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At King Street Church, we believe that the Word of God is vital to a growing walk with Jesus.  We make reading the Bible a priority at our church with a new Bible Reading Plan every year.  It is our desire that the church body would read the Scriptures together, and come to a ever-deepening understanding of God’s purpose and plan for our lives.  We welcome others around the world to join us in this quest!  

If you would like to hear messages that focus on biblical teaching, visit us at www.kingstreetchurch.com.

Read Through the Bible in 2023

This year we will be reading the Chronological Bible together.  

Ways to Read

  • – Subscribe via the sign box below to receive daily emails
  • – Text DAILY to 717.401.7777 to receive the readings and questions via a text message
  • – Visit bible.kingstreetchurch.com daily to read the passage and respond to the questions. 

 

June 3 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Proverbs 1-3

1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;

4for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-

5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-

6for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

9They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

11If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul;

12let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;

14throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse”-

15my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;

16for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.

17How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!

18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!

19Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

20Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;

21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

22“How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

23If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

24But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,

26I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

29Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord ,

30since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

31they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

2My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

3and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

4and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

6For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path.

10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,

13who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways,

14who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

16It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,

17who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.

18For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

20Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

3My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,

2for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

3Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the Lord ‘s discipline and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,

14for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

21My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;

22they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.

23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble;

24when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.

28Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”- when you now have it with you.

29Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.

30Do not accuse a man for no reason- when he has done you no harm.

31Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,

32for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.

33The Lord ‘s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.

35The wise inherit honor, but fools he holds up to shame.

June 2 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Song of Solomon 1-8

1Solomon’s Song of Songs.

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth- for your love is more delightful than wine.

3Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you!

4Take me away with you-let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you ; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!

5Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.

6Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected.

7Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?

8If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.

9I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh.

10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.

11We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.

12While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

13My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.

14My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

15How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves.

16How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant.

17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs.

2I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

2Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.

3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.

5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.

6His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.

7Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

8Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.

10My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.

11See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

12Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

13The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

14My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

15Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

16My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.

17Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.

3All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.

2I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him.

3The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”

4Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the room of the one who conceived me.

5Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

6Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?

7Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel,

8all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night.

9King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon.

10Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior lovingly inlaid by the daughters of Jerusalem.

11Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.

4How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead.

2Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.

3Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.

4Your neck is like the tower of David, built with elegance ; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.

5Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies.

6Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.

7All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards.

9You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.

10How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!

11Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon.

12You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.

13Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard,

14nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.

15You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.

16Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.

5I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.

2I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

3I have taken off my robe- must I put it on again? I have washed my feet- must I soil them again?

4My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him.

5I arose to open for my lover, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the lock.

6I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.

7The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls!

8O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you- if you find my lover, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love.

9How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you charge us so?

10My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.

11His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven.

12His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels.

13His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh.

14His arms are rods of gold set with chrysolite. His body is like polished ivory decorated with sapphires.

15His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.

16His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

6Where has your lover gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your lover turn, that we may look for him with you?

2My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies.

3I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.

4You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners.

5Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead.

6Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is alone.

7Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.

8Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number;

9but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her.

10Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?

11I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.

12Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.

13Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, that we may gaze on you! Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim?

7How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman’s hands.

2Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.

3Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.

4Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.

5Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.

6How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!

7Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

8I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,

9and your mouth like the best wine. May the wine go straight to my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth.

10I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.

11Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages.

12Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom- there I will give you my love.

13The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover.

8If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother’s breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.

2I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house- she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

3His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me.

4Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

5Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover? Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth.

6Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

7Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

8We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?

9If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

10I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.

11Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver.

12But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

13You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!

14Come away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains.

June 1 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 119:89-176

89Your word, O Lord , is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

90Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

91Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

92If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

94Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.

95The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.

96To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.

97Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

98Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

99I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

100I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.

101I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.

102I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

103How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

106I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

107I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your word.

108Accept, O Lord , the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

109Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.

110The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.

111Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

112My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

113I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.

114You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

115Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!

116Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

117Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.

118You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain.

119All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.

120My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.

121I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.

122Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.

123My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.

124Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.

125I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

126It is time for you to act, O Lord ; your law is being broken.

127Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,

128and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.

129Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

130The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

131I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

132Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.

133Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

134Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.

135Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.

136Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

137Righteous are you, O Lord , and your laws are right.

138The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.

139My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.

140Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

141Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.

142Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

143Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.

144Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

145I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord , and I will obey your decrees.

146I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.

147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

149Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your laws.

150Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.

151Yet you are near, O Lord , and all your commands are true.

152Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.

153Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.

154Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.

155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.

156Your compassion is great, O Lord ; preserve my life according to your laws.

157Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.

158I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.

159See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your love.

160All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

161Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.

162I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.

163I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.

164Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

165Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

166I wait for your salvation, O Lord , and I follow your commands.

167I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.

