1:1 King David was very old; ¹  even when they covered him with blankets, ²  he could not get warm. 1:2 His servants advised ³  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ⁴  to take care of the king’s needs ⁵  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ⁶  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ⁷  1:3 So they looked through all Israel ⁸  for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 1:4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her. ⁹ 

1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, ¹⁰  was promoting himself, ¹¹  boasting, ¹²  “I will be king!” He managed to acquire ¹³  chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ¹⁴  1:6 (Now his father had never corrected ¹⁵  him ¹⁶  by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom. ¹⁷ ) 1:7 He collaborated ¹⁸  with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported ¹⁹  him. ²⁰  1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors ²¹  did not ally themselves ²²  with Adonijah. 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, ²³  as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, ²⁴  or his brother Solomon.

1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you ²⁵  that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back? ²⁶  1:12 Now ²⁷  let me give you some advice as to how ²⁸  you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. 1:13 Visit ²⁹  King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise ³⁰  your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 1:14 While ³¹  you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive ³²  and verify your report.” ³³ 

1:15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters. ³⁴  (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 1:16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before ³⁵  the king. The king said, “What do you want?” 1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ 1:18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, ³⁶  my master the king, are not even aware of it! ³⁷  1:19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. 1:20 Now, ³⁸  my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne. ³⁹  1:21 If a decision is not made, ⁴⁰  when my master the king is buried with his ancestors, ⁴¹  my son Solomon and I ⁴²  will be considered state criminals.” ⁴³ 

1:22 Just then, ⁴⁴  while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 1:23 The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor. ⁴⁵  1:24 Nathan said, “My master, O king, did you announce, ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne’? 1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment ⁴⁶  they are having a feast ⁴⁷  in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ⁴⁸  1:26 But he did not invite me – your servant – or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. 1:27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants ⁴⁹  who should succeed my master the king on his throne?” ⁵⁰ 

1:28 King David responded, ⁵¹  “Summon Bathsheba!” ⁵²  She came and stood before the king. ⁵³  1:29 The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me ⁵⁴  from every danger), 1:30 I will keep ⁵⁵  today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.’” 1:31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor ⁵⁶  and said, “May my master, King David, live forever!”

1:32 King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, ⁵⁷  and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king, 1:33 and he ⁵⁸  told them, “Take your master’s ⁵⁹  servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon. ⁶⁰  1:34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint ⁶¹  him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 1:35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed ⁶²  that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 1:36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded ⁶³  to the king: “So be it! ⁶⁴  May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it! ⁶⁵  1:37 As the Lord is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!” ⁶⁶ 

1:38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites ⁶⁷  went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. 1:39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil ⁶⁸  from the tent and poured it on ⁶⁹  Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, “Long live King Solomon!” 1:40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake. ⁷⁰ 

1:41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating. ⁷¹  When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?” ⁷²  1:42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan ⁷³  son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for ⁷⁴  an important man like you must be bringing good news.” ⁷⁵  1:43 Jonathan replied ⁷⁶  to Adonijah: “No! ⁷⁷  Our master ⁷⁸  King David has made Solomon king. 1:44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. 1:45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed ⁷⁹  him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 1:46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne. ⁸⁰  1:47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate ⁸¹  our master ⁸²  King David, saying, ‘May your God ⁸³  make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’ ⁸⁴  Then the king leaned ⁸⁵  on the bed 1:48 and said ⁸⁶  this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because ⁸⁷  today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’” ⁸⁸ 

1:49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked; ⁸⁹  they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 1:50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ⁹⁰  1:51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you; ⁹¹  see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise ⁹²  me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 1:52 Solomon said, “If he is a loyal subject, ⁹³  not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor, ⁹⁴  he will die.” 1:53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down ⁹⁵  from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.” ⁹⁶ 

