1 Chronicles 17 - 2 Chronicles 11

New King James Version

God’s Covenant with David^(A)

17 Now ^(B)it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”

² Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall ^(C)not build Me a house to dwell in. ⁵ For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶ Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁷ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you ^(D)from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ^[a]ruler over My people Israel. ⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have ^[b]made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ⁹ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will ^(E)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ¹⁰ since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a ^[c]house. ¹¹ And it shall be, when your days are ^(F)fulfilled, when you must ^[d]go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your ^(G)seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ^12 (H)He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (I)I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, ^(J)as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ And ^(K)I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

^16 (L)Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O Lord God. ¹⁸ What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. ¹⁹ O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. ²⁰ O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ^21 (M)And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? ²² For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.

²³ “And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said. ²⁴ So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁵ For You, O my God, ^[e]have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You. ²⁶ And now, Lord, ^[f]You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁷ Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever.”

David’s Further Conquests^(N)

18 After this ^(O)it came to pass that David ^[g]attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. ² Then he ^[h]defeated ^(P)Moab, and the Moabites became David’s ^(Q)servants, and brought tribute.

³ And ^(R)David ^[i]defeated ^[j]Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, ^[k]seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^[l]hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

⁵ When the ^(S)Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[m]Tibhath and from ^[n]Chun, cities of ^[o]Hadadezer, David brought a large amount of ^(T)bronze, with which ^(U)Solomon made the bronze ^[p]Sea, the pillars, and the articles of bronze.

⁹ Now when ^[q]Tou king of Hamath heard that David had ^[r]defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent ^[s]Hadoram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and ^[t]defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of ^(V)articles of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the ^(W)people of Ammon, from the ^(X)Philistines, and from ^(Y)Amalek.

¹² Moreover ^(Z)Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed ^(AA)eighteen thousand ^[u]Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ^13 (AB)He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration^(AC)

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. ¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁶ Zadok the son of Ahitub and ^[v]Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ^[w]Shavsha was the scribe; ^17 (AD)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ^[x]chief ministers at the king’s side.

The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated^(AE)

19 It^(AF) happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.

³ And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, ^[y]“Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”

⁴ Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments ^[z]in the middle, at their ^(AG)buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from ^[aa]Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, ^(AH)and from ^[ab]Zobah. ⁷ So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.

⁸ Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁹ Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. ¹¹ And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. ¹² Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

¹⁴ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond ^[ac]the River, and ^[ad]Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. ¹⁷ When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him. ¹⁸ Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed ^[ae]seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand ^[af]foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army. ¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.

Rabbah Is Conquered^(AI)

20 It^(AJ) happened ^[ag]in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But ^(AK)David stayed at Jerusalem. And ^(AL)Joab defeated Rabbah and overthrew it. ² Then David ^(AM)took their king’s crown from his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the ^[ah]spoil of the city in great abundance. ³ And he brought out the people who were in it, and ^[ai]put them to work with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. So David did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Philistine Giants Destroyed^(AN)

⁴ Now it happened afterward ^(AO)that war broke out at ^[aj]Gezer with the Philistines, at which time ^(AP)Sibbechai the Hushathite killed ^[ak]Sippai, who was one of the sons of ^[al]the giant. And they were subdued.

⁵ Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of ^[am]Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s ^(AQ)beam.

⁶ Yet again ^(AR)there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also was born to ^[an]the giant. ⁷ So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of ^[ao]Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

⁸ These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

The Census of Israel and Judah^(AS)

21 Now ^(AT)Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to ^[ap]number Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, ^(AU)and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”

³ And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”

⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. ^6 (AV)But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s ^[aq]word was abominable to Joab.

⁷ And ^[ar]God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. ⁸ So David said to God, ^(AW)“I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; ^(AX)but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s ^(AY)seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ^(AZ)saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, ^12 (BA)either ^[as]three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the ^[at]angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

¹³ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His ^(BB)mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a ^(BC)plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent ^[au]an ^(BD)angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As ^[av]he was destroying, the Lord looked and ^(BE)relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain ^[aw]your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the ^(BF)threshing floor of ^[ax]Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁶ Then David lifted his eyes and ^(BG)saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷ And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these ^(BH)sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

¹⁸ Therefore, the ^(BI)angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. ²⁰ Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. ²¹ So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground. ²² Then David said to Ornan, ^[ay]“Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

²³ But Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all.”

