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1 Kings 4-10
New American Standard Bible

Solomon’s Officials

4 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (A)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were scribes; (B)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the secretary; 4 and (C)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and (D)Abiathar were priests; 5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over (E)the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s confidant; 6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each deputy had to provide food for a month in the year. 8 And these were their names: Ben-hur, in the (F)hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker in Makaz and (G)Shaalbim, and (H)Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth ((I)Socoh was his and all the land of (J)Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab in all [a]the (K)hills of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud in (L)Taanach and Megiddo, and all (M)Beth-shean which is beside (N)Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to (O)Abel-meholah as far as the other side of (P)Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber in (Q)Ramoth-gilead ((R)the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: (S)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo in (T)Mahanaim; 15 (U)Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana the son of (V)Hushai in Asher and [b]Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in Issachar; 18 (W)Shimei the son of Ela in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri in the land of Gilead, (X)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only deputy who was in the land.

Solomon’s Power, Wealth, and Wisdom

20 (Y)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [c]seashore in abundance; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing.

21 [d](Z)Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms (AA)from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (AB)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s [e]provision for one day was [f]thirty kors of fine flour and [g]sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [h]pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened geese. 24 For he was ruling over everything [i]west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah even to (AC)Gaza, (AD)over all the kings [j]west of the River; and (AE)he had peace on all sides surrounding him. 25 (AF)So Judah and Israel lived securely, everyone under his vine and his fig tree, (AG)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (AH)Solomon had [k]forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those deputies provided food for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they allowed nothing to be lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the war horses and (AI)baggage horses to the place where it was required, each deputy according to his duty.

29 Now (AJ)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [l]mind, (AK)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (AL)the [m]people of the east and (AM)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (AN)he was wiser than all other people, more than (AO)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (AP)Calcol, and [n]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [o]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (AQ)He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. 33 He told of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he told also of animals, birds, crawling things, and fish. 34 People (AR)came from all the [p]nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Alliance with King Hiram

5 [q](AS)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for (AT)Hiram had [r]always been a friend of David. 2 Then (AU)Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that (AV)David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (AW)the Lord my God has secured me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [s]misfortune. 5 So behold, (AX)I [t]intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 Now then, issue orders that they cut (AY)cedars from Lebanon for me, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants in accordance with all that you say, for you yourself know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he greatly rejoiced; and he said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you sent me; I will do everything you wish concerning the cedar and juniper timber. 9 My servants will bring the timbers down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will have them made into rafts to go by sea (AZ)to the place where you [u]direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you will carry them away. Then (BA)you shall do what I wish, by giving food to my household.” 10 So [v]Hiram [w]gave Solomon all that he wished of the cedar and juniper timber. 11 (BB)Solomon then gave [x]Hiram [y]twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and [z]twenty kors of pure oil; this is what Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 And (BC)the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [aa]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

Conscription of Laborers

13 Now (BD)King Solomon [ab]conscripted forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. 14 Then he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts; they were in Lebanon for a month, and two months at home. And (BE)Adoniram was in charge of the forced laborers. 15 Now (BF)Solomon had seventy thousand porters, and eighty thousand stonemasons in the mountains, 16 (BG)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were in charge of the [ac]project and ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (BH)the king issued orders, and they quarried large stones, valuable stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [ad]Hiram’s builders and (BI)the Gebalites [ae]cut the stones, and they prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

The Building of the Temple

6 (BJ)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, that is, the second month, that he [af]began to build the house of the Lord. 2 And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord was [ag]sixty cubits in its length, and twenty cubits in its width, and its height was thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the main room of the house was [ah]twenty cubits in [ai]length, [aj]corresponding to the width of the house, and its width along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4 Also for the house (BK)he made windows with artistic frames. 5 (BL)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the main room and the [ak](BM)inner sanctuary; so he made (BN)side chambers all around. 6 The lowest story was [al]five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he [am]made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not [an]be inserted into the walls of the house.