2:1 When David was close to death, ⁹⁷  he told ⁹⁸  Solomon his son: 2:2 “I am about to die. ⁹⁹  Be strong and become a man! 2:3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you ¹⁰⁰  by following his instructions ¹⁰¹  and obeying ¹⁰²  his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish, ¹⁰³  2:4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me, ¹⁰⁴  ‘If your descendants watch their step ¹⁰⁵  and live faithfully in my presence ¹⁰⁶  with all their heart and being, ¹⁰⁷  then,’ he promised, ¹⁰⁸  ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ¹⁰⁹ 

2:5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me – how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. ¹¹⁰  During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; ¹¹¹  when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet. ¹¹²  2:6 Do to him what you think is appropriate, ¹¹³  but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death. ¹¹⁴ 

2:7 “Treat fairly ¹¹⁵  the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs, ¹¹⁶  because they helped me ¹¹⁷  when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

2:8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, ¹¹⁸  who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. ¹¹⁹  He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised ¹²⁰  him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down ¹²¹  with the sword.’ 2:9 But now ¹²²  don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; ¹²³  make sure he has a bloody death.” ¹²⁴ 

2:10 Then David passed away ¹²⁵  and was buried in the city of David. ¹²⁶  2:11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem ¹²⁷  thirty-three years.

2:12 Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority ¹²⁸  was firmly solidified.

2:13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.” ¹²⁹  2:14 He added, ¹³⁰  “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 2:15 He said, “You know that the kingdom ¹³¹  was mine and all Israel considered me king. ¹³²  But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his. ¹³³  2:16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” ¹³⁴  She said, “Go ahead and ask.” ¹³⁵  2:17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.” ¹³⁶  2:18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine, ¹³⁷  I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

2:19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet ¹³⁸  her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother, ¹³⁹  and she sat at his right hand. 2:20 She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor. ¹⁴⁰  Please don’t refuse me.” ¹⁴¹  He said, ¹⁴²  “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.” 2:21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? ¹⁴³  Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

2:23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely, ¹⁴⁴  if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life! ¹⁴⁵  2:24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty ¹⁴⁶  for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 2:25 King Solomon then sent ¹⁴⁷  Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. ¹⁴⁸ 

2:26 The king then told Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your property ¹⁴⁹  in Anathoth. You deserve to die, ¹⁵⁰  but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.” ¹⁵¹  2:27 Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, ¹⁵²  fulfilling the decree of judgment the Lord made in Shiloh against the family of Eli. ¹⁵³ 

2:28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported ¹⁵⁴  Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ¹⁵⁵  ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ¹⁵⁶  2:29 When King Solomon heard ¹⁵⁷  that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, ¹⁵⁸  “Go, strike him down.” 2:30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply. ¹⁵⁹  2:31 The king told him, “Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family ¹⁶⁰  the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody deeds. ¹⁶¹  2:32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed; ¹⁶²  behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he ¹⁶³  – Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 2:33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, ¹⁶⁴  and his dynasty.” ¹⁶⁵  2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; ¹⁶⁶  he was buried at his home in the wilderness. 2:35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of ¹⁶⁷  the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place. ¹⁶⁸ 

2:36 Next the king summoned ¹⁶⁹  Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem ¹⁷⁰  and live there – but you may not leave there to go anywhere! ¹⁷¹  2:37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die! You will be responsible for your own death.” ¹⁷²  2:38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable. ¹⁷³  Your servant will do as you say.” ¹⁷⁴  So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. ¹⁷⁵ 

2:39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told, “Look, your servants are in Gath.” 2:40 So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath. 2:41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, 2:42 the king summoned ¹⁷⁶  Shimei and said to him, “You will recall ¹⁷⁷  that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere, ¹⁷⁸  know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’ ¹⁷⁹  2:43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?” ¹⁸⁰  2:44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. ¹⁸¹  The Lord will punish you for what you did. ¹⁸²  2:45 But King Solomon will be empowered ¹⁸³  and David’s dynasty ¹⁸⁴  will endure permanently before the Lord.” 2:46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. ¹⁸⁵ 