²⁴ Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.” ²⁵ So ^(BJ)David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place. ²⁶ And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and ^(BK)He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

²⁷ So the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ^29 (BL)For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in ^(BM)Gibeon. ³⁰ But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

David Prepares to Build the Temple

22 Then David said, ^(BN)“This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” ² So David commanded to gather the ^(BO)aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to ^(BP)cut hewn stones to build the house of God. ³ And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance ^(BQ)beyond measure, ⁴ and cedar trees in abundance; for the ^(BR)Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

⁵ Now David said, ^(BS)“Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death.

⁶ Then he called for his son Solomon, and ^[az]charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, ^(BT)it was in my mind to build a house ^(BU)to the name of the Lord my God; ⁸ but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^(BV)‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. ^9 (BW)Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him ^(BX)rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be ^[ba]Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. ^10 (BY)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(BZ)he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, may ^(CA)the Lord be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God, as He has said to you. ¹² Only may the Lord ^(CB)give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. ^13 (CC)Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the Lord ^[bb]charged Moses concerning Israel. ^(CD)Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed. ¹⁴ Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron ^(CE)beyond measure, for it is so abundant. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them. ¹⁵ Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work. ¹⁶ Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and ^(CF)the Lord be with you.”

¹⁷ David also commanded all the ^(CG)leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸ “Is not the Lord your God with you? ^(CH)And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. ¹⁹ Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to ^(CI)bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built ^(CJ)for the name of the Lord.”

The Divisions of the Levites

23 So when David was old and full of days, he made his son ^(CK)Solomon king over Israel.

² And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. ³ Now the Levites were numbered from the age of ^(CL)thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, twenty-four thousand were to ^(CM)look after the work of the house of the Lord, six thousand were ^(CN)officers and judges, ⁵ four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand ^(CO)praised the Lord with musical instruments, ^(CP)“which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”

⁶ Also ^(CQ)David separated them into ^[bc]divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷ Of the ^(CR)Gershonites: ^[bd]Laadan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel—three in all. ⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Laadan. ¹⁰ And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, ^[be]Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the four sons of Shimei. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were assigned as one father’s house.

^12 (CS)The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all. ¹³ The sons of ^(CT)Amram: Aaron and Moses; and ^(CU)Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should ^[bf]sanctify the most holy things, ^(CV)to burn incense before the Lord, ^(CW)to minister to Him, and ^(CX)to give the blessing in His name forever. ¹⁴ Now ^(CY)the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. ^15 (CZ)The sons of Moses were ^[bg]Gershon and Eliezer. ¹⁶ Of the sons of Gershon, ^(DA)Shebuel^[bh] was the first. ¹⁷ Of the descendants of Eliezer, ^(DB)Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸ Of the sons of Izhar, ^(DC)Shelomith was the first. ^19 (DD)Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second.

^21 (DE)The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and ^(DF)Kish. ²² And Eleazar died, and ^(DG)had no sons, but only daughters; and their ^[bi]brethren, the sons of Kish, ^(DH)took them as wives. ^23 (DI)The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.

²⁴ These were the sons of ^(DJ)Levi by their fathers’ houses—the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of ^(DK)twenty years and above.

²⁵ For David said, “The Lord God of Israel ^(DL)has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever”; ²⁶ and also to the Levites, “They shall no longer ^(DM)carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service.” ²⁷ For by the ^(DN)last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; ²⁸ because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God, ²⁹ both with ^(DO)the showbread and ^(DP)the fine flour for the grain offering, with ^(DQ)the unleavened cakes and ^(DR)what is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of ^(DS)measures and sizes; ³⁰ to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening; ³¹ and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the Lord ^(DT)on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the ^(DU)set^[bj] feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the Lord; ³² and that they should ^(DV)attend to the ^(DW)needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the ^(DX)needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the Lord.

The Divisions of the Priests

24 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. ^(DY)The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² And ^(DZ)Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests. ³ Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and ^(EA)Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of their service.

⁴ There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and eight heads of their fathers’ houses among the sons of Ithamar. ⁵ Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar. ⁶ And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.