7 (BO)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone finished at the quarry, and neither hammer, nor axe, nor any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The doorway for the [ao]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by a winding staircase to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9 So (BP)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and [ap]planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each [aq]five cubits high; and they [ar]were attached to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, 12 “As for this house which you are building, (BQ)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will fulfill My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13 And (BR)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and (BS)will not abandon My people Israel.”

14 (BT)So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15 He (BU)built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the [as]ceiling he paneled the walls on the inside with wood, and he paneled the floor of the house with boards of juniper. 16 (BV)He also built [at]twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the [au]ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, as (BW)the Most Holy Place. 17 The house, that is, the main room in front of the inner sanctuary, was [av]forty cubits long. 18 There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of (BX)gourds and open flowers; everything was cedar, there was no stone visible. 19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary inside the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 20 [aw]The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height; and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also paneled the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he extended chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the entire house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also (BY)the entire altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 (BZ)And in the inner sanctuary he made two [ax]cherubim of olive wood, each [ay]ten cubits high. 24 The one wing of the first cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the first cherub was five cubits; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25 The second cherub was ten cubits; both of the cherubim were of the same measurement and the same form. 26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. 27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and (CA)the wings of the cherubim spread out so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. And their wings were touching [az]end to [ba]end in the center of the house. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the surrounding walls of the house with engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, for the inner and outer sanctuaries. 30 And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, for the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 And for the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel, and five-sided doorposts. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he overlaid the cherubim and the palm trees with gold.

33 So too he made for the entrance of the main room four-sided doorposts of olive wood, 34 and (CB)two doors of juniper wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two [bb]leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold plated on the carved work. 36 And (CC)he built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 (CD)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, that is, the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts and in accordance with all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

Solomon’s Palace

7 Now (CE)Solomon built his own house over the course of thirteen years, and he finished all of his house. 2 (CF)He built the house of the timber from Lebanon; its length was [bc]a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were artistic window frames in three rows, and window was opposite window at three [bd]intervals. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had squared artistic frames, and window was opposite window at three [be]intervals.

6 Then he made (CG)the hall of pillars; its length was [bf]fifty cubits and its width thirty cubits, and a porch was in front of them and pillars and a (CH)threshold in front of them.

7 And he made the hall of the (CI)throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and (CJ)it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

8 And his house where he was to live, the other courtyard inward from the hall, was of this same workmanship. (CK)He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (CL)whom Solomon had married.

9 All of these were made of valuable stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the [bg]coping, and from the outside to the large courtyard.

10 And the foundation was of valuable stones, large stones, stones of [bh]ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 11 And above were valuable stones, cut according to measure, and cedar. 12 So (CM)the large courtyard all around had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams as well as the inner courtyard of the house of the Lord, and (CN)the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now (CO)King Solomon sent word and had Hiram brought from Tyre. 14 (CP)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, an artisan in bronze; and (CQ)he was filled with wisdom, skill, and knowledge for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (CR)performed all his work.

15 He fashioned (CS)the two pillars of bronze; [bi](CT)eighteen cubits was the height of [bj]each pillar, and a line of [bk]twelve cubits [bl]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to put on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was [bm]five cubits and the height of the other capital was [bn]five cubits. 17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one lattice to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 The capitals which were on the tops of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 So there were capitals on the two pillars, also above and close to the [bo]rounded projection which was beside the lattice; and (CU)the pomegranates totaled two hundred in rows around [bp]both capitals. 21 (CV)And he set up the pillars at the (CW)porch of the [bq]main room: he set up the right pillar and named it [br]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [bs]Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was the lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 (CX)He also he made the [bt]Sea of (CY)cast metal [bu]ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in shape, and its height was five cubits, and [bv]it was [bw]thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under its brim (CZ)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (DA)completely surrounding the Sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast [bx]with the rest. 25 (DB)It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the Sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a [by]hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold [bz]two thousand baths.

27 Then (DC)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was [ca]four cubits, its width four cubits, and its height was three cubits. 28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, that is, borders between the crossbars, 29 and on the borders which were between the crossbars were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the crossbars there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a [cb]cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and on its opening also there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form [cc]half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [cd]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders cherubim, lions, and palm trees, as there was clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (DD)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had the [ce]same casting, [cf]same measure, and [cg]same form.