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom. ¹⁸⁶ 

3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David ¹⁸⁷  until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. ¹⁸⁸  3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ¹⁸⁹  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ¹⁹⁰  3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following ¹⁹¹  the practices ¹⁹²  of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places. ¹⁹³  Solomon would offer up ¹⁹⁴  a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared ¹⁹⁵  to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell ¹⁹⁶  me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated ¹⁹⁷  great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served ¹⁹⁸  you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. ¹⁹⁹  You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne. ²⁰⁰  3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced. ²⁰¹  3:8 Your servant stands ²⁰²  among your chosen people; ²⁰³  they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ²⁰⁴  so he can make judicial decisions for ²⁰⁵  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ²⁰⁶  Otherwise ²⁰⁷  no one is able ²⁰⁸  to make judicial decisions for ²⁰⁹  this great nation of yours.” ²¹⁰  3:10 The Lord ²¹¹  was pleased that Solomon made this request. ²¹²  3:11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, ²¹³  3:12 I ²¹⁴  grant your request, ²¹⁵  and give ²¹⁶  you a wise and discerning mind ²¹⁷  superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. ²¹⁸  3:13 Furthermore, I am giving ²¹⁹  you what you did not request – riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. ²²⁰  3:14 If you follow my instructions ²²¹  by obeying ²²²  my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, ²²³  then I will grant you long life.” ²²⁴  3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. ²²⁵  He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, ²²⁶  and held a feast for all his servants.

3:16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 3:17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 3:18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us. ²²⁷  3:19 This woman’s child suffocated ²²⁸  during the night when she rolled ²²⁹  on top of him. 3:20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 3:21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was, ²³⁰  dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.” ²³¹  3:22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king. ²³² 

3:23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 3:24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the king. 3:25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 3:26 The real mother ²³³  spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. ²³⁴  She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” ²³⁵  But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!” 3:27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 3:28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected ²³⁶  the king, for they realized ²³⁷  that he possessed supernatural wisdom ²³⁸  to make judicial decisions.

4:1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 4:2 These were his officials:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.

4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, wrote down what happened. ²³⁹ 

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records.

4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of ²⁴⁰  the army.

Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

4:5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor of ²⁴¹  the district governors.

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to ²⁴²  the king.

4:6 Ahishar was supervisor of the palace. ²⁴³ 

Adoniram son of Abda was supervisor of ²⁴⁴  the work crews. ²⁴⁵ 

4:7 Solomon had twelve district governors appointed throughout Israel who acquired supplies for the king and his palace. Each was responsible for one month in the year. 4:8 These were their names:

Ben-Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.

4:9 Ben-Deker was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan.

4:10 Ben-Hesed was in charge of Arubboth; he controlled Socoh and all the territory of Hepher.

4:11 Ben-Abinadab was in charge of Naphath Dor. (He was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath.)

4:12 Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of Taanach and Megiddo, ²⁴⁶  as well as all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah and on past Jokmeam.

4:13 Ben-Geber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he controlled the tent villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, including sixty large walled cities with bronze bars locking their gates.

4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of Mahanaim.

4:15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali. (He married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)

4:16 Baana son of Hushai was in charge of Asher and Aloth.

4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of Issachar.

4:18 Shimei son of Ela was in charge of Benjamin.

4:19 Geber son of Uri was in charge of the land of Gilead (the territory which had once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and to King Og of Bashan). He was sole governor of the area.

4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy. 4:21 ²⁴⁷  Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River ²⁴⁸  to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime. ²⁴⁹  4:22 Each day Solomon’s royal court consumed ²⁵⁰  thirty cors ²⁵¹  of finely milled flour, sixty cors of cereal, 4:23 ten calves fattened in the stall, ²⁵²  twenty calves from the pasture, and a hundred sheep, not to mention rams, gazelles, deer, and well-fed birds. 4:24 His royal court was so large because ²⁵³  he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah ²⁵⁴  to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors. ²⁵⁵  4:25 All the people of Judah and Israel had security; everyone from Dan to Beer Sheba enjoyed the produce of their vines and fig trees throughout Solomon’s lifetime. ²⁵⁶  4:26 Solomon had 4,000 ²⁵⁷  stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. 4:27 The district governors acquired supplies for King Solomon and all who ate in his royal palace. ²⁵⁸  Each was responsible for one month in the year; they made sure nothing was lacking. 4:28 Each one also brought to the assigned location his quota of barley and straw for the various horses. ²⁵⁹ 