168I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

169May my cry come before you, O Lord ; give me understanding according to your word.

170May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.

171May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.

172May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

173May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

174I long for your salvation, O Lord , and your law is my delight.

175Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

176I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

May 31 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72

1 Kings 3-4

3Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord , and the wall around Jerusalem.

2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord .

3Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

4The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7“Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.

8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

11So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,

12I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

14And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

15Then Solomon awoke-and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

17One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me.

18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.

20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.

21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son-and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ “

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

25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

4So King Solomon ruled over all Israel.

2And these were his chief officials: Azariah son of Zadok-the priest;

3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha-secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud-recorder;

4Benaiah son of Jehoiada-commander in chief; Zadok and Abiathar-priests;

5Azariah son of Nathan-in charge of the district officers; Zabud son of Nathan-a priest and personal adviser to the king;

6Ahishar-in charge of the palace; Adoniram son of Abda-in charge of forced labor.

7Solomon also had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year.

8These are their names: Ben-Hur-in the hill country of Ephraim;

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

10Ben-Hesed-in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his);

11Ben-Abinadab-in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

12Baana son of Ahilud-in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;

13Ben-Geber-in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the district of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);

14Ahinadab son of Iddo-in Mahanaim;

15Ahimaaz-in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

16Baana son of Hushai-in Asher and in Aloth;

17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah-in Issachar;

18Shimei son of Ela-in Benjamin;

19Geber son of Uri-in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.

21And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

22Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,

23ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.

24For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.

25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.

26Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.

27The district officers, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.

28They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

31He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

32He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

33He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.

34Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

2 Chronicles 1

1Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

2Then Solomon spoke to all Israel-to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families-

3and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the Lord ‘s servant had made in the desert.

4Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

5But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord ; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.

6Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.

9Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.

10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,

12therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

13Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel.

14Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

15The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

16Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue – the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.

17They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

PSALM 72

1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.

4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.

5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.

6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.

7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

9The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.

10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.

11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.

12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.

14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.

16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.

17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.

18Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.

19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

May 30 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 119:1-88

1Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord .

2Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

4You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

12Praise be to you, O Lord ; teach me your decrees.

13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

16I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

17Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.

18Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

19I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.

20My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.

21You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands.

22Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.

23Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.

24Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

25I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

26I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.

27Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.

28My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

29Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.

30I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

31I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord ; do not let me be put to shame.

32I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

33Teach me, O Lord , to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

34Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

35Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

36Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

38Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

39Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

40How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

41May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord , your salvation according to your promise;

42then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

43Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

44I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

45I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

46I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,

47for I delight in your commands because I love them.

48I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

49Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

50My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

51The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law.

52I remember your ancient laws, O Lord , and I find comfort in them.

53Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.

54Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.

55In the night I remember your name, O Lord , and I will keep your law.

56This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

57You are my portion, O Lord ; I have promised to obey your words.

58I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

59I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.

60I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

61Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.

62At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.

63I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

64The earth is filled with your love, O Lord ; teach me your decrees.

65Do good to your servant according to your word, O Lord .

66Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.

67Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

68You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.

70Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

71It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

72The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

73Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.

74May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

75I know, O Lord , that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

76May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.

77Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

78May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

79May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.

80May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

81My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

82My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?”

83Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees.

84How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?

85The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law.

86All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.

87They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.

88Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.

May 29 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

1 Kings 1-2; Psalm 37, 71, 94

1 King 1-2

1When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.

2So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

3Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

4The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her.

5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.

6(His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

7Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support.

8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.

9Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah who were royal officials,

10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

11Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David’s knowing it?

12Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

13Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

14While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said.”

15So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him.

16Bathsheba bowed low and knelt before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked.

17She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

18But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it.

19He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.

20My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.

23And they told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne?

25Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

26But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite.

27Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

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

29The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,

30I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the Lord , the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king,

33he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.

34There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

35Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord , the God of my lord the king, so declare it.

37As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon.

39Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!”

40And all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”

42Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”

43“Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule,

45and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That’s the noise you hear.

46Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.

47Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed

48and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.’ “

49At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed.

50But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.

51Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ “

52Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.”

53Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”

2When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man,

3and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go,

4and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

5“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me-what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.

6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7“But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8“And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord : ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’

9But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

10Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

11He had reigned forty years over Israel-seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

12So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

13Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Yes, peacefully.”

14Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” “You may say it,” she replied.

15“As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord .

16Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.” “You may make it,” she said.

17So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon-he will not refuse you-to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

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

19When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

20“I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

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

22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him-after all, he is my older brother-yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23Then King Solomon swore by the Lord : “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!

24And now, as surely as the Lord lives-he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised-Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

26To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”

27So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord , fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

28When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

29King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

30So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ” But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father’s house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.

32The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them-Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army-were better men and more upright than he.

33May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord ‘s peace forever.”

