Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume I: A Kingdom Divided

Lesson 3 Ahijah Foretells the End of the United Kingdom
the First Book of the Kings 11:1–43

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: Jeroboam Turns from the LORD

This material coordinates with Lesson 3 on pages 22–26 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34

welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–17, the Second Book of Samuel 11:1—12:25, and the First Book of the Kings 1:1–40
In Lesson 2 Nathan Delivers Good & Bad News, the prophet Nathan carries out three essential actions. First, he announces that God intends to establish an eternal kingdom to be ruled over by David’s descendants. Second, Nathan informs David of the consequences of arranging for the death of Bathsheba’s husband. Finally, Nathan anoints Solomon as the third and final king to rule over all of the descendants of Jacob. In each of these actions, Nathan speaks with the voice of the LORD and stands as God’s representative, emphasizing that the office of prophet holds more authority than that of king. Instead of sending prophets to Solomon, the LORD speaks directly to him. What might explain why?

map notes—Midian, Paran & Zobah are in the glossary
It won’t be unusual to encounter locations in the biblical text that don’t appear on the maps. Our online glossary contains entries intended to shed a bit of light on all of the proper nouns in the biblical text, including Midian, Paran, and Zobah, which are mentioned in Lesson 3. In the case of many of the people and places briefly mentioned in the Old Testament, present-day scholars aren’t always clear about details. Some readers may remember Midian as a son of Abraham’s second wife (also sometimes referred to as his concubine) from Lesson 15, “The Brothers Esau & Jacob,” in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. Paran appears in the biblical text for Lesson 12, “The Birth of Isaac,” in the same study. David’s conquest of Zobah shows up in the tenth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel, the biblical text for Lesson 14, “God’s Promise to David,” in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the map (above right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 25 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. 

more about the maps
An observant reader has pointed out that earlier editions of the map with this lesson showed Damascus/Syria in the arrow in the upper right corner rather than showing Mesopotamia. Both are technically correct, and the designation in that arrow will change a couple of times as we move forward in this study. Damascus and Syria are part of the much larger region referred to generally as Mesopotamia. It’s located northeast of territory settled by the descendants of Jacob. Also called the “cradle of civilization,” Mesopotamia includes multiple city-states and kingdoms, none of whom establish dominance in the region until first Assyria and then Babylon become major political players.

Prior to that time, Egypt is the dominant power in the ancient world. David and Solomon establish political strength during their rule over all 12 of the tribes. It’s only after the united kingdom splits into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel that other powers in the region begin to pose a serious threat to the descendants of Jacob. The change to Mesopotamia from Damascus/Syria on the map reflects the understanding that neither Damascus or Syria yet represents a major power in the region nor pose any real threat to descendants of Jacob. Referring to the online glossary may be helpful in sorting out the differences between Assyria, Damascus, Mesopotamia, and Syria, and in keeping track of how they’re related to each other.

what is God up to? (35:44)
It’s easy to apply revisionist history to what’s happening in the First and Second Books of the Kings and then determine that the LORD has decided to penalize the 10 northern tribes by cutting them off from Jerusalem. In the video for this lesson, however, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains that the biblical text doesn’t yet support that interpretation. Instead, what we read in the account of events leading to the division of the united kingdom suggests that God has lost confidence in David’s line and has determined the need for a new king from a new line. The kingdom that Jeroboam is about to be given has 10 tribes instead of two, and it will be identified by the name Israel, the same name given by God to Jacob, patriarch and father of the 12 tribes. In addition, Jeroboam is offered an opportunity for the same type of covenant that the LORD entered into with David. What part now is different?

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 3, “Ahijah Foretells the End of the United Kingdom,” on pages 22–26 in the study book.

the torn cloak as a potent image
In the Second Book of Samuel 1:11–12, David tears his clothing as a sign of mourning when he learns of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. In the Second Book of Samuel 3:31, he instructs the people to tear their clothing in mourning for Abner, the general who’s been murdered by David’s own military leader, Joab. In the Second Book of Samuel 13:30–31, David tears his clothing when he believes that all of his sons have been murdered by Absalom. Throughout Scripture, torn clothing serves as a visible sign of mourning. In sending the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, the LORD makes use of the image of a torn cloak to convey on at least two levels what’s about to happen to the united kingdom. Not only is the kingdom to be torn apart, but the LORD’s spokesman becomes a dramatic and visible witness to what God plans to do and also to how the LORD feels about the situation. You can learn more about the image of the torn cloak in Lesson 15 David’s Sin & the Birth of Solomon and Lesson 28 The United Kingdom Dies with Solomon, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

Lord & God—you could look up these words in our archives
The eleventh chapter in the First Book of the Kings records the LORD’s displeasure with Solomon. Two things should give readers pause. First, Solomon is said to possess an extraordinary amount of wisdom. Second, instead of sending a prophet to talk with Solomon, God speaks directly to him. Being wise isn’t enough to ensure that a person also will be holy. And being on intimate enough terms with God to have regular direct conversations also isn’t enough to guarantee holiness. What gives? To learn more about God, check out Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

?  Solomon’s tolerance of his foreign wives’ pagan worship practices flies in the face of the first and most important of the Ten Commandments set out in the book of Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Who is this God to demand such faithfulness?
?  Consider whether such single-minded faithfulness to Jesus Christ can be seen in the present day. If so, where, and if not, why not?

read the Catechism—what kind of worship pleases the LORD?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes 13 pages to commentary about the first commandment. If you’d like to read this Church teaching, it can be found in paragraphs 2083 through 2141 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Especially relevant in connection with Solomon’s offenses against the LORD are paragraphs 2112 through 2114. 