4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding ²⁶⁰  was as infinite as the sand on the seashore. 4:30 Solomon was wiser than all the men of the east and all the sages of Egypt. ²⁶¹  4:31 He was wiser than any man, including Ethan the Ezrahite or Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. He was famous in all the neighboring nations. ²⁶²  4:32 He composed ²⁶³  3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. 4:33 He produced manuals on botany, describing every kind of plant, ²⁶⁴  from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He also produced manuals on biology, describing ²⁶⁵  animals, birds, insects, and fish. 4:34 People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of wisdom; ²⁶⁶  they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.

5:1 ²⁶⁷  King Hiram of Tyre ²⁶⁸  sent messengers ²⁶⁹  to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord ²⁷⁰  his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. ²⁷¹  5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5:5 So I have decided ²⁷²  to build a temple to honor the Lord ²⁷³  my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’ ²⁷⁴  5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he ²⁷⁵  has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received ²⁷⁶  the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. ²⁷⁷  5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. ²⁷⁸  There I will separate the logs ²⁷⁹  and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” ²⁸⁰ 

5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, ²⁸¹  5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors ²⁸²  of wheat as provision for his royal court, ²⁸³  as well as 20,000 baths ²⁸⁴  of pure ²⁸⁵  olive oil. ²⁸⁶  5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. ²⁸⁷ 

5:13 King Solomon conscripted ²⁸⁸  work crews ²⁸⁹  from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of ²⁹⁰  the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers ²⁹¹  and 80,000 stonecutters ²⁹²  in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 ²⁹³  officials who supervised the workers. ²⁹⁴  5:17 By royal order ²⁹⁵  they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, ²⁹⁶  along with men from Byblos, ²⁹⁷  did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. ²⁹⁸ 

6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month Ziv ²⁹⁹  (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet ³⁰⁰  long, 30 feet ³⁰¹  wide, and 45 feet ³⁰²  high. 6:3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet ³⁰³  long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet ³⁰⁴  wide, extending out from the front of the temple. 6:4 He made framed windows for the temple. 6:5 He built an extension all around the walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it. ³⁰⁵  6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet ³⁰⁶  wide, the middle floor nine feet ³⁰⁷  wide, and the third floor ten and a half ³⁰⁸  feet wide. He made ledges ³⁰⁹  on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. ³¹⁰  6:7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry ³¹¹  were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built. 6:8 The entrance to the bottom ³¹²  level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up ³¹³  to the middle floor and then on up to the third ³¹⁴  floor. 6:9 He finished building the temple ³¹⁵  and covered it ³¹⁶  with rafters ³¹⁷  and boards made of cedar. ³¹⁸  6:10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high ³¹⁹  and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.

6:11 ³²⁰ 

The Lord said ³²¹  to Solomon: 6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow ³²²  my rules, observe ³²³  my regulations, and obey all my commandments, ³²⁴  I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. ³²⁵  6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

6:14 So Solomon finished building the temple. ³²⁶  6:15 He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters ³²⁷  of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens. 6:16 He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. ³²⁸  He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. ³²⁹  6:17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. ³³⁰  6:18 The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible. ³³¹ 

6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there. 6:20 The inner sanctuary was 30 feet ³³²  long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, ³³³  as well as the cedar altar. ³³⁴  6:21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. ³³⁵  He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary ³³⁶  with gold. 6:22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. ³³⁷ 

6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet ³³⁸  high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. ³³⁹  6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. ³⁴⁰  6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. ³⁴¹  6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. ³⁴²  Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room. ³⁴³  6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold.

6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, ³⁴⁴  he carved ³⁴⁵  cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 6:30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. ³⁴⁶  6:31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. ³⁴⁷  6:32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved ³⁴⁸  cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. ³⁴⁹  He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. ³⁵⁰  6:33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. ³⁵¹  6:34 He also made ³⁵²  two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. ³⁵³  6:35 He carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams.

