David’s Instructions to Solomon

1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 ^w“I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, ^xthat you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to ^ywalk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack¹ a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Moreover, you also know ^zwhat Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging² in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war³ on the belt around his⁴ waist and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his ^agray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But deal loyally with the sons of ^bBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who ^ceat at your table, for ^dwith such loyalty⁵ they met me when I ^efled from Absalom your brother. 8 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, ^fwho cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But ^gwhen he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”

The Death of David

10 ^hThen David slept with his fathers ⁱand was buried in the city of David. 11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned ^jseven years ^kin Hebron and thirty-three years ^lin Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon’s Reign Established

13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his ^mfrom the Lord. 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.” 17 And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me ⁿAbishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and ^oon his side are Abiathar⁶ the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life! 24 Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, ^pas he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.

26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to ^qAnathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you ^rcarried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you ^sshared in all my father’s affliction.” 27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling ^tthe word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Prophecy and Tongues

1 Pursue love, and ^tearnestly desire the ^uspiritual gifts, especially that you may ^vprophesy. 2 For one who ^wspeaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters ^xmysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their ^yupbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, ^zbut even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone ^ainterprets, so that the church may be built up.

6 Now, brothers,¹ if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some ^brevelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider² say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, ^cdo not be ^dchildren in your thinking. ^eBe infants in evil, but in your thinking be ^fmature. 21 In the Law it is written, ^g“By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign³ not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, ^hwill they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are ⁱdisclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and ^jdeclare that God is really among you.

Orderly Worship

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others ^kweigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of ^lconfusion but of ^mpeace.

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 ⁿthe women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or ^ospiritual, he should acknowledge that ^pthe things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, ^qearnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But ^rall things should be done decently and ^sin order.

The Resurrection of Christ

1 Now I would remind you, brothers,⁴ of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, ^tif you hold fast to the word I preached to you—^uunless you believed ^vin vain.

3 For I ^wdelivered to you as of first importance ^xwhat I also received: that ^yChrist died for our sins ^zin accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was ^aburied, that he was raised on the ^bthird day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he ^cappeared to Cephas, then ^dto the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^ehe appeared also to me. 9 For ^fI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I ^gpersecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, ^hthough it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 ⁱWhether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no ^jresurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^khe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ^lyou are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope⁵ in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been ^mraised from the dead, ⁿthe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as ^oby a man came death, ^pby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be ^qmade alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his ^rcoming those who ^sbelong to Christ. 24 Then comes ^tthe end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^uevery rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until ^vhe has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 ^wThe last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For ^x“God⁶ has put ^yall things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, ^zthen the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in ^adanger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my ^bpride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^cI die ^devery day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^e“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: ^f“Bad company ruins good morals.”⁷ 34 ^gWake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have ^hno knowledge of God. ⁱI say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! ^jWhat you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised ^kin glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a ^lnatural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, ^m“The ⁿfirst man Adam became a living being”;⁸ the last Adam became a ^olife-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 ^pThe first man was from the earth, ^qa man of dust; the second man is ^rfrom heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are ^sthose who are of heaven. 49 ^tJust as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^uwe shall⁹ also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood ^vcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the ^wimperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^xWe shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last ^ytrumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and ^zthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^athis mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

56 The sting of death is sin, and ^dthe power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the ^evictory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be ^fsteadfast, immovable, always abounding in the ^gwork of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The Collection for the Saints

1 ^hNow concerning^{10 i}the collection for the saints: as I directed ^jthe churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, ^kas he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, ^lI will send ^mthose whom you accredit by ⁿletter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Plans for Travel

5 ^oI will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until ^pPentecost, 9 for a ^qwide door for effective work has opened to me, and ^rthere are many adversaries.

10 ^sWhen Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the ^twork of the Lord, as I am. 11 So ^ulet no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Final Instructions

12 Now concerning ^vour brother ^wApollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will¹¹ to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

13 ^xBe watchful, ^ystand firm in the faith, act like men, ^zbe strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

15 Now ^aI urge you, brothers¹²—you know that the household¹³ of ^bStephanas were the first converts¹⁴ in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ^cservice of the saints— 16 ^dbe subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because ^ethey have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. ^fGive recognition to such people.

Greetings

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with ^gthe church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. ^hGreet one another with a holy kiss.

21 ⁱI, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be ^jaccursed. ^kOur Lord, come!¹⁵ 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Way of Love

1 If I ^zspeak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have ^aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all ^bknowledge, and if I have all ^cfaith, ^dso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I ^egive away all I have, and if I deliver up my body ^fto be burned,¹ but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is ^gpatient and ^hkind; love ⁱdoes not envy or boast; it is not ^jarrogant 5 or rude. ^kIt does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;² 6 it does not ^lrejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.