38 (DE)And he made ten basins of bronze, [ch]each holding [ci]forty baths; each basin was [cj]four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he placed the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the [ck]Sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the (DF)two pillars, and the two lattices to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the (DG)four hundred pomegranates for the two lattices, two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; 44 and (DH)the one [cl]Sea and the twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 and (DI)the buckets, the shovels, and the bowls; indeed, all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. 46 (DJ)The king had them cast in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between (DK)Succoth and (DL)Zarethan. 47 However, Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; (DM)the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

48 Solomon also made all the furniture that was in the house of the Lord: (DN)the golden altar and the golden table on which was set the (DO)bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary; and (DP)the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 also the cups, the [cm]shears, the bowls, the ladles, and the (DQ)firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the house, that is, for the main room, of gold.

51 (DR)So all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And (DS)Solomon brought in the offerings vowed by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

8 (DT)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all (DU)the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, (DV)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from (DW)the city of David, that is, Zion. 2 So all the men of Israel assembled themselves before King Solomon at (DX)the feast, in the month Ethanim, that is, the seventh month. 3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and (DY)the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the Lord, (DZ)the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were gathered together to him, (EA)were with him before the ark, sacrificing [cn]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then (EB)the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord (EC)to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Most Holy Place, (ED)under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its carrying poles from above. 8 But (EE)the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9 (EF)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where (EG)the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it happened that when the priests came from the holy place, (EH)the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

12 (EI)Then Solomon said,

“The Lord has said that (EJ)He would dwell in the thick darkness.
13 (EK)I have truly built You a lofty house,
(EL)A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14 Then the king [co]turned around and (EM)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 He said, “(EN)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, (EO)who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and fulfilled it with His hands, saying, 16 ‘(EP)Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house so that (EQ)My name would be there, but (ER)I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 (ES)Now it was [cp]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was [cq]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was [cr]in your heart. 19 (ET)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who [cs]will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’ 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for (EU)I have risen in place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord [ct]promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have set a place for the ark, (EV)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

The Prayer of Dedication

22 Then (EW)Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and he (EX)spread out his hands toward heaven. 23 And he said, “Lord, God of Israel, (EY)there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, (EZ)keeping the covenant and showing faithfulness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24 You who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You [cu]promised him; You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 Now then, Lord, God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have [cv]promised him, saying, ‘[cw](FA)You shall not be deprived of a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful about their way, to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26 Now then, God of Israel, let Your words, please, be confirmed, (FB)which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, (FC)heaven and the [cx]highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28 Nevertheless, turn Your attention to the (FD)prayer of Your servant and to his plea, Lord, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today, 29 (FE)so that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward (FF)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant will pray toward this place. 30 And (FG)listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, (FH)when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and (FI)forgive!

31 “(FJ)If a person sins against his neighbor and is compelled to take an oath of innocence, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, (FK)condemning the wicked by [cy]bringing his way on his own head, and acquitting the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33 “(FL)When Your people Israel are [cz]defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, (FM)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and implore Your [da]favor in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave their fathers.

35 “(FN)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel; (FO)indeed, teach them the good way in which they are to walk. And (FP)provide rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37 “(FQ)If there is a famine in the land, if there is a plague, if there is [db]blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy harasses them in the land of their [dc]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer or plea [dd]is offered by any person or by all Your people Israel, [de]each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his [df]hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive and act, and give to each in accordance with all his ways, (FR)whose heart You know—for (FS)You alone know the hearts of all [dg]mankind— 40 so that they will [dh]fear You all the days that they live on the [di]land which You have given to our fathers.

41 “Also regarding the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country on account of Your name 42 (for they will hear of Your great name (FT)and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and act in accordance with all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order (FU)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to [dj]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that [dk]this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44 “When Your people go out to battle against [dl]their enemy, by whatever way You send them, and (FV)they pray to the Lord [dm]toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their pleading, and maintain their cause.

