Daily Mass Readings for February 09, 2026: Gospel — Mc 6,53-56

¹ Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the City of David (that is, Zion). ² All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month). ³ When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. ⁴ The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items in the tent. ⁵ Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. ⁶ The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ The cherubim’s wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 9 :¹ After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, ² the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ The Lord said to him, “I have answered your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there. ⁴ You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. ⁵ Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ⁶ “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, ⁷ then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed among all the nations. ⁸ This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ ⁹ Others will then answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’” 1 ⁰ After 2 ⁰ years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, 1 ¹ King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre 2 ⁰ towns in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 1 ² When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 1 ³ Hiram asked, “Why did you give me these towns, my friend?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. 1 ⁴ Hiram had sent to the king 1 2 ⁰ talents of gold. 1 ⁵ Here are the details concerning the work crews King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 1 ⁶ (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 1 ⁷ Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 1 ⁸ Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, 1 ⁹ all the storage cities that belonged to him, and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. 2 ⁰ Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 2 ¹ Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. 2 ² Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. 2 ³ These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 5 5 ⁰ men who supervised the workers. 2 ⁴ Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the City of David to the palace Solomon built for her. 2 ⁵ Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. 2 ⁶ King Solomon also built ships in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 2 ⁷ Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men. 2 ⁸ They sailed to Ophir, took from there 4 2 ⁰ talents of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon. 1 0 :¹ When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions. ² She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, the palace he had built, ⁵ the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants, their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed. ⁶ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight was true! ⁷ I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! Your wisdom and wealth surpass what was reported to me. ⁸ Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! ⁹ May the Lord your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions.” 1 ⁰ She gave the king 1 2 ⁰ talents of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. 1 ¹ (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 1 ² With the timber the king made supports for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.) 1 ³ King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her attendants. 1 ⁴ Solomon received 6 6 ⁶ talents of gold per year, 1 ⁵ besides what he collected from the merchants, traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 1 ⁶ King Solomon made 2 0 ⁰ large shields of hammered gold; 6 0 ⁰ measures of gold were used for each shield. 1 ⁷ He also made 3 0 ⁰ small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. 1 ⁸ The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 1 ⁹ There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. 2 ⁰ There were 1 ² statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. 2 ¹ All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. 2 ² Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 2 ³ King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. 2 ⁴ Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. 2 ⁵ Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. 2 ⁶ Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1 ,400 chariots and 1 2 ,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. 2 ⁷ The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills. 2 ⁸ Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 2 ⁹ They paid 6 0 ⁰ silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 1 5 ⁰ silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. 1 1 :¹ King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. ² They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.” But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. ³ He had 7 0 ⁰ royal wives and 3 0 ⁰ concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him. ⁴ When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. ⁵ Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; he did not remain loyal to the Lord, as his father David had. ⁷ Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ⁸ He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods. ⁹ The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions 1 ⁰ and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord’s command. 1 ¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 1 ² However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead. 1 ³ But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.” 1 ⁴ The Lord brought against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 1 ⁵ During David’s campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 1 ⁶ For Joab and the entire Israelite army stayed there six months until they had exterminated every male in Edom. 1 ⁷ Hadad, who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt. 1 ⁸ They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave him a house and some land and supplied him with food. 1 ⁹ Pharaoh liked Hadad so well he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife. 2 ⁰ Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 2 ¹ While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave so I can return to my homeland.” 2 ² Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?” Hadad replied, “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.” 2 ³ God also brought against Solomon another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 2 ⁴ He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. When David tried to kill them, they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 2 ⁵ He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria. 2 ⁶ Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against the king. He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 2 ⁷ This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: Solomon built a terrace, and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 2 ⁸ Jeroboam was a talented man; when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of Joseph. 2 ⁹ At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah was wearing a brand new robe, 3 ⁰ and he grabbed the robe and tore it into 1 ² pieces. 3 ¹ Then he told Jeroboam, “Take 1 ⁰ pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give 1 ⁰ tribes to you. 3 ² He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 3 ³ I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, as Solomon’s father David did. 3 ⁴ I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 3 ⁵ I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give 1 ⁰ tribes to you. 3 ⁶ I will leave his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. 