⁷ Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to ^(EB)Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to ^[bk]Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to ^[bl]Jehezekel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹ This was the schedule of their service ^(EC)for coming into the house of the Lord according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

Other Levites

²⁰ And the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, ^[bm]Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹ Concerning ^(ED)Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah. ²² Of the Izharites, ^[bn]Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³ Of the sons ^[bo]of ^(EE)Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴ Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah; of the sons of Michah, Shamir. ²⁵ The brother of Michah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ^26 (EF)The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; the son of Jaaziah, Beno. ²⁷ The sons of Merari by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸ Of Mahli: Eleazar, ^(EG)who had no sons. ²⁹ Of Kish: the son of Kish, Jerahmeel.

³⁰ Also ^(EH)the sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.

³¹ These also cast lots just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites. The chief fathers did just as their younger brethren.

The Musicians

25 Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of ^(EI)Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was: ² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and ^[bp]Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were ^[bq]under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied according to the order of the king. ³ Of ^(EJ)Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, ^[br]Zeri, Jeshaiah, ^[bs]Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, ^[bt]six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord. ⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, ^[bu]Uzziel, ^[bv]Shebuel, ^[bw]Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to ^[bx]exalt his ^(EK)horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

⁶ All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and ^(EL)harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were ^(EM)under the authority of the king. ⁷ So the ^(EN)number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.

⁸ And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, ^(EO)the teacher with the student.

⁹ Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph; the second for Gedaliah, him with his brethren and sons, twelve; ¹⁰ the third for Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹¹ the fourth for ^[by]Jizri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹² the fifth for Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹³ the sixth for Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁴ the seventh for ^[bz]Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁵ the eighth for Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁶ the ninth for Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁷ the tenth for Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁸ the eleventh for ^[ca]Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ¹⁹ the twelfth for Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁰ the thirteenth for ^[cb]Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²¹ the fourteenth for Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²² the fifteenth for ^[cc]Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²³ the sixteenth for Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁴ the seventeenth for Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁵ the eighteenth for Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁶ the nineteenth for Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁷ the twentieth for Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁸ the twenty-first for Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ²⁹ the twenty-second for Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ³⁰ the twenty-third for Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; ³¹ the twenty-fourth for Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

The Gatekeepers

26 Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, ^[cd]Meshelemiah the son of ^(EP)Kore, of the sons of ^[ce]Asaph. ² And the sons of Meshelemiah were ^(EQ)Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³ Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴ Moreover the sons of ^(ER)Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth; for God blessed him.

⁶ Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers’ houses, because they were men of great ability. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were able men.

⁸ All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, ^(ES)able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.

⁹ And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, eighteen able men.

¹⁰ Also ^(ET)Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.

¹² Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men, having duties just like their brethren, to serve in the house of the Lord. ¹³ And they ^(EU)cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father’s house. ¹⁴ The lot for the East Gate fell to ^[cf]Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the North Gate; ¹⁵ to Obed-Edom the South Gate, and to his sons the ^[cg]storehouse. ¹⁶ To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate, with the Shallecheth Gate on the ^(EV)ascending highway—watchman opposite watchman. ¹⁷ On the east were six Levites, on the north four each day, on the south four each day, and for the ^[ch]storehouse two by two. ¹⁸ As for the ^[ci]Parbar on the west, there were four on the highway and two at the Parbar. ¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Merari.

The Treasuries and Other Duties

²⁰ Of the Levites, Ahijah was ^(EW)over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the ^(EX)dedicated^[cj] things. ²¹ The sons of ^[ck]Laadan, the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers’ houses, of Laadan the Gershonite: ^[cl]Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, were over the treasuries of the house of the Lord. ²³ Of the ^(EY)Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ^24 (EZ)Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. ²⁵ And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and ^(FA)Shelomith his son.

²⁶ This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things ^(FB)which King David and the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army, had dedicated. ²⁷ Some of the ^[cm]spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the Lord. ²⁸ And all that Samuel ^(FC)the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.

²⁹ Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons ^(FD)performed duties as ^(FE)officials and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem.

