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.
2026 Bible Reading Plan
We are excited to revisit the Chronological Bible Reading Plan for 2026. Each day’s reading will be supplemented by videos provided by “The Bible Recap.” The plan is offered several ways. (Those who are already signed up will be included in the new plan.)
Ways to Read
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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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
What does God want me to believe?
Proverbs 13-15
13A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
2From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.
3He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
4The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
6Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.
9The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
11Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.
14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.
17A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
19A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
20He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
21Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
22A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.
23A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.
24He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
25The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.
14The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2He whose walk is upright fears the Lord , but he whose ways are devious despises him.
3A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
4Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.
5A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.
6The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
7Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.
8The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.
9Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
10Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
11The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.
14The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.
15A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.
16A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
17A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.
18The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
21He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
22Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
25A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
26He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
27The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
28A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
30A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
31He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
32When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.
33Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.
34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
35A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath.
15A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
3The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
4The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
6The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
7The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
8The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
9The Lord detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
10Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.
11Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord – how much more the hearts of men!
12A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.
13A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
14The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
15All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.
17Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.
18A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.
19The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
20A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
21Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.
22Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
23A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word!
24The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.
25The Lord tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact.
26The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him.
27A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.
28The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
29The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
31He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.
32He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
33The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
June 6 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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
What does God want me to believe?
Proverbs 10-12
10The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
3The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
5He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
7The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
8The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
12Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
17He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
18He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.
22The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
23A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
24What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.
25When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.
26As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.
27The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
29The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
30The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.
31The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
11The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.
2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
4Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
6The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
7When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing.
8The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead.
9With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.
10When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
12A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
13A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
14For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.
15He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
16A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
18The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
19The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
20The Lord detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
21Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.
22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
23The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
26People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
27He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
29He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
31If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
12Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
2A good man obtains favor from the Lord , but the Lord condemns a crafty man.
3A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
5The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
6The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
7Wicked men are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.
8A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised.
9Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
10A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.
12The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.
13An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.
14From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.
15The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
16A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
17A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.
18Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.
21No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
23A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.
24Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.
25An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
26A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.
28In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.
June 5 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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
What does God want me to believe?
Proverbs 7-9
7My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
2Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman;
5they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
6At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.
7I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.
8He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
9at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
10Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11(She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
12now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
13She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
14“I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.
15So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
16I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
20He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”
21With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose
23till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
24Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
27Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.
8Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?
2On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud:
4“To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.
5You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.
6Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
7My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.
8All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
9To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge.
10Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,
11for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
12“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.
13To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
14Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.
15By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just;
16by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth.
17I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
18With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
19My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.
20I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
21bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
22“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, , before his deeds of old;
23I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.
24When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water;
25before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,
26before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world.
27I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,
31rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
32“Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
33Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
34Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
35For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord .
36But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
9Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
4“Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.
5“Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
6Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
7“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
12If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”
13The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
16“Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.
17“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
June 4 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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
What does God want me to believe?
Proverbs 4-6
4Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
3When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,
4he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.
5Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
7Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.”
10Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.
15Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
20My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
23Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
24Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
5My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight,
2that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
4but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
7Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
8Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
9lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
10lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house.
11At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
12You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!
13I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.
14I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”
15Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
16Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.
18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19A loving doe, a graceful deer- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?
21For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord , and he examines all his paths.
22The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
23He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.
6My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another,
2if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
3then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!
4Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.
5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
11and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
12A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
14who plots evil with deceit in his heart- he always stirs up dissension.
15Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed-without remedy.
16There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
20My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.
22When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
23For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,
24keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.
25Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,
26for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
28Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
29So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
33Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away;
34for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35He will not accept any compensation; he will refuse the bribe, however great it is.
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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…
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about man?
Is there an example to follow?
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.
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