2113     Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists of divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Many martyrs died for not adoring “the Beast,” refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God. ”

WHAT IDOLS THREATEN your relationship with God?
Paragraph 2113 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that idolatry not only refers to pagan worship of false gods, it also consists in regarding as divine what isn’t God.

?  What are some of the major things that people in the secular world appear to value above a relationship with God?
?  What might be identified as the greatest threat to an individual’s worship of God?
?  What present-day evidence indicates God is interested in pursuing a more intimate relationship with individual Christians?
?  What can individuals do right now to prioritize the place of God in everyday life?

what’s in a name?
Observant readers will notice that none of Solomon’s wives are named in the eleventh chapter in the First Book of the Kings. The daughter of Pharaoh is singled out and identified by her relationship to the ruler of Egypt. Because she’s also listed first, the text seems to be implying that she holds first place among Solomon’s wives. In a similar way, the Egyptian wife of Hadad the Edomite is identified not by her name but by her status as sister of Tahpenes, whose own claim to fame is her position as the wife of Pharaoh. Lesson 15 David’s Sin & the Birth of Solomon through Lesson 28 The United Kingdom Dies with Solomon, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, focus on the life of Solomon.

Admittedly, it would be quite a task to list the names of all 700 of Solomon’s wives. Putting such practical concerns aside, in most cases Scripture avoids naming foreign wives married to the descendants of Jacob. By keeping them relatively anonymous, the biblical authors indicate that these women are of little importance in the big picture of salvation history. Later in this study, we’ll encounter a recurring exception. Although all of the fathers of the kings of Judah and Israel are listed in Scripture, only the kings of Judah also are distinguished by identifying their mothers. (Although the mother of Solomon’s son Rehoboam isn’t named in the eleventh chapter in the First Book of the Kings, she will be identified by name in the First Book of the Kings 14:21.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK is going on with Jeroboam?
It’s easy to confuse Jeroboam and Rehoboam, but there are some key differences that will become more important moving forward, especially in the northern kingdom of Israel where Jeroboam rules.

?  What’s the main difference between the covenant offered to Rehoboam in the eleventh chapter in the First Book of the Kings and the one promised to David in the seventh chapter in the Second Book of Samuel?
?  What might explain why the LORD places a condition on the covenant offered to Rehoboam?

lineage matters
Almost all Christians can explain the significance of Jesus being born into the tribe of Judah. A few even can explain the significance of David being born into that line. Very few know what tribe Jeroboam is from, let alone why that might have any bearing on the reason God offers him the opportunity to rule over such a large number of the descendants of Jacob. Insights can be found in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth chapters in the book of Genesis, material covered in Lesson 28 Jacob’s Final Words to His Sons in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

Q&A—questions about Questions
One participant in a small group studying Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided has several questions about Lesson 3.

—”What is notable about the LORD including Jerusalem as part of the reason why he is not abandoning Solomon?”
—”What might have been the reason the LORD chose Jerusalem as the place to put his own name?”
—”What does this suggest about the importance of Jerusalem in terms of worship of God?”

A: We’re certain that you aren’t the only group who may find some of this lesson a little difficult to grasp. The “consider why” questions don’t have specific answers, but thinking about them can be valuable. We suspect that the author of this section of the First Book of the Kings wasn’t that concerned with pointing out the animosity between Israel and Edom any earlier in the book, though it clearly existed. This leads us to wonder why it only becomes important to him now. (The authors of Scripture almost certainly were men.) It’s possible that the author is trying to call attention to flaws in Joab’s character, but you well might come up with some other plausible explanation—or you may want to skip over that part of Question 3. The animosity between Israel and Edom (Jacob and his brother Esau) is well documented in the Old Testament, especially in the book of Genesis. The second volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, covers the Book of Obadiah, which is entirely devoted to complaining about how terrible the Edomites treated the Israelites living in Judah at the time that the Babylonians destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.

The first reading last weekend (the twenty-ninth Sunday in Year C) was from the book of Exodus and described a battle between Amalek and the Israelites who had just been led out of Egypt. Amalek is one of those names that can mean more than one thing, but all of the meanings are related to Esau and Edom. The person Amalek was a grandson of Esau (and that Amalek surely was long dead by the time of the battle described in the book of Exodus). His name also can refer to the country of Edom over which Amalek and Esau’s other descendants ruled. Before Esau settled there, the region was known as Seir, and that name also shows up occasionally in the Old Testament. The people are called either Amalekites or Edomites. You can read more about the start of the animosity between the Edomites and the Israelites in Lesson 15 The Brothers Esau & Jacob in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

Jeroboam’s lineage as a descendant of Ephraim is important in this section of the First Book of the Kings because it suggests a reason why Jeroboam is given so much responsibility over the house of Joseph. Ephraim was the son of Joseph born to an Egyptian mother. His brother was Manasseh. Manasseh was the older of the two, but before Jacob (renamed Israel by God) died he adopted both boys and recognized Ephraim as the firstborn. When Jeroboam is given charge over all of the forced labor of the house of Joseph, he’s put in charge of his own closest relatives. That should raise questions about how they felt about that situation, and about why Jeroboam accepted such a large responsibility. Scripture doesn’t provide any other clues, so you’re free to think what you like.

