II Kings 20

Hezekiah’s Life Extended

1 Inthose days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says theLord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”

2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to theLord, saying,

3 “Remember now, OLord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have donewhatwasgood in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of theLordcame to him, saying,

5 “Return and tell Hezekiahthe leader of My people, ‘Thus says theLord, the God of David your father:“I have heard your prayer, I have seenyour tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of theLord.

6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; andI will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ”

7 ThenIsaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laiditon the boil, and he recovered.

8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah,“Whatisthe sign that theLordwill heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of theLordthe third day?”

9 Then Isaiah said,“This is the sign to you from theLord, that theLordwill do the thing which He has spoken:shallthe shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?”

10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”

11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to theLord, andHe brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

The Babylonian Envoys

12 At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 AndHezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”

So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”

15 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”

# So Hezekiah answered,“They have seen all thatisin my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of theLord:

17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all thatisin your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day,shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says theLord.

18 ‘Andthey shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget;and they shall beeunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

19 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah,“The word of theLordwhich you have spokenisgood!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”

Death of Hezekiah

20 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how hemade apool and a tunnel andbrought water into the city—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 SoHezekiah rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

II Kings 21

Manasseh Reigns in Judah

1 Manassehwastwelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasHephzibah.

2 And he did evil in the sight of theLord,according to the abominations of the nations whom theLordhad cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he rebuilt the high placeswhich Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image,as Ahab king of Israel had done; and heworshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

4 He also built altars in the house of theLord, of which theLordhad said,“In Jerusalem I will put My name.”

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in thetwo courts of the house of theLord.

6 Also he made his son pass through the fire, practicedsoothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of theLord, to provokeHimto anger.

7 He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which theLordhad said to David and to Solomon his son,“In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

8 and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers—only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.”

9 But they paid no attention, and Manassehseduced them to do more evil than the nations whom theLordhad destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 And theLordspokeby His servants the prophets, saying,

11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all theAmorites whowerebefore him, andhas also made Judah sin with his idols),

12 therefore thus says theLordGod of Israel: ‘Behold,Iam bringingsuchcalamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, bothhis ears will tingle.

13 And I will stretch over Jerusalemthe measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab;I will wipe Jerusalem asonewipes a dish, wipingitand turningitupside down.

14 So I will forsake theremnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies,

15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’ ”

16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of theLord.

17 Nowthe rest of the acts ofManasseh—all that he did, and the sin that he committed—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 SoManasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death

19 Amonwastwenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasMeshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 And he did evil in the sight of theLord,as his father Manasseh had done.

21 So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them.

22 Heforsook theLordGod of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of theLord.

23 Then the servants of Amonconspired against him, and killed the king in his own house.

24 But the people of the landexecuted all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. Then Josiah his son reigned in his place.

II Kings 22

Josiah Reigns in Judah

1 Josiahwaseight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasJedidah the daughter of Adaiah ofBozkath.

2 And he didwhatwasright in the sight of theLord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; hedid not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

3 Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah,thatthe king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of theLord, saying:

4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has beenbrought into the house of theLord, whichthe doorkeepers have gathered from the people.

5 And let themdeliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of theLord; let them give it to those whoarein the house of theLorddoing the work, to repair the damages of the house—

6 to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

7 Howeverthere need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”

8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe,“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of theLord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of theLord.”

10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.

12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest,Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,

13 “Go, inquire of theLordfor me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for greatisthe wrath of theLordthat is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son ofTikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.

15 Then she said to them, “Thus says theLordGod of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,

16 “Thus says theLord: ‘Behold,I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read—

17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’

18 But as forthe king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of theLord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says theLordGod of Israel: “Concerningthe words which you have heard—

19 because yourheart was tender, and youhumbled yourself before theLordwhen you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would becomea desolation anda curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heardyou,” says theLord.

20 “Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and youshall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

II Kings 23

Josiah Restores True Worship

1 Nowthe king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him.

2 The king went up to the house of theLordwith all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And heread in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenantwhich had been found in the house of theLord.

3 Then the kingstood by a pillar and made acovenant before theLord, to follow theLordand to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with allhisheart and allhissoul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, thepriests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bringout of the temple of theLordall the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.

5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and toall the host of heaven.

