Day 99 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

1 Kings 1

1 And king David [was] old and advanced in days, and they covered him with clothes, and he was not warmed. 2 And his servants said, Let them seek for the king a young virgin, and she shall wait on the king, and cherish him, and lie with him, and my lord the king shall be warmed. 3 So they sought for a fair damsel out of all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abisag the Somanite, and they brought her to the king. 4 And the damsel was extremely beautiful, and she cherished the king, and ministered to him, but the king knew her not. 5 And Adonias the son of Aggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he prepared for himself chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 6 And his father never at any time checked him, saying, Why hast thou done [thus]? and he was also very handsome in appearance, and his mother bore him after Abessalom. 7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Saruia, and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed after Adonias. 8 But Sadoc the priest, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and Nathan the prophet, and Semei, and Resi, and the mighty men of David, did not follow Adonias. 9 And Adonias sacrificed sheep and calves and lambs by the stone of Zoelethi, which was near Rogel: and he called all his brethren, and all the adult [men] of Juda, servants of the king. 10 But Nathan the prophet, and Banæas, and the mighty [men], and Solomon his brother, he did not call. 11 And Nathan spoke to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonias the son of Aggith reigns, and our lord David knows it not? 12 And now come, let me, I pray, give thee counsel, and thou shalt rescue thy life, and the life of thy son Solomon. 13 Haste, and go in to king David, and thou shalt speak to him, saying, Hast not thou, my lord, O king, sworn to thine handmaid, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then does Adonias reign? 14 And behold, while thou art still speaking there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and will confirm thy words. 15 So Bersabee went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old, and Abisag the Somanite was ministering to the king. 16 And Bersabee bowed, and did obeisance to the king; and the king said, What is thy request? 17 And she said, My lord, thou didst swear by the Lord thy God to thine handmaid, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne. 18 And now, behold, Adonias reigns, and thou, my lord, O king, knowest [it] not. 19 And he has sacrificed calves and lambs and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander-in-chief of the host; but Solomon thy servant he has not called. 20 And thou, my lord, O king,—the eyes of all Israel [are] upon thee, to tell them who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 And it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and Solomon my son shall be offenders. 22 And behold, while she was yet talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came. And it was reported to the king, 23 Behold, Nathan the prophet [is here]: and he came in to the king's presence, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, didst thou say, Adonias shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? 25 For he has gone down to-day, and has sacrificed calves and lambs and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the chiefs of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and they said, [Long] live king Adonias. 26 But he has not invited me thy servant, and Sadoc the priest, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and Solomon thy servant. 27 Has this matter happened by the authority of my lord the king, and hast thou not made known to thy servant who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him? 28 And king David answered and said, Call me Bersabee: and she came in before the king, and stood before him. 29 And the king swore, and said, [As] the Lord lives who redeemed my soul out of all affliction, 30 as I swore to thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead, so will I do this day. 31 And Bersabee bowed with her face to the ground, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. 32 And king David said, Call me Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas the son of Jodae: and they came in before the king. 33 And the king said to them, Take the servants of your lord with you, and mount my son Solomon upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gion. 34 And there let Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him to be king over Israel, and do ye sound the trumpet, and ye shall say, Let king Solomon live. 35 And he shall sit upon my throne, and reign in my stead: and I have given charge that he should be for a prince over Israel and Juda. 36 And Banæas the son of Jodae answered the king and said, So let it be: may the Lord God of my lord the king confirm [it]. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so let him be with Solomon, and let him exalt his throne beyond the throne of my lord king David. 38 And Sadoc the priest went down, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas son of Jodae, and the Cherethite, and the Phelethite, and they mounted Solomon upon the mule of king David, and led him away to Gion. 39 And Sadoc the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Let king Solomon live. 40 And all the people went up after him, and they danced in choirs, and rejoiced with great joy, and the earth quaked with their voice. 41 And Adonias and all his guests heard, and they had [just] left off eating: and Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, and said, What [means] the voice of the city in tumult? 42 While he was yet speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came in: and Adonias said, Come in, for thou art a mighty man, and [thou comest] to bring glad tidings. 43 And Jonathan answered and said, Verily our lord king David has made Solomon king: 44 and the king has sent with him Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and the Cherethite, and the Phelethite, and they have mounted him on the king's mule; 45 and Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him in Gion, and have gone up thence rejoicing, and the city resounded: this [is] the sound which ye have heard. 46 And Solomon is seated upon the throne of the kingdom. 47 And the servants of the king have gone in to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne; and the king worshipped upon his bed. 48 Moreover thus said the king, Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel, who has this day appointed one of my seed sitting on my throne, and my eyes see it. 49 And all the guests of Adonias were dismayed, and every man went his way. 50 And Adonias feared because of Solomon, and arose, and departed, and laid hold on the horns of the altar. 51 And it was reported to Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonias fears king Solomon, and holds the horns of the altar, saying, Let Solomon swear to me this day, that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52 And Solomon said, If he should be a valiant man, there shall not a hair of his fall to the ground; but if evil be found in him, he shall die. 53 And king Solomon sent, and they brought him away from the altar; and he went in and did obeisance to king Solomon: and Solomon said to him, Go to thy house.