3 ⁷ I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 3 ⁸ You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, as my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel. 3 ⁹ I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’” 4 ⁰ Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died. 4 ¹ The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon. 4 ² Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for 4 ⁰ years. 4 ³ Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. 1 2 :¹ Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king. ² When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. ³ They sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” ⁵ He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away. ⁶ King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” ⁷ They said to him, “Today if you will be a servant to these people and grant their request, speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.” ⁸ But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. ⁹ He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 1 ⁰ The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 1 ¹ My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 1 ² Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 1 ³ The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 1 ⁴ and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 1 ⁵ The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 1 ⁶ When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! Return to your homes, O Israel! Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” So Israel returned to their homes. 1 ⁷ (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 1 ⁸ King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 1 ⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 2 ⁰ When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. 2 ¹ When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 18 0 ,000 skilled warriors from all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 2 ² But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 2 ³ “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 2 ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord has said: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home. Indeed this thing has happened because of me.”’” So they obeyed the Lord’s message. They went home in keeping with the Lord’s message. 2 ⁵ Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. 2 ⁶ Jeroboam then thought to himself: “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. 2 ⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” 2 ⁸ After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 2 ⁹ He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. 3 ⁰ This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. 3 ¹ He built temples on the high places and appointed as priests common people who were not Levites. 3 ² Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival celebrated in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made. 3 ³ On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 1 3 :¹ Just then a prophet arrived from Judah with the Lord’s message for Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. ² He cried out against the altar with the Lord’s message, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord has said, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” ³ That day he had also given a sign, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has declared: The altar will split open and the ashes on it will pour out.” ⁴ When the king heard the prophet’s message that he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it saying, “Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up, and he could not pull it back. ⁵ Meanwhile the altar split open, and the ashes poured from the altar in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the Lord’s message. ⁶ The king responded to the prophet, “Seek the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor and the king’s hand was restored as it was at first. ⁷ The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat, so that I may give you a gift.” ⁸ But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you. I am not allowed to eat food or drink water in this place. ⁹ For this is how I was commanded in the Lord’s message, ‘Eat no food. Drink no water. And do not return by the way you came.’” 1 ⁰ So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel. 1 ¹ Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. When his sons came home, they told him everything the prophet had done in Bethel that day. And they told their father all the words that he had spoken to the king. 1 ² Their father asked them, “Which road did he take?” His sons showed him the road the prophet from Judah had taken. 1 ³ He then told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 1 ⁴ and took off after the prophet, whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the prophet from Judah?” He answered, “Yes, I am.” 1 ⁵ He then said to him, “Come home with me and eat something.” 1 ⁶ But he replied, “I can’t go back with you. I am not allowed to eat food or to drink water with you in this place. 1 ⁷ For an order came to me in the Lord’s message, ‘Eat no food. Drink no water there. And do not return by the way you came.’” 1 ⁸ Then the old prophet said, “I too am a prophet like you. And an angel has told me in a message from the Lord, ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat food and drink water.’” But he had lied to him. 1 ⁹ So the prophet went back with him. He ate food in his house and he drank water. 2 ⁰ While they were sitting at the table, the Lord’s message came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 2 ¹ So he cried out to the prophet who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘You have rebelled against the Lord’s instruction and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 2 ² You went back. You ate food. And you drank water in the place of which he had said to you, “Eat no food. Drink no water.” Therefore your corpse will not be buried in your ancestral tomb.’” 2 ³ So this is what happened after he had eaten food and drunk water. The old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 2 ⁴ So the prophet from Judah travelled on. Then a lion attacked him on the road and killed him.There was his body lying on the road, with the donkey standing next to it, and the lion just standing there by the body. 2 ⁵ Then some men came passing by and saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing next to the body. They went and reported what they had seen in the city where the old prophet lived. 2 ⁶ When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, he said, “It is the prophet who rebelled against the Lord. The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it tore him up and killed him, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken to him.” 2 ⁷ He told his sons, “Saddle my donkey.” So they saddled it. 2 ⁸ He went and found the body lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it; the lion had neither eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. 2 ⁹ The old prophet picked up the prophet’s body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him. 3 ⁰ He put the body into his own tomb, and they mourned over him, saying, “Ah, my brother!” 3 ¹ After he buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the tomb where the prophet is buried; put my bones right beside his bones, 3 ² because the message that he announced as the Lord’s message against the altar in Bethel and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of the north will certainly be fulfilled.” 3 ³ After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; he continued to appoint common people as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. 3 ⁴ This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.