³⁰ Of the Hebronites, ^(FF)Hashabiah and his brethren, one thousand seven hundred able men, had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all the business of the Lord, and in the service of the king. ³¹ Among the Hebronites, ^(FG)Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to his genealogy of the fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought, and there were found among them capable men ^(FH)at Jazer of Gilead. ³² And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred able men, heads of fathers’ houses, whom King David made officials over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and the ^(FI)affairs of the king.

The Military Divisions

27 And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand.

² Over the first division for the first month was ^(FJ)Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand; ³ he was of the children of Perez, and the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month. ⁴ Over the division of the second month was ^[cn]Dodai an Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was the leader; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁵ The third captain of the army for the third month was ^(FK)Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was chief; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁶ This was the Benaiah who was ^(FL)mighty among the thirty, and was over the thirty; in his division was Ammizabad his son. ⁷ The fourth captain for the fourth month was ^(FM)Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁸ The fifth captain for the fifth month was ^[co]Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁹ The sixth captain for the sixth month was ^(FN)Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁰ The seventh captain for the seventh month was ^(FO)Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹¹ The eighth captain for the eighth month was ^(FP)Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹² The ninth captain for the ninth month was ^(FQ)Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹³ The tenth captain for the tenth month was ^(FR)Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁴ The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was ^(FS)Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵ The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was ^[cp]Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were twenty-four thousand.

Leaders of Tribes

¹⁶ Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the officer over the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah; ¹⁷ over the Levites, ^(FT)Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; over the Aaronites, Zadok; ¹⁸ over Judah, ^(FU)Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹ over Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; over Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰ over the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹ over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; over Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²² over Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

²³ But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because ^(FV)the Lord had said He would multiply Israel like the ^(FW)stars of the heavens. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for ^(FX)wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.

Other State Officials

²⁵ And Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king’s treasuries; and Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. ²⁶ Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground. ²⁷ And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine. ²⁸ Baal-Hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands, and Joash was over the store of oil. ²⁹ And Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that fed in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds that were in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys, ³¹ and Jaziz the ^(FY)Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were the officials over King David’s property.

³² Also Jehonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a wise man, and a ^[cq]scribe; and Jehiel the ^[cr]son of Hachmoni was with the king’s sons. ^33 (FZ)Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, and ^(GA)Hushai the Archite was the king’s companion. ³⁴ After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then ^(GB)Abiathar. And the general of the king’s army was ^(GC)Joab.

Solomon Instructed to Build the Temple

28 Now David assembled at Jerusalem all ^(GD)the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and ^(GE)the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and ^(GF)the stewards over all the substance and ^[cs]possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all ^(GG)the mighty men of valor.

² Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: ^(GH)I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for ^(GI)the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. ³ But God said to me, ^(GJ)‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed ^(GK)blood.’ ⁴ However the Lord God of Israel ^(GL)chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen ^(GM)Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, ^(GN)the house of my father, and ^(GO)among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel. ^5 (GP)And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) ^(GQ)He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ Now He said to me, ‘It is ^(GR)your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. ⁷ Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, ^(GS)if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.’ ⁸ Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.

⁹ “As for you, my son Solomon, ^(GT)know the God of your father, and serve Him ^(GU)with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for ^(GV)the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. ^(GW)If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will ^(GX)cast you off forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, ^(GY)for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”

¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon ^(GZ)the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; ¹² and the ^(HA)plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, of all the chambers all around, ^(HB)of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things; ¹³ also for the division of the priests and the ^(HC)Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the articles of service in the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service; ¹⁵ the weight for the ^(HD)lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand. ¹⁶ And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each ^(HE)table, and silver for the tables of silver; ¹⁷ also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls—he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl; ¹⁸ and refined gold by weight for the ^(HF)altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold ^(HG)cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ¹⁹ “All this,” said David, ^(HH)“the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the ^[ct]works of these plans.”

²⁰ And David said to his son Solomon, ^(HI)“Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. ^(HJ)He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ²¹ Here are ^(HK)the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and ^(HL)every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command.”

