1 Kings 4-5

New King James Version

Solomon’s Administration

4 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. ²And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; ³Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, ^[a]scribes; ^(A)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; ⁴^(B)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and ^(C)Abiathar, the priests; ⁵Azariah the son of Nathan, over ^(D)the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, ^(E)a priest and ^(F)the king’s friend; ⁶Ahishar, over the household; and ^(G)Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

⁷And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. ⁸These are their names: ^[b]Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; ⁹^[c]Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; ¹⁰^[d]Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; ¹¹^[e]Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹²Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; ¹³^[f]Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged ^(H)the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged ^(I)the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; ¹⁴Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; ¹⁵^(J)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; ¹⁶Baanah the son of ^(K)Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; ¹⁷Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; ¹⁸^(L)Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; ¹⁹Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in ^(M)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

²⁰Judah and Israel were as numerous ^(N)as the sand by the sea in multitude, ^(O)eating and drinking and rejoicing. ²¹So ^(P)Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from ^(Q)the^[g] River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ^(R)They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

²²^(S)Now Solomon’s ^[h]provision for one day was thirty ^[i]kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ²³ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

²⁴For he had dominion over all the region on this side of ^[j]the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over ^(T)all the kings on this side of the River; and ^(U)he had peace on every side all around him. ²⁵And Judah and Israel ^(V)dwelt^[k] safely, ^(W)each man under his vine and his fig tree, ^(X)from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

²⁶^(Y)Solomon had ^[l]forty thousand stalls of ^(Z)horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷And ^(AA)these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. ²⁸They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

²⁹And ^(AB)God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men ^(AC)of the East and all ^(AD)the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹For he was ^(AE)wiser than all men—^(AF)than Ethan the Ezrahite, ^(AG)and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. ³²^(AH)He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his ^(AI)songs were one thousand and five. ³³Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, ^(AJ)came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple^(AK)

5 Now ^(AL)Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, ^(AM)for Hiram had always loved David. ²Then ^(AN)Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

³^(AO)You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God ^(AP)because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put ^[m]his foes under the soles of his feet.

⁴But now the Lord my God has given me ^(AQ)rest^[n] on every side; there is neither adversary nor ^[o]evil occurrence.

⁵^(AR)And behold, ^[p]I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, ^(AS)as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.”

⁶Now therefore, command that they cut down ^(AT)cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.

⁷So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,

Blessed be the Lord this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!

⁸Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying:

I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.

⁹My servants shall bring them down ^(AU)from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire ^(AV)by giving food for my household.

¹⁰Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. ¹¹^(AW)And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand ^[q]kors of wheat as food for his household, and ^[r]twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.

¹²So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, ^(AX)as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

¹³Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. ¹⁴And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; ^(AY)Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. ¹⁵^(AZ)Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, ¹⁶besides three thousand ^[s]three hundred from the ^(BA)chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. ¹⁷And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and ^(BB)hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the ^[t]temple. ¹⁸So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the ^[u]temple.

Footnotes

1 Kings 4:3 secretaries
1 Kings 4:8 Lit. Son of Hur
1 Kings 4:9 Lit. Son of Deker
1 Kings 4:10 Lit. Son of Hesed
1 Kings 4:11 Lit. Son of Abinadab
1 Kings 4:13 Lit. Son of Geber
1 Kings 4:21 The Euphrates
1 Kings 4:22 Lit. bread
1 Kings 4:22 Each about 5 bushels
1 Kings 4:24 The Euphrates
1 Kings 4:25 lived in safety
1 Kings 4:26 So with MT, most other authorities; some LXX mss. four thousand; cf. 2 Chr. 9:25
1 Kings 5:3 Lit. them
1 Kings 5:4 peace
1 Kings 5:4 misfortune
1 Kings 5:5 Lit. I am saying
1 Kings 5:11 Each about 5 bushels
1 Kings 5:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Syr. twenty thousand kors
1 Kings 5:16 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX six hundred
1 Kings 5:17 Lit. house
1 Kings 5:18 Lit. house

2 Chronicles 2

New King James Version

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple^(A)

2 Then Solomon ^(B)determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal house for himself. ²^(C)Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

³Then Solomon sent to ^[a]Hiram king of Tyre, saying:

^(D)As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. ⁴Behold, ^(E)I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, ^(F)to burn before Him ^[b]sweet incense, for ^(G)the continual showbread, for ^(H)the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the ^(I)Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the ^[c]set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

⁵And the temple which I build will be great, for ^(J)our God is greater than all gods. ⁶^(K)But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

⁷Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, ^(L)whom David my father provided. ⁸^(M)Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, ⁹to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the ^[d]temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

¹⁰^(N)And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

¹¹Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon:

^(O)Because the Lord loves His people, He has made you king over them.

¹²^[e]Hiram also said:

^(P)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, ^(Q)who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal house for himself!

¹³And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, ^[f]Huram my ^[g]master craftsman ¹⁴^(R)(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

¹⁵Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which ^(S)my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants. ¹⁶^(T)And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to ^[h]Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

¹⁷^(U)Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which ^(V)David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. ¹⁸And he made ^(W)seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 2:3 Heb. Huram; cf. 1 Kin. 5:1
2 Chronicles 2:4 Lit. incense of spices
2 Chronicles 2:4 appointed
2 Chronicles 2:9 Lit. house
2 Chronicles 2:12 Heb. Huram; cf. 1 Kin. 5:1
2 Chronicles 2:13 Hiram, 1 Kin. 7:13
2 Chronicles 2:13 Lit. father, 1 Kin. 7:13, 14
2 Chronicles 2:16 Heb. Japho

Psalm 101

New King James Version

Promised Faithfulness to the Lord

A Psalm of David.

101 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.

²I will behave wisely in a ^[a]perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will ^(A)walk within my house with a perfect heart.

³I will set nothing ^[b]wicked before my eyes;
^(B)I hate the work of those ^(C)who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
⁴A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not ^(D)know wickedness.

⁵Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
^(E)The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.

⁶My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a ^[c]perfect way,
He shall serve me.
⁷He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not ^[d]continue in my presence.
⁸^(F)Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers ^(G)from the city of the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 101:2 blameless
Psalm 101:3 worthless
Psalm 101:6 blameless
Psalm 101:7 Lit. be established

2 Thessalonians 3

New King James Version

Pray for Us

3 Finally, brethren, ^(A)pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ²and ^(B)that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; ^(C)for not all have faith.

³But ^(D)the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and ^(E)guard you from the evil one. ⁴And ^(F)we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

⁵Now may ^(G)the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(H)that you withdraw ^(I)from every brother who walks ^(J)disorderly and not according to the tradition which ^[a]he received from us. ⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸nor did we eat anyone’s bread ^[b]free of charge, but worked with ^(K)labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹not because we do not have ^(L)authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

¹⁰For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are ^(M)busybodies. ¹²Now those who are such we command and ^[c]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ ^(N)that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³But as for you, brethren, ^(O)do not grow weary in doing good. ¹⁴And if anyone does not obey our word in this ^[d]epistle, note that person and ^(P)do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵^(Q)Yet do not count him as an enemy, ^(R)but ^[e]admonish him as a brother.