1 Kings 2

1 And the days of David drew near that he should die: and he addressed his son Solomon, saying, I go the way of all the earth: 2 but be thou strong, and shew thyself a man; 3 and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep the commandments and the ordinances and the judgments which are written in the law of Moses; that thou mayest understand what thou shalt do in all things that I command thee: 4 that the Lord may confirm his word which he spoke, saying, If thy children shall take heed to their way to walk before me in truth with all their heart, [I promise thee], saying, there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel. 5 Moreover thou knowest all that Joab the son of Saruia did to me, what he did to the two captains of the forces of Israel, to Abenner the son of Ner, and to Amessai the son of Jether, that he slew them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put innocent blood on his girdle that was about his loins, and on his sandal that was on his foot. 6 Therefore thou shalt deal [with him] according to thy wisdom, and thou shalt not bring down his grey hairs in peace to the grave. 7 But thou shalt deal kindly with the sons of Berzelli the Galaadite, and they shall be among those that eat at thy table; for thus they drew nigh to me when I fled from the face of thy brother Abessalom. 8 And, behold, [there is] with thee Semei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Baurim: and he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; and he came down to Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 But thou shalt by no means hold him guiltless, for thou art a wise man, and wilt know what thou shalt do to him, and shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave. 10 And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 And the days which David reigned over Israel [were] forty years; he reigned seven years in Chebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 And Adonias the son of Aggith came in to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, and did obeisance to her: and she said, Dost thou enter peaceably? and he said, Peaceably: 14 I have business with thee. And she said to him, Say on. 15 And he said to her, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel turned their face toward me for a king; but the kingdom was turned [from me] and became my brother's: for it was [appointed] to him from the Lord. 16 And now I make one request of thee, do not turn away thy face. And Bersabee said to him, Speak [on]. 17 And he said to her, Speak, I pray thee, to king Solomon, for he will not turn away his face from thee, and let him give me Abisag the Somanite for a wife. 18 And Bersabee said, Well; I will speak for thee to the king. 19 And Bersabee went in to king Solomon to speak to him concerning Adonias; and the king rose up to meet her, and kissed her, and sat on the throne, and a throne was set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand. 20 And she said to him, I ask of thee one little request; turn not away my face from thee. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, and I will not reject thee. 21 And she said, Let, I pray thee, Abisag the Somanite be given to Adonias thy brother to wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why hast thou asked Abisag for Adonias? ask for him the kingdom also; for he [is] my elder brother, and he has for his companion Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Saruia the commander-in-chief. 23 And king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also, [if it be not] that Adonias has spoken this word against his own life. 24 And now [as] the Lord lives who has established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and he has made me a house, as the Lord spoke, this day shall Adonias be put to death. 25 So king Solomon sent by the hand of Banæas the son of Jodae, and he slew him, and Adonias died in that day. 26 And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Depart thou quickly to Anathoth to thy farm, for thou art worthy of death this day; but I will not slay thee, because thou hast borne the ark of the covenant of the Lord before my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all things wherein my father was afflicted. 27 And Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest of the Lord, that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he spoke concerning the house of Heli in Selom. 28 And the report came to Joab son of Saruia; for Joab had turned after Adonias, and he went not after Solomon: and Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and caught hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told Solomon, saying, Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and lo! he has hold of the horns of the altar. And king Solomon sent to Joab, saying, What ails thee, that thou hast fled to the altar? and Joab said, Because I was afraid of thee, and fled for refuge to the Lord. And Solomon sent Banæas son of Jodae, saying, Go and slay him, and bury him. 30 And Banæas son of Jodae came to Joab to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, Thus says the king, Come forth. And Joab said, I will not come forth, for I will die here. And Banæas son of Jodae returned and spoke to the king, saying, Thus has Joab spoken, and thus has he answered me. 31 And the king said to him, Go, and do to him as he has spoken, and kill him: and thou shalt bury him, and thou shalt remove this day the blood which he shed without cause, from me and from the house of my father. 32 And the Lord has returned upon his own head the blood of his unrighteousness, inasmuch as he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew not of their blood, [even] Abenner the son of Ner the commander-in-chief of Israel, and Amessa the son of Jether the commander-in-chief of Juda. 33 And their blood is returned upon his head, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but to David, and his seed, and his house, and his throne, may there be peace for ever from the Lord. 34 So Banæas son of Jodae went up, and attacked him, and slew him, and buried him in his house in the wilderness. 