Offerings for Building the Temple

29 Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has ^(HM)chosen, is ^(HN)young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the ^[cu]temple is not for man but for the Lord God. ² Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, ^(HO)onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. ³ Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: ⁴ three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of ^(HP)Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; ⁵ the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is ^(HQ)willing to ^[cv]consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

⁶ Then ^(HR)the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with ^(HS)the officers over the king’s work, ^(HT)offered willingly. ⁷ They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸ And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of ^(HU)Jehiel^[cw] the Gershonite. ⁹ Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had ^(HV)offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Praise to God

¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

¹⁶ “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. ¹⁷ I know also, my God, that You ^(IA)test the heart and ^(IB)have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. ¹⁸ O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. ¹⁹ And ^(IC)give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the ^[da]temple for which ^(ID)I have made provision.”

²⁰ Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.

Solomon Anointed King^(IE)

²¹ And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and ^(IF)sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and ^(IG)anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. ²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, ^(IH)submitted^[db] themselves to King Solomon. ²⁵ So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and ^(II)bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

The Close of David’s Reign

²⁶ Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ^27 (IJ)And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; ^(IK)seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. ²⁸ So he ^(IL)died in a good old age, ^(IM)full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. ²⁹ Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the ^[dc]book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, ³⁰ with all his reign and his might, ^(IN)and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.

Solomon Requests Wisdom^(IO)

1 Now ^(IP)Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and ^(IQ)the Lord his God was with him and ^(IR)exalted him exceedingly.

² And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to ^(IS)the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses. ³ Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to ^[dd]the high place that was at ^(IT)Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had ^(IU)made in the wilderness. ^4 (IV)But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. ⁵ Now ^(IW)the bronze altar that ^(IX)Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, ^[de]he put before the tabernacle of the Lord; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. ⁶ And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and ^(IY)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

^7 (IZ)On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

⁸ And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great ^(JA)mercy to David my father, and have made me ^(JB)king in his place. ⁹ Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, ^(JC)for You have made me king over a people like the ^(JD)dust of the earth in multitude. ^10 (JE)Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may ^(JF)go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

^11 (JG)Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— ¹² wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as ^(JH)none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

Solomon’s Military and Economic Power^(JI)

¹³ So Solomon came to Jerusalem from ^[df]the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel. ^14 (JJ)And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^15 (JK)Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. ^16 (JL)And Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. ¹⁷ They also acquired and imported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty; thus, ^[dg]through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple^(JM)

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

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

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

^12 [dl]Hiram also said:

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

Solomon Builds the Temple^(KJ)

3 Now ^(KK)Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at ^(KL)Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where ^[dp]the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of ^(KM)Ornan^[dq] the Jebusite. ² And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

³ This is the foundation ^(KN)which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits. ⁴ And the ^(KO)vestibule that was in front of ^[dr]the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was ^[ds]one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold. ^5 (KP)The larger ^[dt]room he ^(KQ)paneled with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold, and he carved palm trees and chainwork on it. ⁶ And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim. ⁷ He also overlaid the house—the beams and doorposts, its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸ And he made the ^(KR)Most Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold. ⁹ The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold; and he overlaid the upper ^(KS)area with gold. ^10 (KT)In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub; ¹² one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim spanned twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet, and they faced inward. ¹⁴ And he made the ^(KU)veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.

¹⁵ Also he made in front of the ^[du]temple ^(KV)two pillars ^[dv]thirty-five cubits ^[dw]high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. ¹⁶ He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made ^(KW)one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork. ¹⁷ Then he ^(KX)set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand ^[dx]Jachin, and the name of the one on the left ^[dy]Boaz.

Furnishings of the Temple^(KY)

4 Moreover he made ^(KZ)a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height.

^2 (LA)Then he made the ^[dz]Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. ^3 (LB)And under it was the likeness of oxen encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two rows, when it was cast. ⁴ It stood on twelve ^(LC)oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. ⁵ It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained ^[ea]three thousand baths.

⁶ He also made ^(LD)ten lavers, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the ^[eb]Sea was for the ^(LE)priests to wash in. ^7 (LF)And he made ten lampstands of gold ^(LG)according to their design, and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. ^8 (LH)He also made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred ^(LI)bowls of gold.

⁹ Furthermore ^(LJ)he made the court of the priests, and the ^(LK)great court and doors for the court; and he overlaid these doors with bronze. ^10 (LL)He set the Sea on the right side, toward the southeast.

