Abiathar

18But now Adonijah is acting as king. And you, my lord the king, do not even know it.

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

19He 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.

And 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.

20My lord the king, everyone in Israel is watching you. They are waiting for you to say who will sit on your throne after you.

And 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.

21If 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."

Otherwise 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.

NoteTo "rest with your ancestors" is a gentle way of saying to die. Ancestors are family members who lived long before you.

22While she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.

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

23The king was told, "Nathan the prophet is here." Nathan came in and bowed with his face to the ground.

And 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.

24Nathan said, "My lord the king, did you say that Adonijah would be king after you? Did you say he would sit on your throne?

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

25Today 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!'

For 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.

Note"Long live the king!" was what people shouted for a new king. It meant they hoped he would rule for many years.

26But he did not invite me, your servant. He did not invite Zadok the priest, or Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon.

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

27Did my lord the king order this? If so, you did not tell your servants who should sit on your throne after you."

Is 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?

22King 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!"

And 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.

NoteA priest was a man who helped people worship God at God's holy tent.

23Then King Solomon made a promise before the LORD. He said, "May God punish me hard if Adonijah does not die for asking this.

Then 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.

NoteThis was a very strong promise. It means, if I do not do this, let God punish me.

24The 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."

Now 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.

Note"A family line" means children and grandchildren who would be kings after him.

25So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada. Benaiah struck Adonijah down, and he died.

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

NoteBenaiah was the leader of the king's own soldiers.

26The 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."

And 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.

NoteThe ark was a special chest covered in gold. God's rules were kept inside it. Priests carried it on long poles. Anathoth was a small town near Jerusalem.

27So 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.

So 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.

NoteLong ago, God said that Eli's family would lose the priest job. Eli had been a priest in a town called Shiloh.

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

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

NoteZadok and Abiathar were priests, men who served God at worship. They led the gifts and prayers the people brought.

12David 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."

And 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.

NoteGetting clean and ready meant washing and putting on fresh clothes. People did this before doing anything for God. It showed they were taking it seriously.

13"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."

For 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.

NoteThis looks back at an earlier day. The ark was carried on a cart instead of on shoulders. A man reached out to touch it and died.

14So the priests and the Levites made themselves clean and ready. Then they could bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

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

15The 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.

And 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.

NoteThe ark had metal rings on its sides. Long poles slid through the rings. Men lifted the poles so nobody had to touch the box itself.

23One 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.

And 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.

NoteThe King James Bible says "corn fields." In 1611, corn meant any grain, like wheat or barley. It does not mean corn on the cob. The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. It was a rest day, and no one was supposed to work.

24The Pharisees said to him, "Look! Why are they doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath?"

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

NoteGod's law let a hungry person pick grain by hand from someone's field. But the Pharisees counted picking grain as work. Working on the Sabbath was not allowed.

25Jesus said to them, "Have you never read what David did? He and his men were hungry and needed food."

And 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?

NoteDavid was a famous king from long ago. This happened before he was king, while he was running from danger.

26"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."

How 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?

NoteThe high priest was the chief priest, the leader of them all. The special bread was twelve loaves set on a table in God's house. Fresh loaves were put out every week, and the priests ate the old ones.

27Then Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made to help people. People were not made for the Sabbath."

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

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

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

Note"Lord" means someone who is in charge.