6 And he brought out thewooden image from the house of theLord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and groundittoashes, and threw its ashes onthe graves of the common people.

7 Then he tore down theritualboothsof the perverted persons thatwerein the house of theLord,where thewomen wove hangings for the wooden image.

8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, fromGeba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates whichwereat the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, whichwereto the left of the city gate.

9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of theLordin Jerusalem,but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

10 And he defiledTopheth, whichisinthe Valley of the Son of Hinnom,that no man might make his son or his daughterpass through the fire to Molech.

11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of theLord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer whowasin the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

12 The altars thatwereon the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars whichManasseh had made in the two courts of the house of theLord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.

13 Then the king defiled the high places thatwereeast of Jerusalem, whichwereon the south of the Mount of Corruption, whichSolomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.

14 And hebroke in pieces thesacredpillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover the altar thatwasat Bethel,andthe high placewhich Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high placeandcrusheditto powder, and burned the wooden image.

16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs thatwerethere on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burnedthemon the altar, and defiled it according to theword of theLordwhich the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

17 Then he said, “What gravestoneisthis that I see?”

# So the men of the city told him, “Itisthe tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

18 And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones ofthe prophet who came from Samaria.

19 Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places thatwerein the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke theLordto anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.

20 Heexecuted all the priests of the high places whowerethere, on the altars, andburned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying,“Keep the Passover to theLordyour God,asitiswritten in this Book of the Covenant.”

22 Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before theLordin Jerusalem.

24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words ofthe law which were written in the bookthat Hilkiah the priest found in the house of theLord.

25 Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to theLordwith all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him didanyarise like him.

Impending Judgment on Judah

26 Nevertheless theLorddid not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah,because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.

27 And theLordsaid, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, asI have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said,‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Josiah Dies in Battle

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. AndPharaohNechokilled him atMegiddo when heconfronted him.

30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Andthe people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz

31 Jehoahazwastwenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

32 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, according to all that his fathers had done.

33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prisonat Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

34 ThenPharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, andchanged his name toJehoiakim. AndPharaohtook Jehoahazand went to Egypt, and he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

35 So Jehoiakim gavethe silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to giveitto Pharaoh Necho.

36 Jehoiakimwastwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasZebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

37 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, according to all that his fathers had done.

II Kings 24

Judah Overrun by Enemies

1 Inhis days Nebuchadnezzar king ofBabylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassalforthree years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

2 And theLordsent against himraidingbands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it,according to the word of theLordwhich He had spoken by His servants the prophets.

3 Surely at the commandment of theLordthiscame upon Judah, to removethemfrom His sightbecause of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,

4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which theLordwould not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 Andthe king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, forthe king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin

8 Jehoiachinwaseighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s namewasNehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it.

12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon,in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of theLordand the treasures of the king’s house, and hecut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of theLord,as theLordhad said.

14 Alsohe carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor,ten thousand captives, andall the craftsmen and smiths. None remained exceptthe poorest people of the land.

15 Andhe carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, allwhowerestrongandfit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

17 Thenthe king of Babylon made Mattaniah,Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, andchanged his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiahwastwenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 He also did evil in the sight of theLord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20 For because of the anger of theLordthishappened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence.Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

II Kings 25

The Fall and Captivity of Judah

1 Now it came to passin the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenthdayof the month,thatNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 By the ninthdayof thefourthmonth the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

4 Thenthe city wall was broken through, and all the men of warfledat night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeanswerestill encamped all around against the city. Andthekingwent by way of the plain.

5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylonat Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.

7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes,put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

8 And in the fifth month,on the seventhdayof the month (whichwasthe nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

9 He burned the house of theLordand the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great,he burned with fire.

10 And all the army of the Chaldeans whowerewiththe captain of the guardbroke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captivethe rest of the peoplewhoremained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

12 But the captain of the guardleftsomeof the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

13 The bronzepillars thatwerein the house of theLord, andthe carts andthe bronze Sea thatwerein the house of theLord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, andcarried their bronze to Babylon.

14 They also took awaythe pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of theLord,the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

17 The height of one pillarwaseighteen cubits, and the capital on itwasof bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

18 And the captain of the guard tookSeraiah the chief priest,Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war,five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the landwhowerefound in the city.

