Solomon Asks for Wisdom
1:2-13pp — 1Ki 3:4–15
1:14-17pp — 1Ki 10:26–29; 2Ch 9:25–28
1Solomon son of David establisheda himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was withb him and made him exceedingly great.c
2Then Solomon spoke to all Israeld—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families— 3and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon,e for God’s tent of meetingf was there, which Mosesg the LORD’s servant had made in the wilderness. 4Now David had brought up the arkh of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tenti for it in Jerusalem. 5But the bronze altarj that Bezalelk son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquiredl of him there. 6Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
7That night God appearedm to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made men king in his place. 9Now, LORD God, let your promiseo to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.p 10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may leadq this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth,r possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor,s such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.t”
13Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting. And he reigned over Israel.
14Solomon accumulated chariotsu and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,1 which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15The king made silver and goldv as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 16Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue2—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 17They imported a chariotw from Egypt for six hundred shekels3 of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.4 They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans. Photo Photo
Preparations for Building the Temple
2:1-18pp — 1Ki 5:1–16
1Solomon gave orders to build a templea for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself.b 2He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.c
3Solomon sent this message to Hiram2d king of Tyre:
“Send me cedar logse as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4Now I am about to build a templef for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incenseg before him, for setting out the consecrated breadh regularly, and for making burnt offeringsi every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths,j at the New Moonsk and at the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
5“The temple I am going to build will be great,l because our God is greater than all other gods.m 6But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?n Who then am Io to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?
7“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers,p whom my father David provided.
8“Send me also cedar, juniper and algum3 logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors4 of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors5 of barley, twenty thousand baths6 of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.q”
11Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
“Because the LORD lovesr his people, he has made you their king.”
12And Hiram added:
“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!s He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.
13“I am sending you Huram-Abi,t a man of great skill, 14whose mother was from Danu and whose father was from Tyre. He is trainedv to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and bluew and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.
15“Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oilx and wine he promised, 16and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa.y You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”
17Solomon took a census of all the foreignersz residing in Israel, after the censusa his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18He assignedb 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.
Solomon Builds the Temple
3:1-14pp — 1Ki 6:1–29
1Then Solomon began to builda the temple of the LORDb in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah1c the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.d
3The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide2e (using the cubit of the old standard). 4The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits3 long across the width of the building and twenty4 cubits high.
He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5He paneled the main hall with juniper and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm treef and chain designs. 6He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim. 7He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubimg on the walls.
8He built the Most Holy Place,h its length corresponding to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents5 of fine gold. 9The gold nailsi weighed fifty shekels.6 He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.
10For the Most Holy Place he made a pairj of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold. 11The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits7 long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub. 13The wings of these cherubimk extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.8
14He made the curtainl of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubimm worked into it.
15For the front of the temple he made two pillars,n which together were thirty-five cubits9 long, each with a capitalo five cubits high. 16He made interwoven chains10p and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranatesq and attached them to the chains. 17He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin11 and the one to the north Boaz.12
The Temple’s Furnishings
4:2-6,10-5:1pp — 1Ki 7:23–26, 38–51
1He made a bronze altara twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.1 2He made the Seab of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits2 high. It took a line of thirty cubits3 to measure around it. 3Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it—ten to a cubit.4 The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.
4The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east.c The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 5It was a handbreadth5 in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.6
6He then made ten basinsd for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offeringse were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.
7He made ten gold lampstandsf according to the specificationsg for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.
8He made ten tablesh and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.i
9He made the courtyardj of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. 10He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.
11And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finishedk the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:
12the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
13the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);
14the standsl with their basins;
15the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;
16the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles.
All the objects that Huram-Abim made for King Solomon for the temple of the LORD were of polished bronze. 17The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkothn and Zarethan.7 18All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronzeo could not be calculated. Photo
19Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple:
the golden altar;
the tablesp on which was the bread of the Presence;
20the lampstandsq of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;
21the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);
22the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishesr and censers;s and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.
1When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished,a he brought in the things his father David had dedicatedb—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.
The Ark Brought to the Temple
5:2–6:11pp — 1Ki 8:1–21
2Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the arkc of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 3And all the Israelitesd came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.
4When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priestse carried them up; 6and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
7The priests then brought the arkf of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8The cherubimg spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10There was nothing in the ark excepth the two tabletsi that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
11The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.j 12All the Levites who were musiciansk—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.l 13The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”m
Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud,n 14and the priests could not performo their service because of the cloud,p for the gloryq of the LORD filled the temple of God.
1Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;a 2I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.b”
3While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. 4Then he said:
“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, 5‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. 6But now I have chosen Jerusalemc for my Named to be there, and I have chosen Davide to rule my people Israel.’
7“My father David had it in his heartf to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 8But the LORD said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 9Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’
10“The LORD has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 11There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenantg of the LORD that he made with the people of Israel.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
6:12-40pp — 1Ki 8:22–53
6:41-42pp — Ps 132:8–10
12Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13Now he had made a bronze platform,h five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high,1 and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt downi before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 14He said:
“LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like youj in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of lovek with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 15You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promisedl and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.
16“Now, LORD, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never failm to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law,n as you have done.’ 17And now, LORD, the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.
18“But will God really dwello on earth with humans? The heavens,p even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19Yet, LORD my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20May your eyesq be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Namer there. May you hears the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.t
22“When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oathu and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemningv the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.
24“When your people Israel have been defeatedw by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple, 25then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.
26“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rainx because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 27then hear from heaven and forgivey the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
28“When faminez or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 29and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— 30then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive,a and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),b 31so that they will fear youc and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
32“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has comed from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hande and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreignerf asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
34“When your people go to war against their enemies,g wherever you send them, and when they prayh to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
36“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sini—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captivej to a land far away or near; 37and if they have a change of heartk in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgivel your people, who have sinned against you.
40“Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentivem to the prayers offered in this place.
41“Now arise,n LORD God, and come to your resting place,o
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests,p LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.q
42LORD God, do not reject your anointed one.r
Remember the great loves promised to David your servant.”
The Dedication of the Temple
7:1-10pp — 1Ki 8:62–66
1When Solomon finished praying, firea came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filledb the temple.c 2The priests could not enterd the temple of the LORD because the glorye of the LORD filled it. 3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”f
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6The priests took their positions, as did the Levitesg with the LORD’s musical instruments,h which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
7Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fati of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.
8So Solomon observed the festivalj at that time for seven days, and all Israelk with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamathl to the Wadi of Egypt.m 9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebratedn the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festivalo for seven days more. 10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.
The LORD Appears to Solomon
7:11-22pp — 1Ki 9:1–9
11When Solomon had finishedp the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12the LORD appearedq to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosenr this place for myselfs as a temple for sacrifices.
13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,t or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name,u will humblev themselves and pray and seek my facew and turnx from their wicked ways, then I will heary from heaven, and I will forgivez their sin and will heala their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.b 16I have chosenc and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17“As for you, if you walk before me faithfullyd as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decreese and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenantedf with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successorg to rule over Israel.’h
19“But if you1 turn awayi and forsakej the decrees and commands I have given you2 and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uprootk Israel from my land,l which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridiculem among all peoples. 21This temple will become a heap of rubble. All3 who pass by will be appalledn and say,o ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving themp—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
Solomon’s Other Activities
8:1-18pp — 1Ki 9:10–28
1At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the LORD and his own palace,a 2Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram1 had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.b 5He rebuilt Upper Beth Horonc and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6as well as Baalathd and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses2—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
7There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusitese (these people were not Israelites). 8Solomon conscriptedf the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.
11Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughterg up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
12On the altarh of the LORD that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the LORD, 13according to the daily requirementi for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths,j the New Moonsk and the threel annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread,m the Festival of Weeksn and the Festival of Tabernacles.o 14In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisionsp of the priests for their duties, and the Levitesq to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepersr by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of Gods had ordered.t 15They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.
16All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid until its completion. So the temple of the LORD was finished.
17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents3 of gold,u which they delivered to King Solomon. Photo
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
9:1-12pp — 1Ki 10:1–13
1When the queen of Shebaa heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon,b as well as the palace he had built, 4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at1 the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6But I did not believe what they said until I camec and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throned as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you kinge over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
9Then she gave the king 120 talents2 of gold,f large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10(The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir;g they also brought algumwood3 and precious stones. 11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon’s Splendor
9:13-28pp — 1Ki 10:14–29; 2Ch 1:14–17
13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,4 14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabiah and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels5 of hammered gold went into each shield. 16He also made three hundred small shieldsi of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels6 of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.j
17Then the king made a great throne covered with ivoryk and overlaid with pure gold. 18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. 21The king had a fleet of trading ships7 manned by Hiram’s8 servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.l 23All the kingsm of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24Year after year, everyone who came brought a giftn—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots,o and twelve thousand horses,9 which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26He ruledp over all the kings from the Euphrates Riverq to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.r 27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon’s Death
9:29-31pp — 1Ki 11:41–43
29As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathans the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijaht the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboamu son of Nebat? 30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Davidv his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam
10:1–11:4pp — 1Ki 12:1–24
1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2When Jeroboama son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fledb from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israelc went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us,d but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people went away.