Questions 7 and 8 focus on the importance of the Jerusalem, which as you imply, seems a bit strange since Jeroboam is going to end up ruling over 10 of the 12 tribes who are settled away from Jerusalem in the northern kingdom of Israel. That’s sorta the point. Jerusalem is the city of David, and in the seventh chapter of the Second Book of Samuel God promises David that one of his descendants will rule over an eternal kingdom. This prophecy forms the basis for the idea that God planned to send a Messiah (Anointed One) as a political ruler—though Christians are well aware that’s not at all the kind of kingdom that God had in mind. Jerusalem also is the site on which Solomon built the Temple, which he referred to as a “house for God’s name.” The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King provides an in-depth look at David and Solomon and the period of salvation history immediately preceding our study of the prophets.

Jerusalem is a holy place, set apart, and God apparently wants to keep it that way. Although it’s difficult to tell whether God chose Jerusalem and then led David to conquer that city before Solomon built the Temple there, or whether God chose Jerusalem as the site of his Temple after David and Solomon put their mark on the city. As the earthly dwelling place of God, however, the city of Jerusalem probably carries more weight with God because of that than because it’s the capital of David and Solomon’s kingdom. It seems likely that God is recognizing Jerusalem as the holy place where descendants of Jacob can go to worship. When Jeroboam becomes ruler over the northern kingdom and sets up alternate worship centers in Dan and Bethel, Jeroboam appears to be intentionally downplaying the significance of Jerusalem, and we’ll see that leads to disastrous results. In the New Testament, the author of the book of Revelation 7:4–8 lists the 12 tribes, but he omits both Dan and Ephraim. Although listings of the 12 tribes vary in the Old Testament, the book of Revelation is the only place in Scripture that drops Dan and Ephraim. The most obvious reason appears to be because territories allotted to those two descendants of Jacob were the locations where Jeroboam set up alternate worship sites to compete with the Temple in Jerusalem. You can learn more in Lesson 8 Salvation Belongs to Our God in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

ex libris—all about the city that’s spiritual home to three world religions
The title Jerusalem: The Biography says it all. Simon Sebag Montefiore has written a prize-winning work of non-fiction that looks at the Holy City’s 3,000 years of frequently unholy history through the viewpoint of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. A seriously ambitious work, this book treats the city of David as the primary character in a gripping narrative of the location often referred to as the “center of the world.” Jerusalem: The Biography is of particular relevance to a Bible study of any of the Old Testament. The book opens by recounting the Roman attack on the city in 70 A.D., followed by an intensive look at Jewish control of Jerusalem beginning with David’s conquest of the citadel of Zion. At that time, the well-fortified Jebusite stronghold already was considered ancient. Sections on the Christian and Muslim influences on the Holy City follow. Present-day political leaders see Jerusalem as key to peace in the Middle East. Visit ex libris—main bookshelf, to read an excerpt from this book and others related to in-depth Scripture study.

Jacob blesses his sons
Besides addressing the above questions about the lineage of Jesus, In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis devotes approximately the last quarter of the study to the life of Joseph, providing information useful to understanding why the First Book of the Kings refers to the “house” of Joseph. In addition, the first eight chapters in the book of Genesis are critical to the Christian understanding of sin, morality, and the salvation offered by Jesus Christ.

biblical vocabulary—the Millo
The Millo was a defensive fortification of walls filled with earth and stones. The original Millo was built by Jebusites to protect the north side of Jerusalem from attack. The Second Book of Samuel 5:9 describes how David extended the Millo on both sides to complete Jerusalem’s defenses. The First Book of the Kings 9:15–19 records that Solomon included reconstruction of the Millo as one of his vast building projects, and the Second Book of the Chronicles 32:5 describes the Millo later being repaired by Hezekiah. You can learn more about the life of David, considered the most important earthly ruler of God’s people in the Old Testament, in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

what’s happening when & where

Click on the timeline for Lesson 3 to expand it. It also appears on page 24 in the study book.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the First Book of the Kings 11:1–43.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a readins from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the First Book of the Kings 11:1–43 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical text.

O God, your love for your wayward people is constant.
Accept our humble gratitude for such a marvelous gift, 
and grant us the grace to value our relationship with you above all other things. 
We ask this in the name of Christ your Son,
who through his obedience demonstrated the extent
of your love for all men and women. Amen.

Lesson 4 Jeroboam Turns from the LORD—the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34
Lesson 2 Nathan Delivers Good & Bad News—the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–17, the Second Book of Samuel 1:1—12:25, and the First Book of the Kings 1:1–40

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.