20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath.Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

22 Then he made Gedaliah the son ofAhikam, the son of Shaphan, governor overthe people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

23 Now when all thecaptains of the armies, they andtheirmen, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

25 Butit happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, aroseand went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventhdayof the month,thatEvil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign,released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.

28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings whowerewith him in Babylon.

29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and heate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

30 And as for his provisions,therewasa regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

I Kings 1

Adonijah Presumes to Be King

1 Now King David wasold, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm.

2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.”

3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and foundAbishag theShunammite, and brought her to the king.

4 The young womanwasvery lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

5 ThenAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; andhe prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

6 (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” Hewasalso very good-looking.Hismotherhad borne him after Absalom.)

7 Then he conferred withJoab the son of Zeruiah and withAbiathar the priest, andthey followed and helped Adonijah.

8 ButZadok the priest,Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,Nathan the prophet,Shimei, Rei, andthe mighty men whobelongedto David were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, whichisbyEn Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, orSolomon his brother.

11 So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son ofHaggith has become king, and David our lord does not knowit?

12 Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying,“Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne“? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.)

16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

17 Then she said to him, “My lord,you swore by theLordyour God to your maidservant,saying,‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’

18 So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know aboutit.

19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited.

20 And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israelareon you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the kingrests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”

22 And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.

23 So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

24 And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?

25 For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say,‘Longlive King Adonijah!’

26 But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Proclaims Solomon King

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

29 And the king took an oath and said,“AstheLordlives, who has redeemed my life from every distress,

30 just as I swore to you by theLordGod of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed withherface to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said,“Let my lord King David live forever!”

32 And 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 The king also said to them,“Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my ownmule, and take him down toGihon.

34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophetanoint him king over Israel; andblow the horn, and say, ‘Longlive King Solomon!’

35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said,“Amen! May theLordGod of my lord the king say sotoo.

37 As theLordhas been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, andmake his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, theCherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon.

39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn ofoil from the tabernacle andanointed Solomon. And they blew the horn,and all the people said,“Longlive King Solomon!”

40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earthseemedtosplit with their sound.

41 Now Adonijah and all the guests whowerewith him hearditas they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Whyisthe city in such a noisy uproar?”

42 While he was still speaking, there cameJonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, foryouarea prominent man, and bring good news.”

43 Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

44 The king has 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’s mule.

45 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. Thisisthe noise that you have heard.

46 Also Solomonsits on the throne of the kingdom.

47 And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying,‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’Then the king bowed himself on the bed.

48 Also the king said thus, ‘BlessedbetheLordGod of Israel, who hasgivenoneto sit on my throne this day, while my eyes seeit!’ ”

49 So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.

50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went andtook hold of the horns of the altar.

51 And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”

52 Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man,not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”

53 So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

I Kings 2

David’s Instructions to Solomon

1 Nowthe days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:

2 “I go the way of all the earth;be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.

3 And keep the charge of theLordyour God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you mayprosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;

4 that theLordmayfulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying,‘If your sons take heed to their way, towalk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said,‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiahdid to me,andwhat he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, toAbner the son of Ner andAmasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt thatwasaround his waist, and on his sandals thatwereon his feet.

6 Therefore doaccording to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

7 “But show kindness to the sons ofBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those whoeat at your table, for sothey came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

8 “And see,youhavewith youShimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. Buthe came down to meet me at the Jordan, andI swore to him by theLord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

9 Now therefore,do not hold him guiltless, for youarea wise man and know what you ought to do to him; butbring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”

Death of David

10 SoDavid rested with his fathers, and was buried inthe City of David.

11 The period that Davidreigned over Israelwasforty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.

12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom wasfirmly established.

Solomon Executes Adonijah

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said,“Do you come peaceably?”

And he said, “Peaceably.”

14 Moreover he said, “I have somethingtosayto you.”

And she said, “Say it.”

15 Then he said, “You know that the kingdom wasmine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; forit was his from theLord.

16 Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me.”

And she said to him, “Say it.”

17 Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give meAbishag the Shunammite as wife.”

18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”

19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her andbowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother;so she sat at his right hand.

20 Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me.”

And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”

21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

22 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for heismyolder brother—for him, and forAbiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

23 Then King Solomon swore by theLord, saying,“May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life!

24 Now therefore,astheLordlives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a house for me, as Hepromised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

25 So King Solomon sent by the hand ofBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.

Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed

26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go toAnathoth, to your own fields, for youaredeserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time,because you carried the ark of the LordGodbefore my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.”

