Bible Reading for April 12

1 Kings Chapter 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 Enrogel, 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 Bathsheba 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 Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king
was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.

16 And Bathsheba 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 Bathsheba. 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 Bathsheba 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.

1 Kings Chapter 2

1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged
Solomon his son, saying,

2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew
thyself a man;

3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep
his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his
testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest
prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me,
saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in
truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail
thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and
what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the
son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the
blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was
about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.