2 Samuel 24 1 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against
Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go,
number Israel and Judah.
2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the
host, which was with him, Go now through all the
tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number
ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the
people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that
the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why
doth my lord the king delight in this thing?
4 Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed
against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And
Joab and the captains of the host went out from the
presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5 ¶ And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in
Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in
the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of
Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and about to
Zidon,
7 And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all
the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and
they went out to the south of Judah, even to
Beer-sheba.
8 So when they had gone through all the land, they
came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty
days.
9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the
people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight
hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the
men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 ¶ And David's heart smote him after that he had
numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly
in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the
iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
11 For when David was up in the morning, the word
of the LORD
came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things;
choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto
thee.
13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said
unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in
thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine
enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three
days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what
answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait:
let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are
great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
15 ¶ So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning
even to the time appointed: and there died of the people
from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon
Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel
that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine
hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the
Jebusite.
17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people,
and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly:
but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I
pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.
18 ¶ And Gad came that day to David, and said unto
him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went
up as the LORD
commanded.
20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his
servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and
bowed himself before the king on his face upon the
ground.
21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king
come to his servant? And David said, To buy the
threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may
be stayed from the people.
22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the
king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him:
behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and
threshing instruments and other instruments of the
oxen for wood.
23 All these things did Araunah, as a
king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king,
The LORD thy
God accept thee.
24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will
surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I
offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So
David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty
shekels of silver.
25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the
land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
THE FIRST BOOK OF THE
KINGS
COMMONLY CALLED, THE
THIRD BOOK OF THE KINGS
1
Kings 1
1 Now king David
was old and stricken in years; and they covered
him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 Wherefore his
servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord
the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the
king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy
bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought
for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel,
and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the
king.
4 And the damsel was
very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him:
but the king knew her not.
5 ¶ Then Adonijah
the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be
king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and
fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father
had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast
thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man;
and his mother bare him after Absalom.
7 And he conferred
with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the
priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
8 But Zadok the
priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the
prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged
to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah slew
sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth,
which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren
the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's
servants:
10 But Nathan the
prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his
brother, he called not.
11 ¶ Wherefore
Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon,
saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of
Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it
not?
12 Now therefore
come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou
mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son
Solomon.
13 Go and get thee
in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my
lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
14 Behold, while
thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in
after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 ¶ And
Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and
the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite
ministered unto the king.
16 And Bath-sheba
bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king
said, What wouldest thou?
17 And she said
unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne.
18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my
lord the king, thou knowest it not:
19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep
in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king,
and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the
host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.
20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all
Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell
them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king
after him.
21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord
the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son
Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 ¶ And, lo, while she yet talked with the king,
Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan
the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he
bowed himself before the king with his face to the
ground.
24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou
said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit
upon my throne?
25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain
oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath
called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host,
and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink
before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.
26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok
the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy
servant Solomon, hath he not called.
27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou
hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should
sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 ¶ Then king David answered and said, Call me
Bath-sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and
stood before the king.
29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath
redeemed my soul out of all distress,
30 Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I
certainly do this day.
31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to
the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let
my lord king David live for ever.
32 ¶ And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest,
and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.
And they came before the king.
33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the
servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride
upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet
anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the
trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may
come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my
stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel
and over Judah.
36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the
king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he
with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne
of my lord king David.
38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the
Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon
king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.
39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of
the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the
trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
40 And all the people came up after him, and the
people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so
that the earth rent with the sound of them.
41 ¶ And Adonijah and all the guests that were
with him heard it as they had made an end of
eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he
said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in
an uproar?
42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son
of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him,
Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest
good tidings.
43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah,
Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.
44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the
priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and
they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:
45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have
anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from
thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is
the noise that ye have heard.
46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the
kingdom.
47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless
our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon
better than thy name, and make his throne greater than
thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.
48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be
the LORD God
of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my
throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.
49 And all the guests that were with
Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his
way.
50 ¶ And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and
arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the
altar.
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold,
Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught
hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon
swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant
with the sword.
52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a
worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the
earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall
die.
53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down
from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king
Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
Proverbs 31 1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his
mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and
what, the son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways
to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it
is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes
strong drink:
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert
the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to
perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and
remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all
such as are appointed to destruction.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the
cause of the poor and needy.
10 ¶ Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is
far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in
her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days
of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh
willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth
her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and
giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her
maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the
fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and
strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is
good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her
hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea,
she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household:
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her
clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he
sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it;
and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and
she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her
tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her
husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou
excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is
vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her
own works praise her in the gates.
|