6:37 In the month Ziv ³⁵⁴  of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign ³⁵⁵  the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple. 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul ³⁵⁶  (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. ³⁵⁷ 

7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. ³⁵⁸  7:2 He named ³⁵⁹  it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; ³⁶⁰  it was 150 feet ³⁶¹  long, 75 feet ³⁶²  wide, and 45 feet ³⁶³  high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars. 7:3 The roof above the beams supported by the pillars was also made of cedar; there were forty-five beams, fifteen per row. 7:4 There were three rows of windows arranged in sets of three. ³⁶⁴  7:5 All of the entrances ³⁶⁵  were rectangular in shape ³⁶⁶  and they were arranged in sets of three. ³⁶⁷  7:6 He made a colonnade ³⁶⁸  75 feet ³⁶⁹  long and 45 feet ³⁷⁰  wide. There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. ³⁷¹  7:7 He also made a throne room, called “The Hall of Judgment,” where he made judicial decisions. ³⁷²  It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. ³⁷³  7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. ³⁷⁴  He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. ³⁷⁵  7:9 All of these were built with the best ³⁷⁶  stones, chiseled to the right size ³⁷⁷  and cut with a saw on all sides, ³⁷⁸  from the foundation to the edge of the roof ³⁷⁹  and from the outside to the great courtyard. 7:10 The foundation was made of large valuable stones, measuring either 15 feet or 12 feet. ³⁸⁰  7:11 Above the foundation ³⁸¹  the best ³⁸²  stones, chiseled to the right size, ³⁸³  were used along with cedar. 7:12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the hall of the palace. ³⁸⁴ 

7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram ³⁸⁵  of Tyre. ³⁸⁶  7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, ³⁸⁷  and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge ³⁸⁸  to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned.

7:15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet ³⁸⁹  high and 18 feet ³⁹⁰  in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. ³⁹¹  7:17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments. ³⁹²  7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. ³⁹³  7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. ³⁹⁴  7:20 On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around. ³⁹⁵  7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right ³⁹⁶  side and called it Jakin; ³⁹⁷  he erected the other pillar on the left ³⁹⁸  side and called it Boaz. ³⁹⁹  7:22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed.

7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” ⁴⁰⁰  It measured 15 feet ⁴⁰¹  from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet ⁴⁰²  high. Its circumference was 45 feet. ⁴⁰³  7:24 Under the rim all the way around it ⁴⁰⁴  were round ornaments ⁴⁰⁵  arranged in settings 15 feet long. ⁴⁰⁶  The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” ⁴⁰⁷  7:25 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. ⁴⁰⁸  7:26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons. ⁴⁰⁹ 

7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet ⁴¹⁰  long, six feet ⁴¹¹  wide, and four-and-a-half feet ⁴¹²  high. 7:28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. 7:29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubs. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. ⁴¹³  7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. ⁴¹⁴  7:31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. ⁴¹⁵  On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. ⁴¹⁶  7:32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet ⁴¹⁷  high. 7:33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. 7:34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. ⁴¹⁸  7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; ⁴¹⁹  there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. 7:36 He engraved ornamental cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, ⁴²⁰  with wreaths ⁴²¹  all around. 7:37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape.

7:38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons. ⁴²²  Each basin was six feet in diameter; ⁴²³  there was one basin for each stand. 7:39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

7:40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He ⁴²⁴  finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. ⁴²⁵  7:41 He made ⁴²⁶  the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 7:42 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), 7:43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins, 7:44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath, ⁴²⁷  7:45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple ⁴²⁸  were made from polished bronze. 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries ⁴²⁹  in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 7:47 Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze. ⁴³⁰ 

7:48 Solomon also made all these items for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence, ⁴³¹  7:49 the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, 7:50 the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. 7:51 When King Solomon finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he ⁴³²  put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

8:1 ⁴³³ 

Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem ⁴³⁴  Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). ⁴³⁵  8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival ⁴³⁶  in the month Ethanim ⁴³⁷  (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, ⁴³⁸  and all the holy items in the tent. ⁴³⁹  8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. ⁴⁴⁰ 