6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elderse who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.
7They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer,f they will always be your servants.”
8But Rehoboam rejectedg the advice the eldersh gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “The people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”
12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” 13The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders, 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” 15So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God,i to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.j
16When all Israelk saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:
“What share do we have in David,l
what part in Jesse’s son?
To your tents, Israel!
Look after your own house, David!”
So all the Israelites went home. 17But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.
18King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram,1m who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem,a he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
2But this word of the LORD came to Shemaiahb the man of God: 3“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites.c Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’ ” So they obeyed the words of the LORD and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified citiesd in Judah and Benjamin. 11He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. 14The Levitese even abandoned their pasturelands and propertyf and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD 15when he appointedg his own priestsh for the high places and for the goati and calfj idols he had made. 16Those from every tribe of Israelk who set their hearts on seeking the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 17They strengthenedl the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
Rehoboam’s Family
18Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham. 20Then he married Maakahm daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah,n Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wiveso and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijahp son of Maakah as crown prince among his brothers, in order to make him king. 23He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisionsq and took many wives for them.
Shishak Attacks Jerusalem
1After Rehoboam’s position as king was establisheda and he had become strong,b he and all Israel1c with him abandonedd the law of the LORD. 2Because they had been unfaithfule to the LORD, Shishakf king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans,g Sukkites and Cushites2h that came with him from Egypt, 4he captured the fortified citiesi of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Photo
5Then the prophet Shemaiahj came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandonk you to Shishak.’ ”
6The leaders of Israel and the king humbledl themselves and said, “The LORD is just.”m
7When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance.n My wratho will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 8They will, however, become subjectp to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”
9When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shieldsq Solomon had made. 10So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11Whenever the king went to the LORD’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
12Because Rehoboam humbledr himself, the LORD’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some goods in Judah.
13King Rehoboam establishedt himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name.u His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. 14He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD.
15As for the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Shemaiahv the prophet and of Iddo the seer that deal with genealogies? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16Rehoboamw rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Abijahx his son succeeded him as king.
Abijah King of Judah
13:1-2,22-14:1pp — 1Ki 15:1–2, 6–8
1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, 2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah,1a a daughter2 of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijahb and Jeroboam.c 3Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.
4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,d in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel,e listen to me! 5Don’t you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants foreverf by a covenant of salt?g 6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelledh against his master. 7Some worthless scoundrelsi gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisivej and not strong enough to resist them.
8“And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s descendants.k You are indeed a vast army and have with youl the golden calvesm that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9But didn’t you drive out the priestsn of the LORD,o the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bullp and seven ramsq may become a priest of what are not gods.r
10“As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11Every morning and evenings they present burnt offerings and fragrant incenset to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean tableu and light the lampsv on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God. But you have forsaken him. 12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.w People of Israel, do not fight against the LORD,x the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”y
13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambushz was behind them. 14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried outa to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets 15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israelb before Abijah and Judah. 16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God deliveredc them into their hands. 17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they reliedd on the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the LORD struck him down and he died.
21But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.
1And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
Asa King of Judah
14:2-3pp — 1Ki 15:11–12
2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.a 3He removed the foreign altarsb and the high places, smashed the sacred stonesc and cut down the Asherah poles.2d 4He commanded Judah to seek the LORD,e the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5He removed the high placesf and incense altarsg in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.h
7“Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us resti on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8Asa had an army of three hundred thousandj men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
9Zerah the Cushitek marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.l 10Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11Then Asa calledm to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,n LORD our God, for we relyo on you, and in your namep we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevailq against you.”
12The LORD struck downr the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.s Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushedt before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.u 14They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terrorv of the LORD had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. 15They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Asa’s Reform
15:16-19pp — 1Ki 15:13–16
1The Spirit of God came ona Azariah son of Oded. 2He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with youb when you are with him.c If you seekd him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.e 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teachf and without the law.g 4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him,h and he was found by them. 5In those days it was not safe to travel about,i for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,j because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7But as for you, be strongk and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”l
8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of1 Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idolsm from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had capturedn in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altaro of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.
9Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbersp had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10They assembled at Jerusalem in the third monthq of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunderr they had brought back. 12They entered into a covenants to seek the LORD,t the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death,u whether small or great, man or woman. 14They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought Godv eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them restw on every side.
16King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakahx from her position as queen mother,y because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah.z Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.a 17Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 18He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.b
19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Asa’s Last Years
16:1-6pp — 1Ki 15:17–22
16:11-17:1pp — 1Ki 15:23–24
1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baashaa king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.b 3“Let there be a treatyc between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim1 and all the store cities of Naphtali.d 5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.e
7At that time Hananif the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you reliedg on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites2h and Libyans a mighty army with great numbersi of chariots and horsemen3? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he deliveredj them into your hand. 9For the eyesk of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolishl thing, and from now on you will be at war.m”
10Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.n At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.
11The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflictedo with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seekp help from the LORD,q but only from the physicians. 13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. 14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himselfr in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes,s and they made a huge firet in his honor.
Jehoshaphat King of Judah
1Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengtheneda himself against Israel. 2He stationed troops in all the fortified citiesb of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.c
3The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father Davidd before him. He did not consult the Baals 4but soughte the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. 5The LORD established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought giftsf to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.g 6His heart was devotedh to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high placesi and the Asherah polesj from Judah.k
7In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teachl in the towns of Judah. 8With them were certain Levitesm—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah—and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Lawn of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10The fearo of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. 11Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabsp brought him flocks:q seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
12Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah 13and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. 14Their enrollmentr by families was as follows:
From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000:
Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;
15next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;
16next, Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteereds himself for the service of the LORD, with 200,000.
17From Benjamin:t
Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;
18next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.
19These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified citiesu throughout Judah.v
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
18:1-27pp — 1Ki 22:1–28
1Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor,a and he alliedb himself with Ahabc by marriage. 2Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” 4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the LORD.”
5So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”
“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”
6But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?”
7The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
8So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
9Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 10Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”
11All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gileadd and be victorious,” they said, “for the LORD will give it into the king’s hand.”
12The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”
13But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”e
14When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”
“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”
15The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israelf scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd,g and the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”
17The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
18Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throneh with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 20Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’
“ ‘By what means?’ the LORD asked.
21“ ‘I will go and be a deceiving spiriti in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
22“So now the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours.j The LORD has decreed disaster for you.”
23Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slappedk Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from1 the LORD go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.
24Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”
25The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prisonl and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
27Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead
18:28-34pp — 1Ki 22:29–36
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguisedm himself and went into battle.
30Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” 31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out,n and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him, 32for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
33But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 34All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.o
1When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, 2Jehua the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wickedb and love1 those who hate the LORD?c Because of this, the wrathd of the LORD is on you. 3There is, however, some goode in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah polesf and have set your heart on seeking God.g”
Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges
4Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 5He appointed judgesh in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,i because you are not judging for mere mortalsj but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injusticek or partialityl or bribery.”
8In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,m priestsn and heads of Israelite families to administero the law of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. 9He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. 10In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD;p otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.
11“Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage,q and may the LORD be with those who do well.”
Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon
1After this, the Moabitesa and Ammonites with some of the Meunites1b came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast armyc is coming against you from Edom,2 from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamard” (that is, En Gedi).e 3Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fastf for all Judah. 4The people of Judahg came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
5Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6and said:
“LORD, the God of our ancestors,h are you not the God who is in heaven?i You rule over all the kingdomsj of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.k 7Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this landl before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?m 8They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuaryn for your Name, saying, 9‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,o we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
10“But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt;p so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possessionq you gave us as an inheritance. 12Our God, will you not judge them?r For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.s”
13All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.
14Then the Spiritt of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah,u a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouragedv because of this vast army. For the battlew is not yours, but God’s. 16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and seex the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’ ”
18Jehoshaphat bowed downy with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faithz in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.a” 21After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his3 holinessb as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”c
22As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushesd against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23The Ammonitese and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seirf to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.g
24When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing4 and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah5 to this day.
27Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lyres and trumpets.
29The fearh of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had foughti against the enemies of Israel. 30And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him restj on every side.
The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
20:31–21:1pp — 1Ki 22:41–50
31So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32He followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. 33The high places,k however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.
34The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehul son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.
35Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliancem with Ahaziah king of Israel, whose ways were wicked.n 36He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships.6 After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” The shipso were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.7