35 And the king appointed Banæas son of Jodae in his place over the host; and the kingdom was established in Jerusalem; and [as for] Sadoc the priest, the king appointed him to be high priest in the room of Abiathar. And Solomon son of David reigned over Israel and Juda in Jerusalem: 35a and the Lord gave understanding to Solomon, and very much wisdom, and largeness of heart, as the sand by the sea-shore. 35b And the wisdom of Solomon abounded exceedingly beyond the wisdom of all the ancients, and beyond all the wise men of Egypt; 35c and he took the daughter of Pharao, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord first, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. In seven years he made and finished [them]. 35d And Solomon had seventy thousand bearers of burdens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain: 35e and Solomon made the sea, and the bases, and the great lavers, and the pillars, and the fountain of the court, and the brazen sea— and he built the citadel as a defence above it, he made a breach in the wall of the city of David; 35f thus the daughter of Pharao went up out of the city of David to her house which he built for her. Then he built the citadel; 35g and Solomon offered up three whole-burnt-offerings in the year, and peace-offerings on the altar which he built to the Lord, and he burnt incense before the Lord, and finished the house. 35h And these [are] the chief persons who presided over the works of Solomon; three thousand and six hundred masters of the people that wrought the works. 35i And he built Assur, and Magdo, and Gazer, and upper Bæthoron, and Ballath: 35k only after he had built the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about, afterwards he built these cities. 35l And when David was yet living, he charged Solomon, saying, Behold, [there is] with thee Semei the son of Gera, of the seed of Benjamin out of Chebron: 35m he cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went into the camp; 35n and he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, He shall not be slain with the sword. 35o But now do not thou hold him guiltless, for thou [art] a man of understanding, and thou wilt know what thou shalt do to him, and thou shalt bring down his grey hairs with blood to the grave. 36 And the king called Semei, and said to him, Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and thou shalt not go out thence any whither. 37 And it shall come to pass in the day that thou shalt go forth and cross over the brook Kedron, know assuredly that thou shalt certainly die: thy blood shall be upon thine head. And the king caused him to swear in that day. 38 And Semei said to the king, Good [is] the word that thou hast spoken, my lord O king: thus will thy servant do. And Semei dwelt in Jerusalem three years. 39 And it came to pass after the three years, that two servants of Semei ran away to Anchus son of Maacha king of Geth: and it was told Semei, saying, Behold, thy servants [are] in Geth. 40 And Semei rose up, and saddled his ass, and went to Geth to Anchus to seek out his servants: and Semei went, and brought his servants out of Geth. 41 And it was told Solomon, saying, Semei is gone out of Jerusalem to Geth, and has brought back his servants. 42 And the king sent and called Semei, and said to him, Did I not adjure thee by the Lord, and testify to thee, saying, In whatsoever day thou shalt go out of Jerusalem, and go to the right or left, know certainly that thou shalt assuredly die? 43 And why hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment which I commanded thee? 44 And the king said to Semei, Thou knowest all thy mischief which thy heart knows, which thou didst to David my father: and the Lord has recompensed thy mischief on thine [own] head. 45 And king Solomon [is] blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever. 46 And Solomon commanded Banæas the son of Jodae, and he went forth and slew him. 46a And king Solomon was very prudent and wise: and Juda and Israel [were] very many, as the sand which is by the sea for multitude, eating, and drinking, and rejoicing: 46b and Solomon was chief in all the kingdoms, and they brought gifts, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 46c And Solomon began to open the domains of Libanus, 46d and he built Thermæ in the wilderness. 46e And this was the daily provision of Solomon, thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of ground meal, ten choice calves, and twenty oxen from the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides stags, and does, and choice fed birds. 46f For he ruled in all the country on this side the river, from Raphi unto Gaza, over all the kings on this side the river: 46g and he was at peace on all sides round about; and Juda and Israel dwelt safely, every one under his vine and under his fig tree, eating and drinking, and feasting, from Dan even to Bersabee, all the days of Solomon. 46h And these [were] the princes of Solomon; Azariu son of Sadoc the priest, and Orniu son of Nathan chief of the officers, and he went to his house; and Suba the scribe, and Basa son of Achithalam recorder, and Abi son of Joab commander-in-chief, and Achire son of Edrai [was] over the levies, and Banæas son of Jodae over the household and over the brickwork, and Cachur the son of Nathan [was] counsellor. 46i And Solomon had forty thousand brood mares for his chariots, and twelve thousand horses. 46k And he reigned over all the kings from the river and to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt: 46l so Solomon the son of David reigned over Israel and Juda in Jerusalem.

