Bible in a Year – read today’s “Bible in a Year” excerpt

This page updates daily, based on the Whole Bible Canonically in a Year Bible reading plan.

reading plan entry for April 19

1 Kings 11 ()

[1] Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, [2] of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love. [3] He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. [4] When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father was. [5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. [6] Solomon did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and didn’t go fully after Yahweh, as David his father did. [7] Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. [8] So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. [9] Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, [10] and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded. [11] Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. [12] Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand. [13] However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”

[14] Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom. [15] For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom [16] (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), [17] Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child. [18] They arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land. [19] Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. [20] The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. [21] When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.”

[22] Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?”

He answered, “Nothing, however only let me depart.”

[23] God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. [24] He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah. They went to Damascus and lived there, and reigned in Damascus. [25] He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, in addition to the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

[26] Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. [27] This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of his father David’s city. [28] The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph. [29] At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the field. [30] Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. [31] He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you [32] (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), [33] because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

[34] “ ‘However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes, [35] but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes. [36] I will give one tribe to his son, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. [37] I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. [38] It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. [39] I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’ ”

[40] Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

[41] Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of Solomon? [42] The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. [43] Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

1 Kings 12 ()

[1] Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. [2] When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt; [3] and they sent and called him), Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, [4] “Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore make the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”

[5] He said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.”

So the people departed.

[6] King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to answer these people?”

[7] They replied, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them, and answer them with good words, then they will be your servants forever.”

[8] But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. [9] He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may answer these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter’?”

[10] The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Tell these people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us’— tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. [11] Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ ”

[12] So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.” [13] The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, [14] and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

[15] So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about from Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. [16] When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion have we in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So Israel departed to their tents.

[17] But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. [18] Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. [19] So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.

[20] When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed David’s house, except for the tribe of Judah only.

[21] When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. [22] But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, [23] “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, [24] ‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Everyone return to his house; for this thing is from me.” ’ ” So they listened to Yahweh’s word, and returned and went their way, according to Yahweh’s word.

[25] Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived in it; and he went out from there and built Penuel. [26] Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to David’s house. [27] If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” [28] So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” [29] He set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. [30] This thing became a sin, for the people went even as far as Dan to worship before the one there. [31] He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. [32] Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. [33] He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.