46 “When they sin against You (for (FW)there is no person who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that [dn]they take them away captive (FX)to the land of the enemy, distant or near; 47 (FY)if they [do]take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and implore Your [dp]favor in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘(FZ)We have sinned and done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; 48 (GA)if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and (GB)pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49 then hear their prayer and their pleading in heaven, Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their wrongdoings which they have committed against You, and (GC)make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, so that they will have compassion on them 51 ((GD)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought out of Egypt, (GE)from the midst of the iron furnace), 52 (GF)so that Your eyes may be open to the pleading of Your servant and to the pleading of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You have singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, (GG)just as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord [dq]God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

54 (GH)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and plea to the Lord, (GI)he stood up from the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his [dr]hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and (GJ)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel (GK)in accordance with everything that He [ds]promised; (GL)not one word has [dt]failed of all His good [du]promise, which He [dv]promised through Moses His servant. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; (GM)may He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 so that (GN)He may guide our hearts toward Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have implored the [dw]favor of the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, so that He will maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, [dx]as each day requires, 60 so (GO)that all the peoples of the earth may know that (GP)the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61 (GQ)Your hearts therefore shall be [dy]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62 (GR)Then the king and all Israel with him (GS)offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63 And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen and 120,000 sheep. (GT)So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house of the Lord, because there he [dz]offered the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; for (GU)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So (GV)Solomon held the [ea]feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly (GW)from the entrance of Hamath (GX)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, that is, fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people, and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and with happy hearts for all the goodness that the Lord had [eb]shown to David His servant, and to Israel His people.

God’s Promise and Warning

9 (GY)Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and (GZ)the king’s house, and (HA)all [ec]that Solomon desired to do, 2 that (HB)the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him, “(HC)I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have offered before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built, (HD)by putting My name there forever, and (HE)My eyes and My heart will be there [ed]always. 4 As for you, (HF)if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and honesty, acting in accordance with everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5 then (HG)I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I [ee]promised to your father David, saying, ‘[ef]You shall not be deprived of a man on the throne of Israel.’

6 “(HH)But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have placed before you, but you go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 (HI)then I will cut Israel off from the land which I have given them, and (HJ)the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will [eg]expel from My sight. So (HK)Israel will become a saying and an object of derision among all peoples. 8 And this house will become (HL)a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and [eh]hiss and say, ‘(HM)Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and this house?’ 9 And they will say, ‘(HN)Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they [ei]adopted other gods and worshiped and served them, for that reason the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’”

Cities Given to Hiram

10 (HO)Now it came about (HP)at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house 11 (Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and juniper timber and gold, [ej]satisfying all his desire), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 So Hiram left Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they [ek]did not please him. 13 And he said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So [el]they have been called the land of [em](HQ)Cabul to this day. 14 (HR)And Hiram sent to the king [en]120 talents of gold.

15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon (HS)conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the [eo](HT)Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, (HU)Hazor, (HV)Megiddo, and (HW)Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and overthrown Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the (HX)Canaanites who lived in the city; and he had (HY)given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower (HZ)Beth-horon, 18 and (IA)Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, that is, (IB)the cities for [ep]his chariots and the cities for [eq](IC)his horsemen, and [er](ID)everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land [es]under his rule. 20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21 (IE)their descendants who were left after them in the land, (IF)whom the sons of Israel were unable to completely eliminate, (IG)from them Solomon conscripted (IH)forced laborers, as they are to this day. 22 But Solomon (II)did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his commanders, his charioteers, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.

23 These were the [et](IJ)chief officers who were in charge of Solomon’s work, 550, (IK)who ruled over the people doing the work.

24 As soon as (IL)Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, (IM)he then built the Millo.

25 Now (IN)three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the Lord, burning incense with them on the altar which was before the Lord. So he finished the house.

