THE KINGS AND PROPHETS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH
The First Book of the
Author
Since 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book (see “Content” below), then this work had to be compiled some time after the capture of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. (see 2 Kin. 25). The book gives the impression that it is the product of one author and that this author was an eyewitness to the fall of Jerusalem. Though the authorship cannot be known with certainty, several suggestions have been made. Some have nominated Ezra as the compiler, while others point to Isaiah as the editor. Compare 2 Kings 18:19, 20 with Isaiah 36—39. A number of scholars say that the writer of 1 and 2 Kings was an unknown prophet or a Jewish captive in Babylon at about 550 B.C. Because Josephus (a prominent Jewish historian of the first century A.D.) ascribes Kings to “the prophets,” many have abandoned the search for a specific author. However, the most probable position is that the prophet Jeremiah was author of 1 and 2 Kings. The early Jewish tradition of the Talmud states that Jeremiah wrote Kings. This famous prophet preached in Jerusalem before and after its fall, and 2 Kings 24 and 25 appear in Jeremiah 39—42; 52. Jeremiah could have written all but the contents of the last appendix (2 Kin. 25:27–30), which were probably added by one of his disciples.
Date
Though the precise date for the composition of 1 and 2 Kings is uncertain, it is believed to have come into its final compilation sometime in the late sixth century B.C. The last event recorded in 2 Kings is the release of King Jehoiachin of Judah from imprisonment in Babylon. Since Jehoiachin was imprisoned in 597 B.C. (see 2 Kin. 24:8–17) and released thirty-seven years later (see 2 Kin. 25:27), then Kings must have been written after 560 B.C. to include this information. It is almost certain that the writer of Kings would have mentioned something as significant as the fall of Babylon to Persia in 538 B.C. had he known of these events. Since there is no mention of this prominent event in Kings, it is then concluded that 1 and 2 Kings probably was written before 538 B.C. Therefore the date of 1 and 2 Kings is fixed between 560 and 538 B.C., though the events recorded in 1 Kings occurred some three hundred years earlier.
Background
The events covered in 1 Kings span a period of about one hundred and twenty years. First Kings records the turbulent experiences of God’s people from the death of David around 971 B.C., to the reign of Jehoshaphat (the fourth king in the southern kingdom of Judah) and the reign of Ahaziah (the ninth king in the northern kingdom of Israel) around 853 B.C. This was a difficult period in the history of God’s people, a time of great change and upheaval. There was struggle from within and pressure from without. The result was a dark moment in which the stable kingdom under a strong leader split in two.
Occasion and Purpose
Contemplating the horror of the exile of God’s people, the author compiles 1 and 2 Kings to answer the looming question of why both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had been taken captive. He writes with a prophetic message, showing that this punishment by captivity to foreign pagan nations was the inevitable consequence of the persistent violation of God’s covenant with them. Kings was written to move the exiles to reflect on their history and return to the Lord. Perhaps this prophetic perspective is one reason why it was included in the “earlier prophets” in the Hebrew Bible.
Content
First and 2 Kings were originally one unbroken book, which formed a sequel to 1 and 2 Samuel. The composers of the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX) divided the work into “3 and 4 Kingdoms” (1 and 2 Samuel were “1 and 2 Kingdoms”). The title “Kings” is derived from Jerome’s Latin translation (the Vulgate) and is appropriate because of the emphasis of these books on the kings who reigned during this period.
The books of 1 and 2 Kings take up recording the historical events of God’s people where the books of 1 and 2 Samuel leave off. However, Kings is more than just a compilation of the politically important or socially significant happenings in Israel and Judah. In fact, it is not as detailed a history as might be expected (four hundred years in only forty-seven chapters). Instead, 1 and 2 Kings is a selective history, one with a theological purpose. Therefore, the author selects and emphasizes the people and events that are morally and religiously significant. First and 2 Kings present God as the Lord of history. From history, these books establish God’s providential working in and through the lives of His people for His redemptive purpose. They demonstrate the necessity of obedience to God’s covenant and the painful consequence of disobedience. Therefore, the books of 1 and 2 Kings are not to be viewed as mere history, but as theology and lessons from history.
