Solomon Blesses the Assembly^(A)

^54 (B)And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. ⁵⁵ Then he stood ^(C)and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: ⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord, who has given ^(D)rest^[a] to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. ^(E)There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. ^(F)May He not leave us nor forsake us, ⁵⁸ that He may ^(G)incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, ^60 (H)that all the peoples of the earth may know that ^(I)the Lord is God; there is no other. ⁶¹ Let your ^(J)heart therefore be ^[b]loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Solomon Dedicates the Temple^(K)

⁶² Then ^(L)the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁶³ And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. ⁶⁴ On ^(M)the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the ^(N)bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

⁶⁵ At that time Solomon held ^(O)a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from ^(P)the entrance of Hamath to ^(Q)the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, ^(R)seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. ^66 (S)On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they ^[c]blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon^(T)

9 And ^(U)it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord ^(V)and the king’s house, and ^(W)all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, ² that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, ^(X)as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ And the Lord said to him: ^(Y)“I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built ^(Z)to put My name there forever, ^(AA)and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. ⁴ Now if you ^(AB)walk before Me ^(AC)as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you ^(AD)keep My statutes and My judgments, ⁵ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, ^(AE)as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ ^6 (AF)But if you or your sons at all ^[d]turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, ^7 (AG)then I will ^[e]cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated ^(AH)for My name I will cast out of My sight. ^(AI)Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ⁸ And as for ^(AJ)this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ^(AK)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ ⁹ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought all this ^(AL)calamity on them.’ ”

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning ^(A)the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ^2 (B)On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. ³ And when I come, ^(C)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ^4 (D)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans^(E)

⁵ Now I will come to you ^(F)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). ⁶ And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may ^(G)send me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, ^(H)if the Lord permits.

⁸ But I will tarry in Ephesus until ^(I)Pentecost. ⁹ For ^(J)a great and effective door has opened to me, and ^(K)there are many adversaries.

¹⁰ And ^(L)if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for ^(M)he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. ^11 (N)Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey ^(O)in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

¹² Now concerning our brother ^(P)Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

Final Exhortations

^13 (Q)Watch, ^(R)stand fast in the faith, be brave, ^(S)be strong. ^14 (T)Let all that you do be done with love.

¹⁵ I urge you, brethren—you know ^(U)the household of Stephanas, that it is ^(V)the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to ^(W)the ministry of the saints— ^16 (X)that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and ^(Y)labors with us.

¹⁷ I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, ^(Z)for what was lacking on your part they supplied. ^18 (AA)For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore ^(AB)acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

¹⁹ The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, ^(AC)with the church that is in their house. ²⁰ All the brethren greet you.

^(AD)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

^21 (AE)The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

²² If anyone ^(AF)does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AG)let him be ^[a]accursed. ^(AH)O^[b] Lord, come!

^23 (AI)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ²⁴ My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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

10 Now when the ^(B)queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came ^(C)to test him with hard questions. ² She came to Jerusalem with a very great ^[a]retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ³ So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing ^[b]so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. ⁴ And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁵ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, ^(D)and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. ⁶ Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁷ However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. ^8 (E)Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ^9 (F)Blessed be the Lord your God, who ^(G)delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, ^(H)to do justice and righteousness.”

¹⁰ Then she ^(I)gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ^11 (J)Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of ^[c]almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. ^12 (K)And the king made ^[d]steps of the almug wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such ^(L)almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.

¹³ Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

¹⁴ The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, ¹⁵ besides that from the ^(M)traveling merchants, from the income of traders, ^(N)from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.

¹⁶ And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. ¹⁷ He also made ^(O)three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the ^(P)House of the Forest of Lebanon.

^18 (Q)Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

^21 (R)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. ²² For the king had ^(S)merchant^[e] ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ^(T)ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and ^[f]monkeys. ²³ So ^(U)King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

²⁴ Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

^26 (V)And Solomon ^(W)gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he ^[g]stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. ^27 (X)The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.

^28 (Y)Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. ²⁹ Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; ^(Z)and ^[h]thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ^(A)always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor ^[a]regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ^[b]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ^5 (B)yet because this widow troubles me I will ^[c]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And ^(C)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you ^(D)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some ^(E)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee ^(F)stood and prayed thus with himself, ^(G)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; ^(H)for everyone who exalts himself will be ^[d]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(I)

^15 (J)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(K)of such is the kingdom of God. ^17 (L)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(M)

^18 (N)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but ^(O)One, that is, God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ^(P)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ^(Q)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²¹ And he said, “All ^(R)these things I have kept from my youth.”

²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. ^(S)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible^(T)

²⁴ And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ^(U)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But He said, ^(V)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

^28 (W)Then Peter said, “See, we have left ^[e]all and followed You.”

²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(X)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ^30 (Y)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”