26 King Solomon also built a (IO)fleet of ships in (IP)Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the [eu]Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 (IQ)And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to (IR)Ophir and received [ev]420 talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba

10 (IS)Now when the (IT)queen of (IU)Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon in relation to the name of the Lord, she came (IV)to test him with riddles. 2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels (IW)carrying balsam oil and a very large quantity of gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke to him about everything that was in her heart. 3 And Solomon [ew]answered all her questions; nothing was concealed from the king which he did not explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 5 and the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the Lord, [ex]she was breathless. 6 Then she said to the king, “It was a true [ey]story that I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 But I did not believe the [ez]stories until I came and my own eyes saw it all. And behold, the half of it was not reported to me. You have exceeded in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. 8 (IX)Blessed are your men, and blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom! 9 (IY)Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to put you on the throne of Israel; (IZ)because the Lord loves Israel forever, He made you king, (JA)to do justice and righteousness.” 10 Then (JB)she gave the king [fa]120 talents of gold, and a very large amount of balsam oil and precious stones. Never again did such a large quantity of balsam oil come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

11 (JC)And the ships of Hiram as well, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones. 12 (JD)The king made from the almug trees supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again, nor have they been seen to this day.

13 And King Solomon granted the queen of Sheba everything she desired, whatever she requested, besides what he gave her in proportion to [fb]his royal bounty. Then she [fc]departed and went to her own land [fd]together with her servants.

Wealth, Splendor, and Wisdom

14 (JE)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was [fe]666 talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traders, and the [ff]wares of the merchants and all the kings of the (JF)Arabs and the governors of the country. 16 (JG)King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, [fg]using six hundred shekels of gold on each large shield. 17 And he made (JH)three hundred small shields of beaten gold, [fh]using [fi]three minas of gold on each shield; and (JI)the king put them in the house of the timber of Lebanon. 18 Moreover, the king made a large throne of (JJ)ivory and overlaid it with fine gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its back, and [fj]armrests [fk]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the [fl]armrests. 20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for [fm]any other kingdom. 21 Now all King Solomon’s drinking utensils were of gold, and all the utensils of the house of the timber of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered as amounting to anything in the days of Solomon. 22 For (JK)the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s ships; once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold and silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.