The united work of 1 and 2 Kings naturally divides into three main sections. The “Unified Kingdom” under Solomon in 1 Kings 1—11; the “Divided Kingdom” in 1 Kings 12—2 Kings 17; and finally, 2 Kings 18—25 focuses on the surviving “Kingdom of Judah.”
The first half of 1 Kings records the glory of Solomon’s reign, his wealth, wisdom, and the monumental accomplishment of the building of the temple. However, his disobedience in marrying foreign wives led him into idolatry; and the stage was set for the division of the kingdom. The king with a divided heart would leave behind a divided kingdom. On his death, those in the northern part of the empire rebelled and established their own nation, known as Israel. In the south, those who remained faithful to the house of David and Solomon formed the nation known as Judah.
In the second half of 1 Kings, which describes the divided kingdom, the narrative is difficult to follow. The author switches back and forth between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, tracing their histories simultaneously. There were nineteen regents in Israel, all of them bad. In Judah, there were twenty rulers, only eight of them good. First Kings records the first nine rulers in Israel and the first four kings in Judah. Some of these thirteen regents are only mentioned in a few verses, while whole chapters are devoted to others. Major attention is directed to those who either serve as a model of uprightness, or to those who illustrate why these nations eventually collapsed. When 1 Kings closes, Jehoshaphat is the king in Judah, and Ahaziah is on the throne in Israel.
Personal Application
The message of 1 and 2 Kings is as relevant today as when it was written. God still controls human affairs. The nation, leader, or person who responds to and obeys the Lord will enjoy the benefits of a relationship with Him. Those who refuse and rebel will experience God’s discipline. Though people are sinful, God is the author of redemption, and He graciously forgives those who will repent and return to Him.
Christ Revealed
The failure of the prophets, priests, and kings of God’s people points to the necessity of the advent of Christ. Christ Himself would be the ideal combination of these three offices. As a Prophet, Christ’s word far surpasses that of the great prophet Elijah (Matt. 17:1–5). Many of the miracles of Jesus were reminiscent of the wonders God did through Elijah and Elisha in Kings. In addition, Christ is a Priest superior to any of those recorded in Kings (Heb. 7:22–27). First Kings vividly illustrates the need for Christ as our reigning King. When asked if He was King of the Jews, Jesus affirmed that He was (Matt. 27:11). However, Christ is a King “greater than Solomon” (Matt. 12:42). The name “Solomon” means “Peace”; Christ is the “Prince of Peace,” and there will be no end to His peace (Is. 9:6). Solomon was noted for his wisdom, but Christ is the “wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:25, 29). Solomon’s reign was temporary, but Christ will reign on the throne of David forever (1 Chr. 17:14; Is. 9:6), for He is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). For a further study of allusions to Christ during the time of 1 Kings, read Introduction to 1 Chronicles: Christ Revealed and Introduction to 2 Chronicles: Christ Revealed.
The Holy Spirit at Work
First Kings 18:12 is the only direct reference to the Holy Spirit in 1 Kings, where He is called the “Spirit of the LORD.” The words of Obadiah there indicate that the Holy Spirit sometimes transported Elijah from one location to another (see also 2 Kin. 2:16). This is not unlike Acts 8:39, 40, where Philip is described as having a similar experience.
There is an allusion in 18:46 (“the hand of the LORD”) to the Holy Spirit’s work of enabling Elijah to do the miraculous. The formula “hand of the LORD” referred to the inspiration of the prophets by the Spirit of God (see 2 Kin. 3:15 and Ezek. 1:3; compare with 1 Sam. 10:6, 10 and 19:20, 23). Here “the hand of the LORD” refers to the Spirit of God who endowed Elijah with supernatural strength to do an amazing feat (for similar examples, see Judg. 14:6, 19; and 15:14).
