1 Kings 3

New American Standard Bible

Solomon’s Rule Consolidated

3 Now ^(A)Solomon ^[a]formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter ^(B)and brought her to the city of David ^(C)until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord, and ^(D)the wall around Jerusalem. ²^(E)The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days.

³Now ^(F)Solomon loved the Lord, ^(G)walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he was sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ⁴And ^(H)the king went to ^(I)Gibeon to sacrifice there, ^(J)because that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵^(K)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon ^(L)in a dream at night; and God said, “^(M)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer

⁶Then Solomon said, “^(N)You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, ^(O)according as he walked before You in ^[b]truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and ^(P)You have ^[c]reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷And now, Lord my God, ^(Q)You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet ^(R)I am like a little boy; ^(S)I do not know how to ^[d]go out or come in. ⁸And ^(T)Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, ^(U)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. ⁹So ^(V)give Your servant ^[e]an understanding heart to judge Your people, ^(W)to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this ^[f]great people of Yours?”

God’s Answer

¹⁰Now ^[g]it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have ^(X)not asked for yourself ^[h]a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, ¹²behold, ^(Y)I have done according to your words. Behold, ^(Z)I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. ¹³^(AA)I have also given you what you have not asked, both ^(AB)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. ¹⁴And ^(AC)if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will ^(AD)prolong your days.”

¹⁵Then ^(AE)Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and ^(AF)held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Wisely Judges

¹⁶Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: ^[i]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child ^[j]while she was in the house. ¹⁸And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. ¹⁹Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. ²¹When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!” ²²Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But ^[k]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.

²³Then the king said, “^[l]The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and ^[m]the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” ²⁴And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” ²⁶But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for ^[n]^(AG)she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” ²⁷Then the king replied, “Give ^[o]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” ²⁸When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had ^[p]handed down, they feared the king, because ^(AH)they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to ^[q]administer justice.

Footnotes

1 Kings 3:1 Lit made himself a son-in-law of Pharaoh
1 Kings 3:6 Or faithfulness
1 Kings 3:6 Lit kept
1 Kings 3:7 I.e., conduct daily business
1 Kings 3:9 Or a heart that listens
1 Kings 3:9 Lit heavy
1 Kings 3:10 Lit the thing was
1 Kings 3:11 Lit many days
1 Kings 3:17 Lit I and this woman
1 Kings 3:17 Lit with her in
1 Kings 3:22 Lit this one was saying
1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
1 Kings 3:23 Lit this one
1 Kings 3:26 Lit her compassion grew hot
1 Kings 3:27 Lit her the living
1 Kings 3:28 Lit judged
1 Kings 3:28 Lit do

2 Chronicles 1

New American Standard Bible

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 Now ^(A)Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and ^(B)exalted him greatly.

²And Solomon spoke to all Israel, ^(C)to the commanders of thousands, of hundreds, and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. ³Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to ^(D)the high place which was at Gibeon, ^(E)because God’s tent of meeting was there which Moses, the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. ⁴However, David had brought up ^(F)the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim ^[a]to ^(G)the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵Now ^(H)the bronze altar which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. ⁶And Solomon went up there before the Lord to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and ^(I)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷^(J)In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

⁸And Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great faithfulness, and ^(K)have made me king in his place. ⁹Now, Lord God, ^(L)Your ^[b]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over ^(M)a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰^(N)Now give me wisdom and knowledge, ^(O)so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” ¹¹^(P)Then God said to Solomon, “Because this was ^[c]in your heart, and you did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor did you even ask for long life, but you asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge so that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, ¹²wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. ^(Q)I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, ^[d]such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor will those who will ^[e]come after you.” ¹³^(R)So Solomon went ^[f]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Wealth

¹⁴^(S)Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. ^(T)He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in ^(U)the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵^(V)The king made ^(W)silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the ^[g]lowland. ¹⁶Solomon’s ^(X)horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders acquired them from Kue for a price. ¹⁷They ^[h]imported chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver apiece, horses for 150 apiece, and ^[i]by the same means they ^[j]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 1:4 Lit where David had prepared for it
2 Chronicles 1:9 Lit word
2 Chronicles 1:11 Lit with
2 Chronicles 1:12 Lit which was not so to the kings who were before you
2 Chronicles 1:12 Lit be
2 Chronicles 1:13 As in other ancient versions; MT to
2 Chronicles 1:15 Heb shephelah
2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit brought up and brought out
2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit in the same way by their hand
2 Chronicles 1:17 Lit brought out

Psalm 78

New American Standard Bible

God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.

78 ^(A)Listen, my people, to my ^[b]instruction;
^(B)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
²I will ^(C)open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell ^(D)riddles of old,
³Which we have heard and known,
And ^(E)our fathers have told us.
⁴We will ^(F)not conceal them from their children,
But we will ^(G)tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His ^(H)wondrous works that He has done.

⁵For He established a ^(I)testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a ^(J)law in Israel,
Which He ^(K)commanded our fathers
That they were to ^[c]^(L)teach them to their children,
⁶^(M)So that the generation to come would know, ^(N)the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and ^(O)tell them to their children,
⁷So that they would put their confidence in God
And ^(P)not forget the works of God,
But ^(Q)comply with His commandments,
⁸And ^(R)not be like their fathers,
A ^(S)stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that ^(T)did not ^[d]prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not ^(U)faithful to God.

