom was mine and bthat allIsrael1expected me to beking; chowever, the kingdom has turnedabout and become my brother’s, dfor it was his from Yahweh. 16“So now, I am makingonerequest of you; do not 1turn me away.” And she said to him, “Speak.” 17Then he said, “Pleasespeak to Solomon the king, for he will not 1turn you away, that he may give me aAbishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18And Bathshebasaid, “Verywell; I will speak to the king for you.”
Adonijah Put to Death
19So Bathshebawent to KingSolomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the kingarose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he ahad a throneset for the king’smother, and bshe sat on his right. 20Then she said, “I am makingonesmallrequest of you; ado not turn1me away.” And the kingsaid to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn2you away.” 21So she said, “aLet Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22Then KingSolomonanswered and said to his mother, “And why are you askingAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? aAsk for him also the kingdom—bfor he is my olderbrother—even for him, for cAbiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!” 23Then KingSolomonswore by Yahweh, saying, “May Goddoso to me and morealso, ifAdonijah has anot spokenthisword against his own 1life. 24“So now, as Yahwehlives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and awho has made me a house as He promised, surelyAdonijah shall be puttodeathtoday.” 25So KingSolomonasentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.
26Then to Abiathar the priest the kingsaid, “aGo to Anathoth to your own field, bfor you 1deserve to die; but I will not put you todeath at thistime, becausecyou carried the ark of LordYahwehbefore my fatherDavid, and becausedyou were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” 27So SolomondroveAbiatharaway from beingpriest to Yahweh, in order to fulfillathe word of Yahweh, which He had spokenconcerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Joab Put to Death
28Now the newscame to Joab, afor Joab had followed Adonijah, balthough he had not followed Absalom. And Joabfled to the tent of Yahweh and ctookhold of the horns of the altar. 29And it was told to KingSolomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then SolomonasentBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “bGo, fall upon him.” 30So Benaiahcame to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Comeout.’” But he said, “No, for I will diehere.” And Benaiahbrought the kingwordagain, saying, “ThusspokeJoab, and thus he answered me.” 31And the kingsaid to him, “aDo as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, bthat you may remove from me and from my father’shouse the bloodwhichJoabshedwithoutcause. 32“aAnd Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, bbecause he fell upon twomenmorerighteous and betterthan he and killed them with the sword, but my fatherDavid did not knowit: cAbner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and dAmasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33“aSo shall their bloodreturn on the head of Joab and on the head of his seedforever; but to David and his seed and his house and his throne, may there be peace from Yahweh forever.” 34Then aBenaiah the son of Jehoiadawentup and fell upon him and put him todeath, and he was buried at his own housebin the wilderness. 35aAnd the kingappointedBenaiah the son of Jehoiadaover the armyin his place, and the kingappointedbZadok the priestcintheplaceofAbiathar.
Shimei Put to Death
36Then the kingsent and called for aShimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and livethere, and do not goout from there to anyplace. 37“Now it will be on the day you goout and acrossover the 1brookKidron, that you will knowforcertain that you shall surelydie; byour blood shall be on your own head.” 38Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimeilived in Jerusalemmanydays.
39But it happened at the end of threeyears, that two of the slaves of Shimeiranawayato Achishson of Maacah, king of Gath. And they toldShimei, saying, “Behold, your slaves are in Gath.” 40Then Shimeiarose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to search for his slaves. And Shimeiwent and brought his slaves from Gath. 41And it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42So the kingsent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and solemnlywarn you, saying, ‘You will knowforcertain that on the day you goout and goanywhere, you shall surelydie’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is good.’ 43“Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the commandwhich I have commanded you?” 44The king also said to Shimei, “aYou knowall the evilwhich1you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my fatherDavid; therefore bYahweh shall return your evil on your own head. 45“But KingSolomon shall be blessed, and athe throne of David shall be establishedbeforeYahweh forever.” 46aSo the kingcommandedBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he wentout and fell upon him so that he died. bThus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
Revelation 4 - 5
The Throne in Heaven
4Afterathesethings I looked, and behold, ba doorstandingopen in heaven, and the firstvoicewhich I had heard, clikethe sound of a trumpetspeaking with me, said, “dComeuphere, and I will eshow you whatmusttakeplaceafterthesethings.” 2Immediately I was 1,ain the Spirit, and behold, ba throne was standing in heaven, and cOne sitting on the throne. 3And He who was sittingwaslike a ajasperstone and a bsardius in appearance; and there was a 1,crainbowaround the throne, like an demerald in appearance. 4aAround the thronewerebtwenty-four thrones, and upon those thronesI sawctwenty-four eldersdsitting, clothed in ewhitegarments, and fgoldencrowns on their heads. 5And out from the thronecomeaflashesoflightning and sounds and pealsofthunder. And there werebsevenlamps of fireburningbefore the throne, which are cthe sevenSpirits of God. 6And before the thronethere was somethinglike a asea of glass, likecrystal. And in the 1center and baround the throne, cfourlivingcreaturesdfull of eyes in front and behind. 7aAnd the firstcreaturewaslike a lion, and the secondcreaturelike a calf, and the thirdcreaturehad a facelike that of a man, and the fourthcreaturewaslike a flyingeagle. 8And the afourlivingcreatures, eachone of them havingbsixwings, are cfull of eyesaround and within, and dday and night1they do not cease to say, “eHoly, holy, holyisthe2,fLord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who3is to come.”