In addition to these passages, 1 Kings 22:24 (see 1 Chr. 18:23) may be another reference to the Holy Spirit. This verse refers to a “spirit from the LORD” (see note on 22:24) and may indicate that the prophets understood that their ability to prophesy came by the Spirit of God (see 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20, 23). If this interpretation is taken, then it would correlate with 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, which confirms that the ability to prophesy is indeed a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
For more on the Holy Spirit in the kingdom period, read Introduction to 2 Kings: The Holy Spirit at Work and Introduction to 2 Chronicles: The Holy Spirit at Work.
Outline of 1 Kings
I. The kingdom united 1:1—11:43
A. The establishment of Solomon as king 1:1—2:46
B. The elevation of Solomonas king 3:1—8:66
C. The error of Solomon as king 9:1—11:43
II. The kingdom divided 12:1—22:53
A. The revolt and reign of Jeroboam in Israel 12:1—14:20
B. The reign of Rehoboam in Judah 14:21–31
C. The reign of Abijam in Judah 15:1–8
D. The reign of Asa in Judah 15:9–24
E. The reign of Nadab in Israel 15:25–32
F. The reign of Baasha in Israel 15:33—16:7
G. The reign of Elah in Israel 16:8–14
H. The reign of Zimri in Israel 16:15–20
I. The reign of Omri in Israel 16:21–28
J. The reign of Ahab
K. The reign of Jehoshaphat in Judah 22:41–50
L. The reign of Ahaziah in Israel 22:51–53
Adonijah Presumes to Be King
1 NOW King David was aold, 1advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm.
2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her 1stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.”
3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found aAbishag the bShunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.
5 Then aAdonijah the 1son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will 2be king”; and bhe prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 (And his father had not 1rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. aHis mother had borne him after Absalom.)
7 Then he conferred with aJoab the son of Zeruiah and with bAbiathar the priest, and cthey followed and helped Adonijah.
8 But aZadok the priest, bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, cNathan the prophet, dShimei, Rei, and ethe mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of 1Zoheleth, which is by aEn Rogel;2 he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.
10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or aSolomon his brother.
11 So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of aHaggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
12 “Come, please, let me now give you *advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 “Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, a“Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’
14 “Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.)
16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”
17 Then she said to him, “My lord, ayou swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18 “So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it.
19 a“He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
20 “And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 “Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king arests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”
22 And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
25 a“For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, b‘Long1 live King Adonijah!’
26 “But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.
27 “Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
David Proclaims Solomon King
28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 And the king took an oath and said, a“As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my *life from every distress,
30 a“just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, a“Let my lord King David live forever!”
32 And King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
33 The king also said to them, a“Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own bmule, and take him down to cGihon.1
34 “There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet aanoint him king over Israel; and bblow* the horn, and say, 1‘Long live King Solomon!’
35 “Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, a“Amen! May the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
37 a“As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and bmake his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the bCherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon.
39 Then Zadok the priest took a *horn of aoil from the tabernacle and banointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, cand all the people said, 1“Long live King Solomon!”
40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?”
42 While he was still speaking, there came aJonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for byou are a prominent man, and bring good news.”
43 Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
44 “The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule.
45 “So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
46 “Also Solomon asits on the throne of the kingdom.
47 “And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, a‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ bThen the king bowed himself on the bed.
48 “Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has agiven one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see bit!’ ”
49 So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.
50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and atook hold of the horns of the altar.
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”
52 Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, anot one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”
53 So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
David’s Instructions to Solomon
1 Now athe days of David drew near that he should die, and he 1charged Solomon his son, saying:
2 a“I go the way of all the earth; bbe strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
3 “And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His *commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may aprosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
4 “that the LORD may afulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, b‘If your sons take heed to their way, to cwalk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, d‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah adid to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to bAbner the son of Ner and cAmasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.
6 “Therefore do aaccording to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
7 “But show kindness to the sons of aBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who beat at your table, for so cthey came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8 “And see, you have with you aShimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who *cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But bhe came down to meet me at the Jordan, and cI swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
9 “Now therefore, ado not hold him *guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bbring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”
Death of David
10 So aDavid 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in bthe City of David.
11 The period that David areigned* over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.
12 aThen Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was bfirmly established.
