⁴ When Christ, who is your^[a] life,^(A) appears,^(B) then you also will appear with him in glory.^(C)

The Lord Appears to Solomon^(A)

9 When Solomon had finished^(B) building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, ² the Lord appeared^(C) to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ The Lord said to him:

Solomon’s Other Activities^(W)

¹⁰ At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— ¹¹ King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold^(X) he wanted. ¹² But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. ¹³ “What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Kabul,^[d](Y) a name they have to this day. ¹⁴ Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents^[e] of gold.^(Z)

¹⁵ Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted^(AA) to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,^[f](AB) the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor,^(AC) Megiddo and Gezer.^{(AD) 16} (Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter,^(AE) Solomon’s wife. ¹⁷ And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon,^{(AF) 18} Baalath,^(AG) and Tadmor^[g] in the desert, within his land, ¹⁹ as well as all his store cities^(AH) and the towns for his chariots^(AI) and for his horses^[h]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

²⁰ There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites,^(AJ) Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites^(AK) (these peoples were not Israelites). ²¹ Solomon conscripted the descendants^(AL) of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate^[i](AM)—to serve as slave labor,^(AN) as it is to this day. ²² But Solomon did not make slaves^(AO) of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. ²³ They were also the chief officials^(AP) in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.

²⁴ After Pharaoh’s daughter^(AQ) had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the terraces.^(AR)

²⁵ Three^(AS) times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

²⁶ King Solomon also built ships^(AT) at Ezion Geber,^(AU) which is near Elath^(AV) in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.^{[j] 27} And Hiram sent his men—sailors^(AW) who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. ²⁸ They sailed to Ophir^(AX) and brought back 420 talents^[k] of gold,^(AY) which they delivered to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon^(AZ)

10 When the queen of Sheba^(BA) heard about the fame^(BB) of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.^{(BC) 2} Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan^(BD)—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, ⁵ the food on his table,^(BE) the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at^[l] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

⁶ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. ⁷ But I did not believe^(BF) these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth^(BG) you have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁸ How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear^(BH) your wisdom! ⁹ Praise^(BI) be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love^(BJ) for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice^(BK) and righteousness.”

¹⁰ And she gave the king 120 talents^[m] of gold,^(BL) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹ (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir;^(BM) and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood^[n] and precious stones. ¹² The king used the almugwood to make supports^[o] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

¹³ King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

Solomon’s Splendor^(BN)

¹⁴ The weight of the gold^(BO) that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,^{[p] 15} not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

¹⁶ King Solomon made two hundred large shields^(BP) of hammered gold; six hundred shekels^[q] of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷ He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas^[r] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.^(BQ)

¹⁸ Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²¹ All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.^(BR) Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. ²² The king had a fleet of trading ships^[s](BS) at sea along with the ships^(BT) of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

²³ King Solomon was greater in riches^(BU) and wisdom^(BV) than all the other kings of the earth. ²⁴ The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom^(BW) God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift^(BX)—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

²⁶ Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;^(BY) he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,^[t] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king made silver as common^(BZ) in Jerusalem as stones,^(CA) and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig^(CB) trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue^[u]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. ²⁹ They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.^[v] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites^(CC) and of the Arameans.

Purpose and Theme

1 The proverbs^(A) of Solomon^(B) son of David, king of Israel:^(C)

Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon^(C) came to Jerusalem and besieged it.^{(D) 2} And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried^(E) off to the temple of his god in Babylonia^[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.^(F)

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility^(G)— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, handsome,^(H) showing aptitude for every kind of learning,^(I) well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language^(J) and literature of the Babylonians.^{[b] 5} The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine^(K) from the king’s table.^(L) They were to be trained for three years,^(M) and after that they were to enter the king’s service.^(N)

⁶ Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel,^(O) Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{(P) 7} The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;^(Q) to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.^(R)

⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile^(S) himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor^(T) and compassion^(U) to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[c] food and drink.^(V) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test^(W) your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”^{(X) 14} So he agreed to this and tested^(Y) them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.^{(Z) 16} So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.^(AA)

¹⁷ To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding^(AB) of all kinds of literature and learning.^(AC) And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.^(AD)

¹⁸ At the end of the time^(AE) set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.^{(AF) 20} In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians^(AG) and enchanters in his whole kingdom.^(AH)

²¹ And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^(AI)

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,^(A) set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.^{(B) 2} Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.^{(C) 3} For you died,^(D) and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your^[a] life,^(E) appears,^(F) then you also will appear with him in glory.^(G)

⁵ Put to death,^(H) therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:^(I) sexual immorality,^(J) impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,^(K) which is idolatry.^{(L) 6} Because of these, the wrath of God^(M) is coming.^{[b] 7} You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.^{(N) 8} But now you must also rid yourselves^(O) of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander,^(P) and filthy language from your lips.^{(Q) 9} Do not lie to each other,^(R) since you have taken off your old self^(S) with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self,^(T) which is being renewed^(U) in knowledge in the image of its Creator.^{(V) 11} Here there is no Gentile or Jew,^(W) circumcised or uncircumcised,^(X) barbarian, Scythian, slave or free,^(Y) but Christ is all,^(Z) and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves^(AA) with compassion, kindness, humility,^(AB) gentleness and patience.^{(AC) 13} Bear with each other^(AD) and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.^{(AE) 14} And over all these virtues put on love,^(AF) which binds them all together in perfect unity.^(AG)

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ^(AH) rule in your hearts, since as members of one body^(AI) you were called to peace.^(AJ) And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ^(AK) dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom^(AL) through psalms,^(AM) hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.^{(AN) 17} And whatever you do,^(AO) whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks^(AP) to God the Father through him.

Instructions for Christian Households^(AQ)

¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands,^(AR) as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

²¹ Fathers,^[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance^(AS) from the Lord as a reward.^(AT) It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.^(AU)