9And when the livingcreaturesgiveglory and honor and thanks to Him who asits on the throne, to bHim who livesforever and ever, 10the atwenty-four elders will bfalldownbefore Him who csits on the throne, and will worshipdHim who livesforever and ever, and will cast their ecrownsbefore the throne, saying,
11“aWorthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receiveglory and honor and power, for You bcreatedallthings, and because of Your will they 1existed, and were created.”
The Scroll and the Lamb
5Then I saw1in the righthand of Him who asits on the throne a bscrollwritteninside and on the back, csealedup with sevenseals. 2Then I saw a astrongangelproclaiming with a loudvoice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3And nooneain heavenor on the earthorunder the earth was able to open the scrollor to look into it. 4Then I was cryinggreatlybecausenoone was foundworthy to open the scrollor to look into it. 5And one of the elders*said to me, “Stopcrying! Behold, the aLion that is bfrom the tribe of Judah, the cRoot of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and its sevenseals.”
6Then I sawin the midst of the throne and the fourlivingcreatures and in the midst of athe elders a bLambstanding, as ifcslain, havingsevendhorns and eseveneyes, which are fthe sevenSpirits of God, sentout into all the earth. 7And He came and tookathe scroll out of the righthand of Him who bsits on the throne. 8And when He had taken the scroll, the afourlivingcreatures and the btwenty-four elderscfelldownbefore the dLamb, eachonehaving a eharp and fgoldenbowlsfull of incense, which are the prayers of the 1saints. 9And they *sang a anewsong, saying, “bWorthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were cslain and dpurchased for God with Your bloodpeople from eeverytribe and tongue and people and nation. 10“And You made them to be a akingdom and bpriests to our God, and they will creign upon the earth.”
Angels Worship the Lamb
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of manyangelsaaround the throne and the blivingcreatures and the celders; and the number of them was dmyriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loudvoice, “aWorthy is the bLamb that was cslain to receivepower and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
13And aeverycreatedthingwhich is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and allthings in them, I heardsaying, “To Him who bsits on the throne, and to the cLamb, dbe the blessing and the honor and the glory and the mightforever and ever.”
14And the afourlivingcreatures kept saying, “bAmen.” And the celdersdfelldown and worshiped.
Ecclesiastes 8
Keep the Command of the King
8Who is like the wiseman and whoknows the interpretation of a matter? A man’swisdomaillumines his face and causes his bsternface to 1beam.
2I say, “Keep the 1command of the king because of the aswornoath2before God. 3“Do not be inahurryato gofrom his presence. Do not stand in an evilmatter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4Since the word of the king is powerful, awho will say to him, “What are you doing?”
5He who akeeps a royalcommandbexperiencesnoevilthing, for a wiseheartknows the propertime and custom. 6For athereis a propertime and custom for every1matter, though a man’strouble is multiplied upon him. 7Ifnooneaknowswhat will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 8aThereisnoman who haspower to restrain the wind with the wind, and thereisnonewho haspower over the day of death; and thereisnodischarge in the timeofwar, and bwickedness will not provideescape to its masters. 9Allthis I have seen and given my heart to everywork that has been doneunder the sunwherein a manhasapower over anotherman to his calamity.
10So then, I have seen the wickedburied, those who used to goin and out from the holyplace, and they are asoonforgotten in the citywhere they didthus. Thistoo is vanity. 11Because the asentence against an evilwork is not executedquickly, therefore bthe hearts of the sons of men among them are givenfully to doevil. 12Although a sinnerdoesevil a hundredtimes and may aprolong his life, still I know that it will be bwell for those who fearGod, whofear1Him openly. 13But it will anot be well for the wickedman, and he will not prolong his days like a bshadow, because he does not fear1God openly.
14Thereisvanitywhich is done on the earth, that is, therearearighteousmen to whom it 1happens according to the works of the wicked. On the other hand, therearebwickedmen to whom it 2happens according to the works of the righteous. I say that thistoo is vanity. 15So I laudgladness, for thereisnothinggood for aa manunder the sun except to eat and to drink and to 1bemerry, and this will join with him in his laborthroughout the days of his lifewhichGod has given him under the sun.
16When I agave my heart to knowwisdom and to see the endeavorwhich has been done on the earth (eventhoughonebneverseessleep with his eyesday or night), 17and I saweverywork of God, I concluded that aman cannot findout the workwhich has been doneunder the sun. Even though man should seeklaboriously, he will not finditout; and bthough the wiseman should say, “I know,” he cannot finditout.