Solomon Executes Adonijah
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, a“Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably.”
14 Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Say it.”
15 Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was amine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for bit was his from the LORD.
16 “Now I ask one petition of you; do not 1deny me.” And she said to him, “Say it.”
17 Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me aAbishag the Shunammite as wife.”
18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”
19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and abowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; bso she sat at his right hand.
20 Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not 1refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
22 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for he is my aolder brother—for him, and for bAbiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, a“May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life!
24 “Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a 1house for me, as He apromised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
25 So King Solomon sent by the hand of aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.
Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to aAnathoth, to your own fields, for 1you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, bbecause you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.”
27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, that he might afulfill the word of the LORD which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at *Shiloh.
28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab ahad defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and btook hold of the horns of the altar.
29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the LORD; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, astrike him down.”
30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said to him, “Thus says the king, a‘Come out!’ ” And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
31 Then the king said to him, a“Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, bthat you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed.
32 “So the LORD awill return his 1blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous band better than he, and killed them with the sword—cAbner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and dAmasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it.
33 “Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and aupon the head of his descendants forever. bBut upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the LORD.”
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put aZadok the priest in the place of bAbiathar.
Shimei Executed
36 Then the king sent and called for aShimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere.
37 “For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross athe Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; byour 1blood shall be on your own head.”
38 And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to aAchish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!”
40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.
41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back.
42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’
43 “Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?”
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, aall the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the LORD will breturn your wickedness on your own head.
45 “But King Solomon shall be blessed, and athe throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.”
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the akingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Solomon Requests Wisdom
1 Now aSolomon made 1a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her bto the City of David until he had finished building his cown house, and dthe house of the LORD, and ethe wall all around Jerusalem.
2 aMeanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.
3 And Solomon aloved the LORD, bwalking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
4 Now athe king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, bfor that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
5 aAt Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon bin a *dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
6 aAnd Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he bwalked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You chave given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 “Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a alittle child; I do not know how bto go out or come in.
8 “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You ahave chosen, a great people, btoo numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 a“Therefore give to Your servant an 1understanding heart bto judge Your people, that I may cdiscern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have anot asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 a“behold, I have done according to your words; bsee, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 “And I have also agiven you what you have not asked: both briches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
14 “So aif you walk in My ways, to keep My *statutes and My commandments, bas your father David walked, then I will clengthen1 your days.”
15 Then Solomon aawoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and bmade a feast for all his servants.
Solomon’s Wise Judgment
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and astood before him.
17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 “Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; 1no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
19 “And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 “So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 “And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for ashe yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the awisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Solomon’s Administration
1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, 1scribes; aJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
4 aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and bAbiathar, the priests;
5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over athe officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, ba priest and cthe king’s friend;
6 Ahishar, over the household; and aAdoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year.
8 These are their names: 1Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim;
9 1Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan;
10 1Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher;
11 1Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife;
12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam;
13 1Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged athe towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged bthe region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars;
14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
15 aAhimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife;
16 Baanah the son of aHushai, in Asher and Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;
18 aShimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin;
19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in athe country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.
Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous aas the sand by the sea in multitude, beating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 So aSolomon reigned over all kingdoms from bthe1 River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. cThey brought *tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 aNow Solomon’s 1provision for one day was thirty 2kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal,
23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of 1the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over aall the kings on this side of the River; and bhe had peace on every side all around him.
25 And Judah and Israel adwelt1 *safely, beach man under his vine and his fig tree, cfrom Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 aSolomon had 1forty thousand stalls of bhorses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And athese governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply.
28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.
29 And aGod gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men aof the East and all bthe wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was awiser than all men—bthan Ethan the Ezrahite, cand Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
32 aHe spoke three thousand proverbs, and his bsongs were one thousand and five.
33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.
34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, acame to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple
1 Now aHiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, bfor Hiram had always loved David.
2 Then aSolomon sent to Hiram, saying:
3 aYou know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God bbecause of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put 1his foes under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God *has given me arest1 on every side; there is neither adversary nor 2evil occurrence.