⁹The sons of Ephraim ^[e]were ^(V)archers equipped with bows,
Yet ^(W)they turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰They ^(X)did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to ^(Y)walk in His Law;
¹¹They ^(Z)forgot His deeds
And His ^[f]miracles that He had shown them.
¹²^(AA)He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the ^(AB)field of Zoan.
¹³He ^(AC)divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand ^(AD)up like a heap.
¹⁴Then He led them with the cloud by ^(AE)day
And all the night with a ^(AF)light of fire.
¹⁵He ^(AG)split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
¹⁶He ^(AH)brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To ^(AI)rebel against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸And in their heart they ^(AJ)put God to the test
By asking for ^(AK)food ^[g]that suited their taste.
¹⁹Then they spoke against God;
They said, “^(AL)Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
²⁰Behold, He ^(AM)struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He also provide bread?
Will He prepare ^(AN)meat for His people?”

²¹Therefore the Lord heard and ^[h]was ^(AO)full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel,
²²Because they ^(AP)did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
²³Yet He commanded the clouds above
And ^(AQ)opened the doors of heaven;
²⁴He ^(AR)rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them ^[i]^(AS)food from heaven.
²⁵Man ate the bread of ^[j]angels;
He sent them ^[k]food ^[l]^(AT)in abundance.
²⁶He ^(AU)made the east wind blow in the sky
And by His ^[m]power He directed the south wind.
²⁷When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even ^(AV)winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
²⁸He let them fall in the midst of ^[n]their camp,
All around their dwellings.
²⁹So they ^(AW)ate and were well filled,
And He ^[o]satisfied their longing.
³⁰^[p]Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
^(AX)While their food was in their mouths,
³¹The ^(AY)anger of God rose against them
And killed ^[q]some of their ^(AZ)strongest ones,
And ^[r]subdued the choice men of Israel.
³²In spite of all this they ^(BA)still sinned
And ^(BB)did not believe in His wonderful works.
³³So He brought ^(BC)their days to an end in futility,
And their years to an end in sudden terror.

³⁴When He killed them, then they ^(BD)sought Him,
And they returned and searched ^(BE)diligently for God;
³⁵And they remembered that God was their ^(BF)rock,
And the Most High God their ^(BG)Redeemer.
³⁶But they ^(BH)flattered Him with their mouth
And ^(BI)lied to Him with their tongue.
³⁷For their heart was not ^(BJ)steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful with His covenant.
³⁸But He, being ^(BK)compassionate, ^[s]^(BL)forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them;
And often He ^[t]^(BM)restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.
³⁹So ^(BN)He remembered that they were only ^(BO)flesh,
A ^[u]^(BP)wind that passes and does not return.

⁴⁰How often they ^(BQ)rebelled against Him in the wilderness
And ^(BR)grieved Him in the ^(BS)desert!
⁴¹Again and again they ^[v]^(BT)tempted God,
And pained the ^(BU)Holy One of Israel.
⁴²They ^(BV)did not remember ^(BW)His ^[w]power,
The day when He ^(BX)redeemed them from the enemy,
⁴³When He performed His ^(BY)signs in Egypt
And His ^(BZ)marvels in the field of Zoan,
⁴⁴And ^(CA)turned their rivers to blood,
And their streams, so that they could not drink.
⁴⁵He sent swarms of ^(CB)flies among them that devoured them,
And ^(CC)frogs that destroyed them.
⁴⁶He also gave their crops to the ^(CD)grasshopper
And the product of their labor to the ^(CE)locust.
⁴⁷He ^[x]destroyed their vines with ^(CF)hailstones
And their sycamore trees with frost.
⁴⁸He also turned their ^(CG)cattle over to the hailstones,
And their herds to bolts of lightning.
⁴⁹He ^(CH)sent His burning anger upon them,
Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of ^[y]destroying angels.
⁵⁰He leveled a path for His anger;
He did not spare their souls from death,
But ^(CI)turned their lives over to the plague,
⁵¹And ^(CJ)struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
The ^(CK)first and best of their vigor in the tents of ^(CL)Ham.
⁵²But He ^(CM)led His own people out like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness ^(CN)like a flock;
⁵³He led them ^(CO)safely, so that they did not fear;
But ^(CP)the sea engulfed their enemies.