34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert.

35The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.

36Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.

37The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”

38Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.”

40At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

41When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,

42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’

43Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

44The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing.

45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the Lord forever.”

46Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon’s hands.

PSALM 37

1Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil.

9For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

12The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

14The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

17for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The days of the blameless are known to the Lord , and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20But the wicked will perish: The Lord ‘s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

22those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.

23If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;

24though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

27Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.

31The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;

33but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.

38But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord ; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

PSALM 71

1In you, O Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

2Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.

3Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

4Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

5For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord , my confidence since my youth.

6From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.

7I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

8My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

9Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

10For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.

11They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”

12Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.

13May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

15My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.

16I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord ; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

17Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

18Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

19Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?

20Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

21You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

22I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you- I, whom you have redeemed.

24My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

PSALM 94

1O Lord , the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.

2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.

3How long will the wicked, O Lord , how long will the wicked be jubilant?

4They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.

5They crush your people, O Lord ; they oppress your inheritance.

6They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless.

7They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

8Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?

9Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?

10Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

11The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

12Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord , the man you teach from your law;

13you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.

15Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

17Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

18When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord , supported me.

19When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

20Can a corrupt throne be allied with you- one that brings on misery by its decrees?

21They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

22But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

23He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

May 28 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 111-118

PSALM 111

1Praise the Lord . I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2Great are the works of the Lord ; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

4He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

6He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

8They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

9He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever- holy and awesome is his name.

10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

PSALM 112

1Praise the Lord . Blessed is the man who fears the Lord , who finds great delight in his commands.

2His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

4Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

5Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

7He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord .

8His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

9He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

PSALM 113

1Praise the Lord . Praise, O servants of the Lord , praise the name of the Lord .

2Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.

3From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

4The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

5Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

6who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

9He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 114

1When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

3The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;

4the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

5Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

6you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs?

7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.

PSALM 115

1Not to us, O Lord , not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

2Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”

3Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

4But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

5They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

6they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;

7they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

9O house of Israel, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

11You who fear him, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

12The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,

13he will bless those who fear the Lord – small and great alike.

14May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children.

15May you be blessed by the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

16The highest heavens belong to the Lord , but the earth he has given to man.

17It is not the dead who praise the Lord , those who go down to silence;

18it is we who extol the Lord , both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 116

1I love the Lord , for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

2Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

3The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on the name of the Lord : “O Lord , save me!”

5The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

6The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

7Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

8For you, O Lord , have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

9that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

11And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.”

12How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?

13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord .

14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16O Lord , truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant ; you have freed me from my chains.

17I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord .

18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

19in the courts of the house of the Lord – in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 117

1Praise the Lord , all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.

2For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 118

1Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

2Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

3Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

4Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

5In my anguish I cried to the Lord , and he answered by setting me free.

6The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

7The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

8It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

11They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

12They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

13I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

14The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord ‘s right hand has done mighty things!

16The Lord ‘s right hand is lifted high; the Lord ‘s right hand has done mighty things!”

17I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

18The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord .

20This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.

21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

22The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

23the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25O Lord , save us; O Lord , grant us success.

26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord . From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.

28You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

May 27 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

1 Chronicles 26-29; Psalm 127

1 Chronicles 26-29

26The divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

2Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

3Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth and Eliehoenai the seventh.

4Obed-Edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth. (For God had blessed Obed-Edom.)

6His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men.

7The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men.

8All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work-descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

9Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men-18 in all.

10Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first),

11Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

12These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord , just as their relatives had.

13Lots were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

14The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

15The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-Edom, and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons.

16The lots for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah. Guard was alongside of guard:

17There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse.

18As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself.

19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

20Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things.

21The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and who were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli,

22the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the temple of the Lord .

23From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites:

24Shubael, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.

25His relatives through Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zicri his son and Shelomith his son.

26Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders.

27Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord .

28And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

29From the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were assigned duties away from the temple, as officials and judges over Israel.

30From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives-seventeen hundred able men-were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the king’s service.

31As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead.

32Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

27This is the list of the Israelites-heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.

2In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

3He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army officers for the first month.

4In charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite; Mikloth was the leader of his division. There were 24,000 men in his division.

5The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division.

6This was the Benaiah who was a mighty man among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

7The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.

8The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

9The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

10The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

11The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

12The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

13The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

14The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

15The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

16The officers over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zicri; over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maacah;

17over Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel; over Aaron: Zadok;

18over Judah: Elihu, a brother of David; over Issachar: Omri son of Michael;

19over Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; over Naphtali: Jerimoth son of Azriel;

20over the Ephraimites: Hoshea son of Azaziah; over half the tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah;

21over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;

22over Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the officers over the tribes of Israel.

23David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

24Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. Wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.

25Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.

26Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land.

27Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

28Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills. Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

29Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

30Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

31Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.

32Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons.

33Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.

34Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army.

28David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the brave warriors.

2King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord , for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it.

3But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

4“Yet the Lord , the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

5Of all my sons-and the Lord has given me many-he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

6He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

7I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’

8“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord , and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

9“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

10Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement.

12He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.

13He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord , as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.

14He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service:

15the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;

16the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables;

17the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish;

18and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and shelter the ark of the covenant of the Lord .

19“All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”

20David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

21The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing man skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

29Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.

2With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God-gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble-all of these in large quantities.

3Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple:

4three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings,

5for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord ?”

6Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

7They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron.

8Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.

9The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord . David the king also rejoiced greatly.

10David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O Lord , God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

11Yours, O Lord , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord , is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

12Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

13Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

14“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

15We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

16O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

17I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

18O Lord , God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.

19And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”

20Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord , the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.

21The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

22They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day. Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest.

23So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him.

24All the officers and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.

26David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.

27He ruled over Israel forty years-seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

28He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.

29As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer,

30together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.

PSALM 127

1Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3Sons are a heritage from the Lord , children a reward from him.

4Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.

5Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

May 26 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 131, 138-139, 143-145

PSALM 131

1My heart is not proud, O Lord , my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

2But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

PSALM 138

1I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

3When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.

4May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord , when they hear the words of your mouth.

5May they sing of the ways of the Lord , for the glory of the Lord is great.

6Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.

7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

8The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord , endures forever- do not abandon the works of your hands.

PSALM 139

1O Lord , you have searched me and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord .

5You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

19If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord , and abhor those who rise up against you?

22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

PSALM 143

1O Lord , hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

2Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

3The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

4So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

5I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

6I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7Answer me quickly, O Lord ; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

9Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord , for I hide myself in you.

10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

11For your name’s sake, O Lord , preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

PSALM 144

1Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

2He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

3O Lord , what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

4Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

5Part your heavens, O Lord , and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

6Send forth lightning and scatter [the enemies]; shoot your arrows and rout them.

7Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners

8whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

9I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

10to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.

11Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

12Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.

13Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;

14our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.

15Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord .

PSALM 145

1I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

5They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10All you have made will praise you, O Lord ; your saints will extol you.

11They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

14The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

18The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

20The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord . Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

May 25 KSC Bible Plan

Welcome to the 2023 King Street Church Bible Reading Plan.  This year we will be following a chronological plan.

In your personal journal, consider answering these questions as part of your devotional time:
 
In this passage…
  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about man?
  3. Is there an example to follow?
  4. What does God want me to believe?

1 Chronicles 23-25

23When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

2He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

3The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.

4David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.

5Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”

6David divided the Levites into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

7Belonging to the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

8The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel-three in all.

9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran-three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei-four in all.

11Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel-four in all.

13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord , to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.

14The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16The descendants of Gershom: Shubael was the first.

17The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.

19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

22Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth-three in all.

24These were the descendants of Levi by their families-the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the Lord .

25For David had said, “Since the Lord , the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,

26the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”

27According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

28The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord : to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.

29They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.

30They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord . They were to do the same in the evening

31and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

32And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord .

24These were the divisions of the sons of Aaron: The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests.

3With the help of Zadok a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelech a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering.

4A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants.

5They divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

6The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites-one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

7The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

8the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

9the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

11the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

16the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

17the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

18the twenty-third to Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

19This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord , according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord , the God of Israel, had commanded him.

20As for the rest of the descendants of Levi: from the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

21As for Rehabiah, from his sons: Isshiah was the first.

22From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

23The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

24The son of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

25The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.

26The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno.

27The sons of Merari: from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri.

28From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

29From Kish: the son of Kish: Jerahmeel.

30And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, according to their families.

31They also cast lots, just as their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

25David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:

2From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

3As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord .

4As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth.

5All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

6All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the Lord , with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king.

7Along with their relatives-all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord -they numbered 288.

8Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

9The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons and relatives, 12 the second to Gedaliah, he and his relatives and sons, 12

10the third to Zaccur, his sons and relatives, 12

11the fourth to Izri, his sons and relatives, 12

12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and relatives, 12

13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and relatives, 12

14the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons and relatives, 12

15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and relatives, 12

16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and relatives, 12

17the tenth to Shimei, his sons and relatives, 12

18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and relatives, 12

19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and relatives, 12

20the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and relatives, 12

21the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons and relatives, 12

22the fifteenth to Jerimoth, his sons and relatives, 12

23the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and relatives, 12

24the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and relatives, 12

25the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and relatives, 12

26the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and relatives, 12

27the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and relatives, 12

28the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and relatives, 12

29the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and relatives, 12

30the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and relatives, 12

31the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and relatives, 12

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