5 aAnd behold, 1I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, bas the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.”
6 Now therefore, command that they cut down acedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.
7 So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,
Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!
8 Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying:
I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.
9 My servants shall bring them down afrom Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire bby giving food for my household.
10 Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire.
11 aAnd Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand 1kors of wheat as food for his household, and 2twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.
12 So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, aas He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.
13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.
14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; aAdoniram was in charge of the labor force.
15 aSolomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains,
16 besides three thousand 1three hundred from the achiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work.
17 And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and ahewn stones, to lay the foundation of the 1temple.
18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the 1temple.
Solomon Builds the Temple
1 And ait came to pass in the four hundred and 1eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of 2Ziv, which is the second month, bthat he began to build the house of the LORD.
2 Now athe house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits.
3 The vestibule in front of the 1sanctuary* of the house was 2twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of 3the vestibule extended 4ten cubits from the front of the house.
4 And he made for the house awindows with beveled frames.
5 Against the wall of the 1temple he built achambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary band the 2inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it.
6 The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the 1temple.
7 And athe temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
8 The doorway for the 1middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.
9 aSo he built the 1temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.
11 Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying:
12 “Concerning this 1temple which you are building, aif you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My 2word with you, bwhich I spoke to your father David.
13 “And aI will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not bforsake My people Israel.”
14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it.
15 And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress.
16 Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the aMost Holy Place.
17 And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long.
18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen.
19 And he prepared the 1inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar.
21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold.
22 The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold athe entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.
23 Inside the inner sanctuary ahe made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.
25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape.
26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub.
27 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner 1room; and athey stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.
28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved afigures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
30 And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were 1one-fifth of the wall.
32 The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.
33 So for the door of the 1sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, 2one-fourth of the wall.
34 And the two doors were of cypress wood; atwo panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door.
35 Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.
36 And he built the ainner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.
37 aIn the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of 1Ziv.
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of 1Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was aseven years in building it.
Solomon’s Other Buildings
1 But Solomon took athirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.
2 He also built the aHouse of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was 1one hundred cubits, its width 2fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars.
3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row.
4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers.
5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.
7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to 1ceiling.
8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, awhom he had taken as wife.
9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court.
10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits.
11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood.
12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the ainner court of the house of the LORD band the vestibule of the temple.
Hiram the Craftsman
13 Now King Solomon sent and brought 1Huram from Tyre.
14 aHe was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and bhis father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; che was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
The Bronze Pillars for the Temple
15 And he 1cast atwo pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each.
16 Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.
17 He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital.
18 So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.
19 The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits.
20 The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were atwo hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.
21 aThen he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name 1Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name 2Boaz.
22 The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.
The Sea and the Oxen
23 And he made athe Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, aall the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast.
25 It stood on atwelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.
26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained 1two thousand baths.
The Carts and the Lavers
27 He also made ten 1carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height.
28 And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames;
29 on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work.
30 Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath.
31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round.
32 Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits.
33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze.
34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself.
35 On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting.
36 On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around.
37 Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of 1the same mold, one measure, and one shape.
38 Then ahe made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained 1forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver.
39 And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.
Furnishings of the Temple
40 aHuram1 made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the LORD:
41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two anetworks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars;
42 afour hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars);
43 the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts;
44 one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea;
45 athe pots, the shovels, and the bowls. All these articles which 1Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of burnished bronze.
46 aIn the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between bSuccoth and cZaretan.
47 And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not adetermined.
48 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the LORD: athe altar of gold, and bthe table of gold on which was cthe showbread;
49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold;
50 the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the 1censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
51 So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things awhich his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
The Ark Brought into the Temple
1 Now aSolomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the *tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, bthat they might bring cup the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion.
2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the afeast in the month of 1Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 So all the elders of Israel came, aand the priests took up the ark.
4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, athe 1tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
5 Also King Solomon, and all the *congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, asacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
6 Then the priests abrought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to bits place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, cunder the wings of the cherubim.