8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned ⁴⁴¹  place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 8:7 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. ⁴⁴²  8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. ⁴⁴³  They have remained there to this very day. 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. ⁴⁴⁴  It was there that ⁴⁴⁵  the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties ⁴⁴⁶  because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple. ⁴⁴⁷ 

8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, ⁴⁴⁸  truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 8:14 Then the king turned around ⁴⁴⁹  and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. ⁴⁵⁰  8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled ⁴⁵¹  what he promised ⁴⁵²  my father David. 8:16 He told David, ⁴⁵³  ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. ⁴⁵⁴  But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire ⁴⁵⁵  to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. ⁴⁵⁶  8:18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. ⁴⁵⁷  8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ ⁴⁵⁸  8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. ⁴⁵⁹  I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor ⁴⁶⁰  of the Lord God of Israel 8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors ⁴⁶¹  when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. ⁴⁶²  8:23 He prayed: ⁴⁶³  “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty ⁴⁶⁴  to your servants who obey you with sincerity. ⁴⁶⁵  8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; ⁴⁶⁶  this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. ⁴⁶⁷  8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, ⁴⁶⁸  provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ ⁴⁶⁹  8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made ⁴⁷⁰  to your servant, my father David, be realized. ⁴⁷¹ 

8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! ⁴⁷²  Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 8:28 But respond favorably to ⁴⁷³  your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer ⁴⁷⁴  the desperate prayer ⁴⁷⁵  your servant is presenting to you ⁴⁷⁶  today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. ⁴⁷⁷  May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. ⁴⁷⁸  8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. ⁴⁷⁹  Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place ⁴⁸⁰  and respond favorably. ⁴⁸¹ 

8:31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. ⁴⁸²  8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. ⁴⁸³ 

8:33 “The time will come when ⁴⁸⁴  your people Israel are defeated by an enemy ⁴⁸⁵  because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, ⁴⁸⁶  and pray for your help ⁴⁸⁷  in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

8:35 “The time will come when ⁴⁸⁸  the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people ⁴⁸⁹  sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, ⁴⁹⁰  and turn away from their sin because you punish ⁴⁹¹  them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly ⁴⁹²  you will then teach them the right way to live ⁴⁹³  and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. ⁴⁹⁴ 

8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust ⁴⁹⁵  invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, ⁴⁹⁶  or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, ⁴⁹⁷  as they acknowledge their pain ⁴⁹⁸  and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, ⁴⁹⁹  and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. ⁵⁰⁰  (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) ⁵⁰¹  8:40 Then they will obey ⁵⁰²  you throughout their lifetimes as ⁵⁰³  they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.

8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. ⁵⁰⁴  8:42 When they hear about your great reputation ⁵⁰⁵  and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, ⁵⁰⁶  they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. ⁵⁰⁷  Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, ⁵⁰⁸  obey ⁵⁰⁹  you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. ⁵¹⁰ 

8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, ⁵¹¹  and they direct their prayers to the Lord ⁵¹²  toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, ⁵¹³  8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help ⁵¹⁴  and vindicate them. ⁵¹⁵ 

8:46 “The time will come when your people ⁵¹⁶  will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, ⁵¹⁷  whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people ⁵¹⁸  come to their senses ⁵¹⁹  in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; ⁵²⁰  we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being ⁵²¹  in the land where they are held prisoner, ⁵²²  and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, ⁵²³  8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help ⁵²⁴  and vindicate them. ⁵²⁵  8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. ⁵²⁶  8:51 After all, ⁵²⁷  they are your people and your special possession ⁵²⁸  whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. ⁵²⁹ 

