Abiathar

18And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:

But now Adonijah is acting as king. And you, my lord the king, do not even know it.

19And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.

He has killed many oxen, fattened calves, and sheep for a feast. He invited all your other sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the leader of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon.

20And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

My lord the king, everyone in Israel is watching you. They are waiting for you to say who will sit on your throne after you.

21Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

If you do not, something bad will happen. When you die and rest with your ancestors, people will treat my son Solomon and me as criminals."

22And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.

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

23And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

The king was told, "Nathan the prophet is here." Nathan came in and bowed with his face to the ground.

24And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?

Nathan said, "My lord the king, did you say that Adonijah would be king after you? Did you say he would sit on your throne?

25For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.

Today he went out and killed many oxen, fattened calves, and sheep for a feast. He invited all the king's sons, the army leaders, and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are shouting, 'Long live King Adonijah!'

26But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.

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

27Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

Did my lord the king order this? If so, you did not tell your servants who should sit on your throne after you."

22And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.

King Solomon answered his mother, "Why ask that for Adonijah? He is my older brother. You might as well ask me to give him the kingdom. And give it to Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah too!"

23Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.

Then King Solomon made a promise before the LORD. He said, "May God punish me hard if Adonijah does not die for asking this.

24Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

The LORD made me king. He put me on my father David's throne. He gave me a family line, just as he promised. As surely as he lives, Adonijah will die today."

25And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada. Benaiah struck Adonijah down, and he died.

26And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the LORD God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

The king said to Abiathar the priest, "Go home to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die. But I will not kill you now. You carried the ark, God's holy chest, for my father David. You went through every hard time he went through."

27So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

So Solomon took away Abiathar's job as priest for the LORD. This happened just as the LORD had said at Shiloh about the family of Eli.

11And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,

David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar. He also called the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

12And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.

David said, "You are the leaders of the Levite families. Make yourselves clean and ready for God's work. Then bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. Bring it to the place I made ready for it."

13For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

"The first time, you Levites did not carry it. So the LORD our God broke out against us in anger. We did not ask him how it should be done."

14So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

So the priests and the Levites made themselves clean and ready. Then they could bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

15And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders. They used the long poles made for carrying it. They did just what Moses had said, following the LORD's word.

23And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

One Sabbath day Jesus walked through the grain fields. The Sabbath was the day for resting. As they walked, his followers picked some heads of grain.

24And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

The Pharisees said to him, "Look! Why are they doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath?"

25And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read what David did? He and his men were hungry and needed food."

26How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

"David went into God's house when Abiathar was the high priest. He ate the special bread set apart for God. Only the priests were allowed to eat it. David gave some to his men too."

27And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Then Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made to help people. People were not made for the Sabbath."

28Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

"So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath too."