7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
8 The poles aextended so that the 1ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.
9 aNothing was in the ark bexcept the two tablets of stone which Moses cput there at Horeb, dwhen the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud afilled the house of the LORD,
11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the aglory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
“The LORD said He would dwell bin the dark cloud.
13 aI have surely built You an exalted house,
bAnd a place for You to dwell in forever.”
Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work
14 Then the king turned around and ablessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.
15 And he said: a“Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who bspoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying,
16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have *chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that aMy name might be there; but I chose bDavid to be over My people Israel.’
17 “Now ait was in the heart of my father David to build a 1temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
18 a“But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
19 ‘Nevertheless ayou shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’
20 “So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have 1filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, aas the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
21 “And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is athe covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
22 Then Solomon stood before athe altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and bspread out his hands toward heaven;
23 and he said: “LORD God of Israel, athere is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, bwho keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who cwalk before You with all their hearts.
24 “You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.
25 “Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, a‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’
26 a“And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.
27 “But awill God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the bheaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
28 “Yet regard the *prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today:
29 “that Your eyes may be open toward this 1temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, a‘My name shall be bthere,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes ctoward this place.
30 a“And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
31 “When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take aan oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple,
32 “then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, acondemning the *wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
33 a“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and bwhen they turn back to You and confess Your name, and *pray and make supplication to You in this temple,
34 “then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their afathers.
35 a“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them,
36 “then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may ateach them bthe good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
37 a“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their 1cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;
38 “whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple:
39 “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone aknow the hearts of all the sons of men),
40 a“that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
41 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake
42 “(for they will hear of Your great name and Your astrong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple,
43 “hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, athat all peoples of the earth may know Your name and bfear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name,
45 “then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their 1cause.
46 “When they sin against You a(for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive bto the land of the enemy, far or near;
47 a“yet when they 1come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, bsaying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’;
48 “and when they areturn to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and bpray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name:
49 “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their 1cause,
50 “and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and agrant them *compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them
51 “(for athey are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, bout of the iron furnace),
52 a“that Your eyes may be *open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.
53 “For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, aas You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”
Solomon Blesses the Assembly
54 aAnd so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
55 Then he stood aand blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given arest1 to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. bThere has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. aMay He not leave us nor forsake us,
58 “that He may aincline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
59 “And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require,
60 a“that all the peoples of the earth may know that bthe LORD is God; there is no other.
61 “Let your aheart therefore be 1loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
62 Then athe king and all Israel with him *offered sacrifices before the LORD.
63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
64 On athe same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bbronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
65 At that time Solomon held aa feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from bthe entrance of Hamath to cthe Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, dseven days and seven more days—fourteen days.
66 aOn the eighth day he sent the people away; and they 1blessed the king, and went to their tents *joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.
God’s Second Appearance to Solomon
1 And ait came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD band the king’s house, and call Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do,
2 that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, aas He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
3 And the LORD said to him: a“I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built bto put My name there forever, cand My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
4 “Now if you awalk before Me bas your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you ckeep My statutes and My judgments,
5 “then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, aas I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
6 a“But if you or your sons at all 1turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,
7 a“then I will 1cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated bfor My name I will cast out of My sight. cIsrael will be a *proverb and a byword among all peoples.
8 “And as for athis house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, b‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’
9 “Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this acalamity on them.’ ”
Solomon and Hiram Exchange Gifts
10 Now ait happened at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king’s house
11 a(Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
12 Then Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they did not please him.
13 So he said, “What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” aAnd he called them the land of 1Cabul, as they are to this day.
14 Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
15 And this is the reason for athe labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, 1the bMillo, the wall of Jerusalem, cHazor, dMegiddo, and eGezer.
16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, ahad killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.)
17 And Solomon built Gezer, Lower aBeth Horon,
18 aBaalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,
19 all the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for ahis chariots and cities for his bcavalry, and whatever Solomon cdesired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
20 aAll the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel—
21 that is, their descendants awho were left in the land after them, bwhom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—cfrom these Solomon raised dforced labor, as it is to this day.