¹¹ Then ^(LM)Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God: ¹² the two pillars and ^(LN)the bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; ^13 (LO)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the pillars); ¹⁴ he also made ^(LP)carts and the lavers on the carts; ¹⁵ one Sea and twelve oxen under it; ¹⁶ also the pots, the shovels, the forks—and all their articles ^(LQ)Huram his ^[ec]master craftsman made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord.

¹⁷ In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and ^[ed]Zeredah. ^18 (LR)And Solomon had all these articles made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

¹⁹ Thus ^(LS)Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God: the altar of gold and the tables on which was ^(LT)the showbread; ²⁰ the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn ^(LU)in the prescribed manner in front of the inner sanctuary, ²¹ with ^(LV)the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold, of purest gold; ²² the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold. As for the entry of the ^[ee]sanctuary, its inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple, were gold.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

5 So ^(LW)all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

The Ark Brought into the Temple^(LX)

^2 (LY)Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up ^(LZ)from the City of David, which is Zion. ^3 (MA)Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king ^(MB)at the feast, which was in the seventh month. ⁴ So all the elders of Israel came, and the ^(MC)Levites took up the ark. ⁵ Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁶ Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. ⁷ Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the ^(MD)inner sanctuary of the ^[ef]temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. ⁹ The poles extended so that the ends of the ^(ME)poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And ^[eg]they are there to this day. ¹⁰ Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses ^(MF)put there at Horeb, ^[eh]when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

¹¹ And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had ^[ei]sanctified themselves, without keeping to their ^(MG)divisions), ^12 (MH)and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, ^(MI)and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— ¹³ indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:

that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not ^[ej]continue ministering because of the cloud; ^(MK)for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

6 Then ^(ML)Solomon spoke:

Solomon’s Speech upon Completion of the Work^(MO)

³ Then the king turned around and ^(MP)blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ⁴ And he said: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, ^(MQ)saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. ^6 (MR)Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I ^(MS)have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ ⁷ Now ^(MT)it was in the heart of my father David to build a ^[ek]temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My ^(MU)name.’ ¹⁰ So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and ^(MV)sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built the temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. ¹¹ And there I have put the ark, ^(MW)in which is the covenant of the Lord which He made with the children of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication^(MX)

^12 (MY)Then ^[el]Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands ¹³ (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven); ¹⁴ and he said: “Lord God of Israel, ^(MZ)there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your ^(NA)covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. ^15 (NB)You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ^(NC)‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, ^(ND)only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ ¹⁷ And now, O Lord God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

¹⁸ “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? ^(NE)Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this ^[em]temple which I have built! ¹⁹ Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You: ²⁰ that Your eyes may be ^(NF)open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes ^(NG)toward this place. ²¹ And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, ^(NH)forgive.

²² “If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an ^(NI)oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, ²³ then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his ^(NJ)righteousness.

²⁴ “Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an ^(NK)enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, ²⁵ then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.

²⁶ “When the ^(NL)heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, ²⁷ then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

²⁸ “When there ^(NM)is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever ^(NN)sickness there is; ²⁹ whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: ³⁰ then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone ^(NO)know the ^(NP)hearts of the sons of men), ³¹ that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

³² “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, ^(NQ)who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; ³³ then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that ^[en]this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

³⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, ³⁵ then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

³⁶ “When they sin against You (for there is ^(NR)no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them ^(NS)captive to a land far or near; ³⁷ yet when they ^[eo]come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; ³⁸ and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the ^(NT)city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: ³⁹ then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. ⁴⁰ Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be ^(NU)open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.

Solomon Dedicates the Temple^(NZ)

7 When ^(OA)Solomon had finished praying, ^(OB)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and ^(OC)the glory of the Lord filled the ^[ep]temple. ^2 (OD)And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. ³ When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying:

^4 (OG)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ^6 (OH)And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the Lord, which King David had made to praise the Lord, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,” whenever David offered praise by their ^[eq]ministry. ^(OI)The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.

