Jesus Enters Jerusalem
(Matthew 21.1-11; Luke 19.28-40; John 12.12-19)

Mark 11 Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ²He told them, "Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. ³If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, 'The Lord needs it and will soon bring it back.' "
⁴The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it, ⁵some of the people standing there asked, "Why are you untying the donkey?" ⁶They told them what Jesus had said, and the people let them take it.
⁷The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. ⁸Many people spread clothes on the road, while others went to cut branches from the fields.
⁹In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,
"Hooray! God bless the one
who comes in the name of the Lord!
¹⁰God bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David.
Hooray for God in heaven above!"
¹¹After Jesus had gone to Jerusalem, he went into the temple and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went back to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

Jesus Puts a Curse on a Fig Tree
(Matthew 21.18, 19)

¹²When Jesus and his disciples left Bethany the next morning, he was hungry. ¹³From a distance Jesus saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and he went to see if there were any figs on the tree. But there were not any, because it wasn't the season for figs. ¹⁴So Jesus said to the tree, "Never again will anyone eat fruit from this tree!" The disciples heard him say this.

1 KINGS

David in His Old Age

1 Kings 1 King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets. ²His officials said, "Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm." ^3-4They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.

Adonijah Tries To Become King

^5-6Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started bragging, "I'm going to make myself king!" So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired fifty men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things.
⁷Adonijah met with Joab the son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest and asked them if they would help him become king. Both of them agreed to help. ⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguards all refused.
⁹Adonijah invited his brothers and David's officials from Judah to go with him to Crawling Rock near Rogel Spring, where he sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves. ¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan, Benaiah, David's bodyguards, or his own brother Solomon.
¹¹When Nathan heard what had happened, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother:

Have you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king? But David doesn't know a thing about it. ¹²You and your son Solomon will be killed, unless you do what I tell you. ¹³Go say to David, "You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?"

¹⁴While you are still talking to David, I'll come in and tell him that everything you said is true.

¹⁵Meanwhile, David was in his bedroom where Abishag was taking care of him because he was so old. Bathsheba went in ¹⁶and bowed down.
"What can I do for you?" David asked.
¹⁷Bathsheba answered:

Your Majesty, you promised me in the name of the LORD your God that my son Solomon would be the next king. ¹⁸But Adonijah has already been made king, and you didn't know anything about it. ¹⁹He sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. And he invited Abiathar the priest, Joab your army commander, and all your sons to be there, except Solomon, your loyal servant.

²⁰Your Majesty, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to announce who will be the next king. ²¹If you don't, they will say that Solomon and I have rebelled. They will treat us like criminals and kill us as soon as you die.

²²Just then, Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³Someone told David that he was there, and Nathan came in. He bowed with his face to the ground ²⁴and said:

Your Majesty, did you say that Adonijah would be king? ²⁵Earlier today, he sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. He invited the army commanders, Abiathar, and all your sons to be there. Right now they are eating and drinking and shouting, "Long live King Adonijah!" ²⁶But he didn't invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon. ²⁷Did you say they could do this without telling the rest of us who would be the next king?

Solomon Becomes King

²⁸David said, "Tell Bathsheba to come here." She came and stood in front of him. ^29-30Then he said, "The living LORD God of Israel has kept me safe. And so today, I will keep the promise I made to you in his name: Solomon will be the next king!"
³¹Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I pray that you will live a long time!"
³²Then David said, "Tell Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah to come here."
When they arrived, ³³he told them:

Take along some of my officials and have Solomon ride my own mule to Gihon Spring. ³⁴When you get there, Zadok and Nathan will make Solomon the new king of Israel. Then after the ceremony is over, have someone blow a trumpet and tell everyone to shout, "Long live King Solomon!" ³⁵Bring him back here, and he will take my place as king. He is the one I have chosen to rule Israel and Judah.

³⁶Benaiah answered, "We will do it, Your Majesty. I pray that the LORD your God will let it happen. ³⁷The LORD has always watched over you, and I pray that he will now watch over Solomon. May the LORD help Solomon to be an even greater king than you."
³⁸Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah left and took along the two groups of David's special bodyguards. Solomon rode on David's mule as they led him to Gihon Spring. ³⁹Zadok the priest brought some olive oil from the sacred tent and poured it on Solomon's head to show that he was now king. A trumpet was blown and everyone shouted, "Long live King Solomon!" ⁴⁰Then they played flutes and celebrated as they followed Solomon back to Jerusalem. They made so much noise that the ground shook.
⁴¹Adonijah and his guests had almost finished eating when they heard the noise. Joab also heard the trumpet and asked, "What's all that noise about in the city?"
⁴²Just then, Jonathan son of Abiathar came running up. "Come in," Adonijah said. "An important man like you must have some good news."
⁴³Jonathan answered:

No, I don't! David has just announced that Solomon will be king. ^44-45Solomon rode David's own mule to Gihon Spring, and Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and David's special bodyguards went with him. When they got there, Zadok and Nathan made Solomon king. Then everyone celebrated all the way back to Jerusalem. That's the noise you hear in the city. ⁴⁶Solomon is now king.

⁴⁷And listen to this! David's officials told him, "We pray that your God will help Solomon to be an even greater king!"

David was in his bed at the time, but he bowed ⁴⁸and prayed, "I praise you, LORD God of Israel. You have made my son Solomon king and have let me live to see it."

⁴⁹Adonijah's guests shook with fear when they heard this news, and they left as fast as they could. ⁵⁰Adonijah himself was afraid of what Solomon might do to him, so he ran to the sacred tent and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar for protection.
⁵¹Someone told Solomon, "Adonijah is afraid of you and is holding onto the corners of the altar. He wants you to promise that you won't kill him."
⁵²Solomon answered, "If Adonijah doesn't cause any trouble, I won't hurt him. But if he does, I'll have him killed." ⁵³Then he sent someone to the altar to get Adonijah.
After Adonijah came and bowed down, Solomon said, "Adonijah, go home."

Hosea 4¹¹and have been unfaithful
to me, their LORD.

God Condemns Israel's Idolatry

My people, you are foolish because of too much pleasure
and too much wine.
¹²You expect wooden idols and other objects of wood
to give you advice.
Lusting for sex at pagan shrines has made you unfaithful
to me, your God.
¹³You offer sacrifices on mountaintops and hills,
under oak trees, and wherever good shade is found.

Your own daughters and daughters-in-law
sell themselves for sex.
¹⁴But I won't punish them. You men are to blame,
because you go to prostitutes and offer sacrifices with them
at pagan shrines.
Your own foolishness will lead to your ruin.
¹⁵Israel, you are unfaithful, but don't lead Judah to sin.
Stop worshiping at Gilgal or at sinful Bethel.
And quit making promises in my name--
the name of the living LORD.
¹⁶You are nothing more than a stubborn cow--
so stubborn that I, the LORD,
cannot feed you like lambs in an open pasture.

¹⁷You people of Israel are charmed by idols.
Leave them alone!
¹⁸You get drunk, then sleep with prostitutes;
you would rather be vulgar than lead a decent life.
¹⁹And so you will be swept away in a whirlwind
for sacrificing to idols.

Israel and Judah Will Be Judged

The LORD said:
Hosea 5 Listen, you priests! Pay attention, Israel!
Listen, you members of the royal family.
Justice was your duty.
But at Mizpah and Mount Tabor you trapped the people.
²At the place of worship you were a treacherous pit,
and I will punish you.

³Israel, I know all about you,
and because of your unfaithfulness,
I find you unacceptable.