22 But of the children of Israel Solomon amade no forced laborers, because they were men of war and his servants: his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.
23 Others were chiefs of the officials who were over Solomon’s work: afive hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people who did the work.
24 But aPharaoh’s daughter came up from the City of David to bher house which 1Solomon had built for her. cThen he built the Millo.
25 aNow three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the LORD, and he burned incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the temple.
26 aKing Solomon also built a fleet of ships at bEzion Geber, which is near 1Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
27 aThen Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Solomon.
28 And they went to aOphir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon
1 Now when the aqueen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came bto test him with hard questions.
2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great 1retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing 1so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, aand his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.
6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
7 “However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.
8 a“Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand *continually before you and hear your wisdom!
9 a“Blessed be the LORD your God, who bdelighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, cto do justice and righteousness.”
10 Then she agave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 aAlso, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of 1almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.
12 aAnd the king made 1steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for *singers. There never again came such balmug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
13 Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Solomon’s Great Wealth
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
15 besides that from the atraveling merchants, from the income of traders, bfrom all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.
16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
17 He also made athree hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the bHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 aMoreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
19 The throne had six *steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
21 aAll King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was *accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king had amerchant1 ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant bships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and 2monkeys.
23 So aKing Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
26 aAnd Solomon bgathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he 1stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
27 aThe king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
28 aAlso Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price.
29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; aand 1thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Solomon’s Heart Turns from the LORD
1 But aKing Solomon loved bmany foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—
2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, a“You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, athat his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his bheart was not 1loyal to the LORD his God, cas was the heart of his father David.
5 For Solomon went after aAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after bMilcom1 the abomination of the cAmmonites.
6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David.
7 aThen Solomon built a 1high place for bChemosh the abomination of Moab, on cthe hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.
8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, awho had appeared to him twice,
10 and ahad commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded.
11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, aI will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your bservant.
12 “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 a“However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give bone tribe to your son cfor the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem dwhich I have chosen.”
Adversaries of Solomon
14 Now the LORD araised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom.
15 aFor it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, bafter he had killed every male in Edom
16 (because for six months Joab *remained there with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom),
17 that Hadad fled to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him. Hadad was still a little child.
18 Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and gave him land.
19 And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tahpenes.
20 Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 aSo when Hadad heard in Egypt that David 1rested with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, 2“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 suddenly you seek to go to your own country?” So he answered, “Nothing, but do let me go anyway.”
23 And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, aHadadezer king of Zobah.
24 So he gathered men to him and became captain over a band of raiders, awhen David killed those of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus.
25 He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.
Jeroboam’s Rebellion
26 Then Solomon’s servant, aJeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, balso crebelled against the king.
27 And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: aSolomon had built the Millo and 1repaired the *damages to the City of David his father.
28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was aindustrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.
29 Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet aAhijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field.
30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and atore it into twelve pieces.
31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for athus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘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 the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),
33 a‘because 1they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.
34 ‘However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.
35 ‘But aI will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes.
36 ‘And to his son I will give one tribe, that aMy servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.
37 ‘So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel.
38 ‘Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then aI will be with you and bbuild for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.
39 ‘And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ ”
40 Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to aShishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
Death of Solomon
41 Now athe rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
42 aAnd the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 aThen Solomon 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his bplace.
The Revolt Against Rehoboam
1 And aRehoboam went to bShechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
2 So it happened, when aJeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in bEgypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt),
3 that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 “Your father made our ayoke 1heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, a“If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”
8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!
11 ‘And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father *chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 1scourges!’ ”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”
13 Then the king answered the people 1roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him;
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice 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 1scourges!”
15 So the king did not listen to the people; for athe turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had bspoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:
a“What share have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel!
Now, see to your own house, O David!”
So Israel departed to their tents.
17 But Rehoboam reigned over athe children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam asent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So aIsrael has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all aIsrael. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah bonly.