⁷ Furthermore ^(OJ)Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

^8 (OK)At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly ^(OL)from the entrance of Hamath to ^(OM)the^[er] Brook of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they held a ^(ON)sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. ^10 (OO)On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel. ¹¹ Thus ^(OP)Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon^(OQ)

¹² Then the Lord ^(OR)appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, ^(OS)and have chosen this ^(OT)place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ^13 (OU)When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are ^(OV)called by My name will ^(OW)humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, ^(OX)then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now ^(OY)My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now ^(OZ)I have chosen and ^[es]sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and ^[et]My eyes and ^[eu]My heart will be there perpetually. ^17 (PA)As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ^(PB)‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’

^19 (PC)“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, ^20 (PD)then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have ^[ev]sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a ^(PE)byword among all peoples.

²¹ “And as for ^(PF)this ^[ew]house, which ^[ex]is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be ^(PG)astonished and say, ^(PH)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ ²² Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

Solomon’s Additional Achievements^(PI)

8 It ^(PJ)came to pass at the end of ^(PK)twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, ² that the cities which ^[ey]Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there. ³ And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. ^4 (PL)He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in ^(PM)Hamath. ⁵ He built Upper Beth Horon and ^(PN)Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon ^(PO)desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

^7 (PP)All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel— ⁸ that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make the children of Israel ^[ez]servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry. ¹⁰ And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: ^(PQ)two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

¹¹ Now Solomon ^(PR)brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built before the vestibule, ¹³ according to the ^(PS)daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the ^(PT)three appointed yearly ^(PU)feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁴ And, according to the ^[fa]order of David his father, he appointed the ^(PV)divisions of the priests for their service, ^(PW)the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the ^(PX)gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded. ¹⁵ They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the ^(PY)treasuries.

¹⁶ Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered ^[fb]from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to ^(PZ)Ezion Geber and ^[fc]Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom. ^18 (QA)And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to ^(QB)Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon^(QC)

9 Now ^(QD)when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ² So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her. ³ And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁴ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his ^(QE)cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

⁵ Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. ⁷ Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has ^(QF)loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

⁹ And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, ^(QG)who brought gold from Ophir, brought ^[fd]algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made walkways of the ^[fe]algum wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth^(QH)

^13 (QI)The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; ^[ff]three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the ^(QJ)House of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were ^[fg]armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

²⁰ All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the king’s ships went to ^(QK)Tarshish with the servants of ^[fh]Hiram. Once every three years the ^[fi]merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and ^[fj]monkeys.

²² So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, ^(QL)armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

²⁵ Solomon ^(QM)had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

^26 (QN)So he reigned over all the kings ^(QO)from ^[fk]the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ^27 (QP)The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees ^(QQ)as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. ^28 (QR)And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

Death of Solomon^(QS)

^29 (QT)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of ^(QU)Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of ^(QV)Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ^30 (QW)Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ Then Solomon ^[fl]rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

The Revolt Against Rehoboam^(QX)

10 And ^(QY)Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. ² So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, ^(QZ)where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁵ So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

^8 (RA)But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. ⁹ And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

¹⁰ Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with ^[fm]scourges!’ ”

¹² So ^(RB)Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” ¹³ Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, ¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, ^[fn]“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with ^[fo]scourges!” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; ^(RC)for the turn of events was from God, that the Lord might fulfill His ^(RD)word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

So all Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷ But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. ^19 (RE)So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Rehoboam’s Reign in Judah

11 Now ^(RF)when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

² But the word of the Lord came ^(RG)to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the words of the Lord, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities

⁵ So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities. ¹¹ And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. ¹² Also in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.

Priests and Levites Move to Judah^(RH)

¹³ And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him. ¹⁴ For the Levites left ^(RI)their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for ^(RJ)Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the Lord. ^15 (RK)Then he appointed for himself priests for the ^[fp]high places, for ^(RL)the demons, and ^(RM)the calf idols which he had made. ^16 (RN)And ^[fq]after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, ^(RO)came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. ¹⁷ So they ^(RP)strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

The Family of Rehoboam

¹⁸ Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of ^(RQ)Eliah the son of Jesse. ¹⁹ And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her he took ^(RR)Maachah the ^[fr]granddaughter of ^(RS)Absalom; and she bore him ^(RT)Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his ^(RU)wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ²² And Rehoboam ^(RV)appointed ^(RW)Abijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king. ²³ He dealt wisely, and ^[fs]dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every ^(RX)fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.