27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to theLord, that he mightfulfill the word of theLordwhich He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

28 Then news came to Joab, for Joabhad defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of theLord, andtook hold of the horns of the altar.

29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of theLord; thereheis,by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go,strike him down.”

30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of theLord, and said to him, “Thus says the king,‘Come out!’ ”

And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”

31 Then the king said to him,“Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him,that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed.

32 So theLordwill return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteousand better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, andAmasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not knowit.

33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab andupon the head of his descendants forever.But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from theLord.”

34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king putZadok the priest in the place ofAbiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Then the king sent and called forShimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere.

37 For it shall be, on the day you go out and crossthe Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die;your blood shall be on your own head.”

38 And Shimei said to the king, “The sayingisgood. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39 Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away toAchish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slavesarein Gath!”

40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.

41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back.

42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by theLord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heardisgood.’

43 Why then have you not kept the oath of theLordand the commandment that I gave you?”

44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges,all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore theLordwillreturn your wickedness on your own head.

45 But King Solomonshallbeblessed, andthe throne of David shall be established before theLordforever.”

46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus thekingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

I Kings 3

Solomon Requests Wisdom

1 NowSolomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought herto the City of David until he had finished building hisown house, andthe house of theLord, andthe wall all around Jerusalem.

2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of theLorduntil those days.

3 And Solomonloved theLord,walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

4 Nowthe king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,for thatwasthe great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5 At Gibeon theLordappeared to Solomonin a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because hewalked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and Youhave given him a son to sit on his throne, asitisthis day.

7 Now, OLordmy God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but Iamalittle child; I do not knowhowto go out or come in.

8 And Your servantisin the midst of Your people whom Youhave chosen, a great people, toonumerous to be numbered or counted.

9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heartto judge Your people, that I maydiscern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and havenot asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,

12 behold, I have done according to your words;see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

13 And I have alsogiven you what you have not asked: bothriches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

14 Soif you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments,as your father David walked, then I willlengthen your days.”

15 Then Solomonawoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of theLord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, andmade a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wise Judgment

16 Now two womenwhowereharlots came to the king, andstood before him.

17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while shewasin the house.

18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And weweretogether; no onewaswith us in the house, except the two of us in the house.

19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.

20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living oneismy son, and the dead oneisyour son.”

And the first woman said, “No! But the dead oneisyour son, and the living oneismy son.”

Thus they spoke before the king.

23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘Thisismy son, who lives, and your sonisthe dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your sonisthe dead one, and my sonisthe living one.’ ”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.

25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose sonwasliving spoke to the king, forshe yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”

But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours,butdividehim.”

27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; sheishis mother.”

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that thewisdom of Godwasin him to administer justice.

I Kings 4

Solomon’s Administration

1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel.

2 And thesewerehis officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes;Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;

4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok andAbiathar, the priests;

5 Azariah the son of Nathan, overthe officers; Zabud the son of Nathan,a priestandthe king’s friend;

6 Ahishar, over the household; andAdoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year.

8 Thesearetheir names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim;

9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;

10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to himbelongedSochoh and all the land of Hepher;

11 Ben-Abinadab,inall the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife;

12 Baana the son of Ahilud,inTaanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, whichisbeside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam;

13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to himbelongedthe towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to himalsobelongedthe region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars;

14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo,inMahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife;

16 Baanah the son ofHushai, in Asher and Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin;

19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,inthe country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan.Hewasthe only governor whowasin the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

20 Judah and Israelwereas numerousas the sand by the sea in multitude,eating and drinking and rejoicing.

21 SoSolomon reigned over all kingdoms fromthe Rivertothe land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.Theybrought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,

23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

24 For he had dominion over alltheregionon this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely overall the kings on this side of the River; andhe had peace on every side all around him.

25 And Judah and Israeldwelt safely,each man under his vine and his fig tree,from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls ofhorses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

27 Andthese governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply.

28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

29 AndGod gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.

30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the menof the East and allthe wisdom of Egypt.

31 For he waswiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite,and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and hissongs were one thousand and five.

33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.

34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom,came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.