8:52 “May you be attentive ⁵³⁰  to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. ⁵³¹  8:53 After all, ⁵³²  you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, ⁵³³  just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. ⁵³⁴  8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure ⁵³⁵  just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! ⁵³⁶  8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, ⁵³⁷  so we can follow all his instructions ⁵³⁸  and obey ⁵³⁹  the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, ⁵⁴⁰  so that he might vindicate ⁵⁴¹  his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then ⁵⁴²  all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. ⁵⁴³  8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God ⁵⁴⁴  by following ⁵⁴⁵  his rules and obeying ⁵⁴⁶  his commandments, as you are presently doing.” ⁵⁴⁷ 

8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings ⁵⁴⁸  to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple. 8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings. ⁵⁴⁹  8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt ⁵⁵⁰  in the south. ⁵⁵¹  8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, ⁵⁵²  he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king ⁵⁵³  and then went to their homes, happy and content ⁵⁵⁴  because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, ⁵⁵⁵  9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ⁵⁵⁶  9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered ⁵⁵⁷  your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; ⁵⁵⁸  I will be constantly present there. ⁵⁵⁹  9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. ⁵⁶⁰  9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, ⁵⁶¹  just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ⁵⁶² 

9:6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, ⁵⁶³  and decide to serve and worship other gods, ⁵⁶⁴  9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land ⁵⁶⁵  I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, ⁵⁶⁶  and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed ⁵⁶⁷  among all the nations. 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins; ⁵⁶⁸  everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, ⁵⁶⁹  saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9:9 Others will then answer, ⁵⁷⁰  ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors ⁵⁷¹  out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. ⁵⁷²  That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”

9:10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, ⁵⁷³  9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre ⁵⁷⁴  twenty cities in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. ⁵⁷⁵  9:13 Hiram asked, ⁵⁷⁶  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ⁵⁷⁷ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ⁵⁷⁸  9:14 Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty talents ⁵⁷⁹  of gold.

9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews ⁵⁸⁰  King Solomon conscripted ⁵⁸¹  to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, ⁵⁸²  and the cities of ⁵⁸³  Hazor, ⁵⁸⁴  Megiddo, ⁵⁸⁵  and Gezer. 9:16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 9:18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, ⁵⁸⁶  9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, ⁵⁸⁷  and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. ⁵⁸⁸  He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. ⁵⁸⁹  9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁵⁹⁰  9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. ⁵⁹¹  9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; ⁵⁹²  the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. ⁵⁹³  9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers. ⁵⁹⁴  9:24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the city of David ⁵⁹⁵  to the palace Solomon built for her. ⁵⁹⁶ 

9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings ⁵⁹⁷  on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. ⁵⁹⁸ 

9:26 King Solomon also built ships ⁵⁹⁹  in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men. ⁶⁰⁰  9:28 They sailed ⁶⁰¹  to Ophir, took from there four hundred twenty talents ⁶⁰²  of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon.

10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, ⁶⁰³  she came to challenge ⁶⁰⁴  him with difficult questions. ⁶⁰⁵  10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem ⁶⁰⁶  with a great display of pomp, ⁶⁰⁷  bringing with her camels carrying spices, ⁶⁰⁸  a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. ⁶⁰⁹  10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, ⁶¹⁰  the palace ⁶¹¹  he had built, 10:5 the food in his banquet hall, ⁶¹²  his servants and attendants, ⁶¹³  their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed. ⁶¹⁴  10:6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight ⁶¹⁵  was true! 10:7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! ⁶¹⁶  Your wisdom and wealth ⁶¹⁷  surpass what was reported to me. 10:8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! ⁶¹⁸  10:9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored ⁶¹⁹  you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions.” ⁶²⁰  10:10 She gave the king 120 talents ⁶²¹  of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. ⁶²²  10:11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 10:12 With the timber the king made supports ⁶²³  for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments ⁶²⁴  for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day. ⁶²⁵ ) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. ⁶²⁶  Then she left and returned ⁶²⁷  to her homeland with her attendants.