1 Kings 3

2 Nevertheless the people burnt incense on the high places, because a house had not yet been built to the Lord. 3 And Solomon loved the Lord, [so as] to walk in the ordinances of David his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. 4 And he arose and went to Gabaon to sacrifice there, for that [was] the highest place, and great: Solomon offered a whole-burnt-offering of a thousand [victims] on the altar in Gabaon. 5 And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and the Lord said to Solomon, Ask some petition for thyself. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast dealt very mercifully with thy servant David my father according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee, and thou hast kept for him this great mercy, to set his son upon his throne, as [it is] this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast appointed thy servant in the room of David my father; and I am a little child, and know not my going out and my coming in. 8 But thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people, whom thou hast chosen, a great people, which cannot be numbered. 9 Thou shalt give therefore to thy servant a heart to hear and to judge thy people justly, and to discern between good and evil: for who will be able to judge this thy great people? 10 And it was pleasing before the Lord, that Solomon asked this thing. 11 And the Lord said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing of me, and hast not asked for thyself long life, and hast not asked wealth, nor hast asked the lives of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgment; 12 behold, I have done according to thy word: behold, I have given thee an understanding and wise heart: there has not been [any one] like thee before thee, and after thee there shall not arise one like thee. 13 And I have given thee what thou hast not asked, wealth and glory, so that there has not been any one like thee among kings. 14 And if thou wilt walk in my way, to keep my commandments and my ordinances, as David thy father walked, then will I multiply thy days. 15 And Solomon awoke, and, behold, [it was] a dream: and he arose and came to Jerusalem, and stood before the altar that was in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord in Sion: and he offered whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings, and made a great banquet for himself and all his servants. 16 Then there appeared two harlots before the king, and they stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, Hear me, [my] lord; I and this woman dwelt in one house, and we were delivered in the house. 18 And it came to pass on the third day after I was delivered, this woman also was delivered: and we [were] together; and there was no one with us besides our two selves in the house. 19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20 And she arose in the middle of the night, and took my son from my arms, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 And I arose in the morning to suckle my son, and he was dead: and, behold, I considered him in the morning, and, behold, it was not my son whom I bore. 22 And the other woman said, No, but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] thy son. So they spoke before the king. 23 And the king said to them, Thou sayest, This [is] my son, [even] the living [one], and this woman's son [is] the dead one: and thou sayest, No, but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] thy son. 24 And the king said, Fetch a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the live child, the suckling, in two; and give half of it to one, and half of it to the other. 26 And the woman whose the living child was, answered and said to the king, (for her bowels yearned over her son) and she said, I pray thee, [my] lord, give her the child, and in nowise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor hers; divide [it]. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give the child to her that said, ‘Give it to her, and by no means slay it:’ she [is] its mother. 28 And all Israel heard this judgment which the king judged, and they feared before the king; because they saw that the wisdom of God [was] in him, to execute judgment.

John 3

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must all be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11 Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12 If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.” 22 After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came and were baptized; 24 for John was not yet thrown into prison. 25 Therefore a dispute arose on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.” 27 John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. 33 He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”