⁵⁴So ^(CQ)He brought them to His holy ^[z]land,
To this ^[aa]^(CR)hill country ^(CS)which His right hand had gained.
⁵⁵He also ^(CT)drove out the nations from them
And ^(CU)apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
⁵⁶Yet they ^[ab]^(CV)tempted and ^(CW)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
⁵⁷But turned back and ^(CX)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They ^(CY)turned aside like a treacherous bow.
⁵⁸For they ^(CZ)provoked Him with their ^(DA)high places
And ^(DB)moved Him to jealousy with their ^(DC)carved images.
⁵⁹When God heard them, He ^[ac]was filled with ^(DD)wrath
And He utterly ^(DE)rejected Israel;
⁶⁰So that He ^(DF)abandoned the ^(DG)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent ^[ad]which He had pitched among people,
⁶¹And He gave up His ^(DH)strength to captivity
And His glory ^(DI)into the hand of the enemy.
⁶²He also ^(DJ)turned His people over to the sword,
And ^[ae]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
⁶³^(DK)Fire devoured ^[af]His young men,
And ^[ag]His ^(DL)virgins had no wedding songs.
⁶⁴^[ah]His ^(DM)priests fell by the sword,
And ^[ai]His ^(DN)widows could not weep.

⁶⁵Then the Lord ^(DO)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a ^(DP)warrior ^[aj]overcome by wine.
⁶⁶He ^[ak]^(DQ)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
⁶⁷He also ^(DR)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount ^(DS)Zion, which He loved.
⁶⁹And He ^(DT)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
⁷⁰He also ^(DU)chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹From ^[al]^(DV)the care of the ^[am]ewes ^(DW)with nursing lambs He brought him
To ^(DX)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel ^(DY)His inheritance.
⁷²So he shepherded them according to the ^(DZ)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.

Footnotes

Psalm 78 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 78:1 Or law, teaching
Psalm 78:5 Lit make them known
Psalm 78:8 Or put right
Psalm 78:9 Or being
Psalm 78:11 Or wonderful works
Psalm 78:18 Lit to their soul
Psalm 78:21 Or became infuriated
Psalm 78:24 Lit grain
Psalm 78:25 Lit mighty ones
Psalm 78:25 Or provision
Psalm 78:25 Lit to satiation
Psalm 78:26 Or strength
Psalm 78:28 Lit His
Psalm 78:29 Lit brought to them their
Psalm 78:30 Lit They did not turn away from their
Psalm 78:31 Lit among their fat ones
Psalm 78:31 Lit caused to bow down
Psalm 78:38 Lit covered over, atoned for
Psalm 78:38 Lit turned away
Psalm 78:39 Or breath
Psalm 78:41 Or put God to the test
Psalm 78:42 Lit hand
Psalm 78:47 Lit was killing
Psalm 78:49 Lit angels of evil ones; another reading is evil angels
Psalm 78:54 Lit border, territory
Psalm 78:54 Or mountain
Psalm 78:56 Or put to the test
Psalm 78:59 Or became infuriated
Psalm 78:60 Some ancient versions where He dwelt
Psalm 78:62 Or became infuriated
Psalm 78:63 Or their
Psalm 78:63 Or their
Psalm 78:64 Or their
Psalm 78:64 Or their
Psalm 78:65 Or sobered up from
Psalm 78:66 Lit struck
Psalm 78:71 Lit following
Psalm 78:71 Lit ewes that wet-nurse, He

2 Thessalonians 2

New American Standard Bible

Man of Lawlessness

2 Now we ask you, ^(A)brothers and sisters, regarding the ^[a]^(B)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our ^(C)gathering together to Him, ²that you not be quickly shaken from your ^[b]composure or be disturbed either by a ^(D)spirit, or a ^[c]^(E)message, or a ^(F)letter as if from us, to the effect that ^(G)the day of the Lord ^(H)has come. ³^(I)No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the ^[d]^(J)apostasy comes first, and the ^(K)man of lawlessness is revealed, the ^(L)son of destruction, ⁴who opposes and exalts himself above ^[e]^(M)every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(N)displaying himself as being God. ⁵Do you not remember that ^(O)while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶And you know ^(P)what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time. ⁷For ^(Q)the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[f]^(R)He who now restrains will do so until ^[g]He is ^[h]removed. ⁸Then that lawless one ^(S)will be revealed, whom the Lord will eliminate ^(T)with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the ^(U)appearance of His ^[i]coming; ⁹that is, the one whose ^[j]coming is in accord with the activity of ^(V)Satan, with all power and false ^[k]^(W)signs and wonders, ¹⁰and with ^[l]all the deception of wickedness for ^(X)those who perish, because they did not accept the love of ^(Y)the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹For this reason ^(Z)God ^[m]will send upon them ^[n]a ^(AA)deluding influence so that they will believe ^[o]what is false, ¹²in order that they all may be ^[p]judged who ^(AB)did not believe the truth, but ^[q]^(AC)took pleasure in wickedness.

Stand Firm

¹³^(AD)But we should always give thanks to God for you, ^(AE)brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because ^(AF)God has chosen you ^[r]from the beginning ^(AG)for salvation ^[s]^(AH)through sanctification ^[t]by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴It was for this He ^(AI)called you through ^(AJ)our gospel, ^[u]that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, ^(AK)stand firm and ^(AL)hold on to the traditions which you were taught, whether ^(AM)by word of mouth or ^(AN)by letter ^[v]from us.

¹⁶^(AO)Now may our Lord Jesus Christ ^(AP)Himself and God our Father, who has ^(AQ)loved us and given us eternal comfort and ^(AR)good hope by grace, ¹⁷^(AS)comfort and ^(AT)strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.