10:14 Solomon received 666 talents ⁶²⁸  of gold per year, ⁶²⁹  10:15 besides what he collected from the merchants, ⁶³⁰  traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 10:16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures ⁶³¹  of gold were used for each shield. 10:17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas ⁶³²  of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. ⁶³³ 

10:18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 10:19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. ⁶³⁴  10:20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. ⁶³⁵ 

10:21 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. ⁶³⁶  10:22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships ⁶³⁷  that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet ⁶³⁸  came into port with cargoes of ⁶³⁹  gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. ⁶⁴⁰ 

10:23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. ⁶⁴¹  10:24 Everyone ⁶⁴²  in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. ⁶⁴³  10:25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. ⁶⁴⁴ 

10:26 Solomon accumulated ⁶⁴⁵  chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. ⁶⁴⁶  10:27 The king made silver as plentiful ⁶⁴⁷  in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was ⁶⁴⁸  as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. ⁶⁴⁹  10:28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt ⁶⁵⁰  and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 10:29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. ⁶⁵¹ 

11:1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 11:2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not establish friendly relations with them! ⁶⁵²  If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.” ⁶⁵³  But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. ⁶⁵⁴ 

11:3 He had 700 royal wives ⁶⁵⁵  and 300 concubines; ⁶⁵⁶  his wives had a powerful influence over him. ⁶⁵⁷  11:4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to ⁶⁵⁸  other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. ⁶⁵⁹  11:5 Solomon worshiped ⁶⁶⁰  the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ⁶⁶¹  11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; ⁶⁶²  he did not remain loyal to ⁶⁶³  the Lord, like his father David had. 11:7 Furthermore, ⁶⁶⁴  on the hill east of Jerusalem ⁶⁶⁵  Solomon built a high place ⁶⁶⁶  for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh ⁶⁶⁷  and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ⁶⁶⁸  11:8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods. ⁶⁶⁹ 

11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance ⁶⁷⁰  away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions ⁶⁷¹  11:10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. ⁶⁷²  But he did not obey ⁶⁷³  the Lord’s command. 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, ⁶⁷⁴  I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 11:12 However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead. 11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave ⁶⁷⁵  your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”

11:14 The Lord brought ⁶⁷⁶  against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 11:15 During David’s campaign against Edom, ⁶⁷⁷  Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army ⁶⁷⁸  stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom. ⁶⁷⁹  11:17 Hadad, ⁶⁸⁰  who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt. ⁶⁸¹  11:18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land. ⁶⁸²  11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well ⁶⁸³  he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife. ⁶⁸⁴  11:20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, ⁶⁸⁵  named Genubath. Tahpenes raised ⁶⁸⁶  him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away ⁶⁸⁷  and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave ⁶⁸⁸  so I can return to my homeland.” 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?” ⁶⁸⁹  Hadad replied, ⁶⁹⁰  “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.” ⁶⁹¹ 

11:23 God also brought against Solomon ⁶⁹²  another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. ⁶⁹³  When David tried to kill them, ⁶⁹⁴  they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed ⁶⁹⁵  Israel and ruled over Syria.

11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against ⁶⁹⁶  the king. He was an Ephraimite ⁶⁹⁷  from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: ⁶⁹⁸  Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David. ⁶⁹⁹  11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man; ⁷⁰⁰  when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe ⁷⁰¹  of Joseph. 11:29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah ⁷⁰²  was wearing a brand new robe, 11:30 and he grabbed the robe ⁷⁰³  and tore it into twelve pieces. 11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 11:32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him ⁷⁰⁴  because they have ⁷⁰⁵  abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions ⁷⁰⁶  by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did. ⁷⁰⁷  11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. ⁷⁰⁸  11:36 I will leave ⁷⁰⁹  his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me ⁷¹⁰  in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. ⁷¹¹  11:37 I will select ⁷¹²  you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 11:38 You must obey ⁷¹³  all I command you to do, follow my instructions, ⁷¹⁴  do what I approve, ⁷¹⁵  and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; ⁷¹⁶  I will give you Israel. 11:39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, ⁷¹⁷  but not forever.” ⁷¹⁸  11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. ⁷¹⁹  He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon. ⁷²⁰  11:42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem ⁷²¹  for forty years. 11:43 Then Solomon passed away ⁷²²  and was buried in the city of his father David. ⁷²³  His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. ⁷²⁴