23 (JL)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 24 And all the earth was seeking the [fn]attention of Solomon, (JM)to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 And (JN)they were bringing, everyone, [fo]a gift: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, balsam oil, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 (JO)Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he [fp]stationed them in the (JP)chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 (JQ)And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the [fq]lowland. 28 (JR)Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants acquired them from Kue for a price. 29 A chariot [fr]was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and [fs]by the same means they exported them (JS)to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:11 Or Naphoth-dor
  2. 1 Kings 4:16 Or in Aloth
  3. 1 Kings 4:20 Lit sea
  4. 1 Kings 4:21 Ch 5:1 in Heb
  5. 1 Kings 4:22 Lit bread
  6. 1 Kings 4:22 About 231 cubic feet or 6.5 cubic meters
  7. 1 Kings 4:22 About 462 cubic feet or 13 cubic meters
  8. 1 Kings 4:23 Lit oxen of the pasture
  9. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  10. 1 Kings 4:24 Lit beyond
  11. 1 Kings 4:26 One LXX ms reads 4,000, cf. 2 Chr 9:25
  12. 1 Kings 4:29 Lit heart
  13. 1 Kings 4:30 Lit sons
  14. 1 Kings 4:31 In 1 Chr 2:6, Dara
  15. 1 Kings 4:31 Lit name
  16. 1 Kings 4:34 Lit peoples
  17. 1 Kings 5:1 Ch 5:15 in Heb
  18. 1 Kings 5:1 Lit all the days
  19. 1 Kings 5:4 Lit evil occurrence
  20. 1 Kings 5:5 Lit say
  21. 1 Kings 5:9 Lit send to me
  22. 1 Kings 5:10 Heb Hirom
  23. 1 Kings 5:10 Lit was giving
  24. 1 Kings 5:11 In 2 Chr 2:3, Huram
  25. 1 Kings 5:11 About 154,000 cubic feet or 4,360 cubic meters
  26. 1 Kings 5:11 About 154 cubic feet or 4.4 cubic meters
  27. 1 Kings 5:12 Lit spoke to
  28. 1 Kings 5:13 Lit raised up
  29. 1 Kings 5:16 Lit work
  30. 1 Kings 5:18 Heb Hirom’s
  31. 1 Kings 5:18 Or chiseled
  32. 1 Kings 6:1 Lit built
  33. 1 Kings 6:2 About 90 ft. long, 30 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high or 27 m, 9 m, and 14 m
  34. 1 Kings 6:3 About 30 ft. long and 15 ft. deep or 9 m and 4.6 m
  35. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit its length
  36. 1 Kings 6:3 Lit on the face of
  37. 1 Kings 6:5 I.e., Most Holy Place
  38. 1 Kings 6:6 About 7.5 ft. wide, 9 ft. wide, and 11 ft. wide or 2.3 m, 2.7 m, and 3.3 m
  39. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit gave
  40. 1 Kings 6:6 Lit take hold
  41. 1 Kings 6:8 As in LXX and ancient versions; MT middle
  42. 1 Kings 6:9 Or rows
  43. 1 Kings 6:10 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  44. 1 Kings 6:10 Lit took hold
  45. 1 Kings 6:15 Lit walls of the ceiling
  46. 1 Kings 6:16 About 30 ft. or 9 m
  47. 1 Kings 6:16 Lit walls
  48. 1 Kings 6:17 About 60 ft. or 18 m
  49. 1 Kings 6:20 Lit Before the
  50. 1 Kings 6:23 Heb plural of cherub
  51. 1 Kings 6:23 About 15 ft. or 4.6 m
  52. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  53. 1 Kings 6:27 Lit wing
  54. 1 Kings 6:34 As in LXX; MT curtains
  55. 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 ft. long, 75 wide, and 45 high or 46 m long, 23 wide, and 14 high;
  56. 1 Kings 7:4 Lit paces
  57. 1 Kings 7:5 Lit paces
  58. 1 Kings 7:6 About 75 ft. long and 45 ft. wide or 23 m long and 7 m wide
  59. 1 Kings 7:9 I.e., top sloping course of stone
  60. 1 Kings 7:10 About 15 and 12 ft. or 4.5 and 3.7 m
  61. 1 Kings 7:15 About 27 ft. or 8 m
  62. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit the one
  63. 1 Kings 7:15 About 18 ft. or 5.5 m
  64. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit went around the other pillar
  65. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  66. 1 Kings 7:16 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  67. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit belly
  68. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit on the other capital
  69. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit sanctuary
  70. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., he shall establish
  71. 1 Kings 7:21 I.e., in it is strength
  72. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e., large basin
  73. 1 Kings 7:23 About 15 ft. in diameter and 7.5 ft. high or 4.6 m and 2.3 m high
  74. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit a line of 30 cubits went around it all around;
  75. 1 Kings 7:23 About 45 ft. or 14 m
  76. 1 Kings 7:24 Lit in its casting
  77. 1 Kings 7:26 About 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  78. 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons or 45,424 liters
  79. 1 Kings 7:27 About 6 ft. long and wide and 4.5 ft. high or 1.8 m and 1.4 m
  80. 1 Kings 7:31 About 18 in. or 45 cm
  81. 1 Kings 7:35 About 9 in. or 23 cm
  82. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit hands
  83. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  84. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  85. 1 Kings 7:37 Lit one
  86. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit the one basin held
  87. 1 Kings 7:38 About 240 gallons or 908 liters
  88. 1 Kings 7:38 About 6 ft. or 1.8 m
  89. 1 Kings 7:39 I.e., large basin
  90. 1 Kings 7:44 I.e., large basin
  91. 1 Kings 7:50 I.e., a tool to trim wicks
  92. 1 Kings 8:5 Lit sheep and oxen...numbered for multitude
  93. 1 Kings 8:14 Lit turned his face about
  94. 1 Kings 8:17 Lit with
  95. 1 Kings 8:18 Lit with
  96. 1 Kings 8:18 Lit with
  97. 1 Kings 8:19 Lit will come forth from your loins
  98. 1 Kings 8:20 Lit spoke
  99. 1 Kings 8:24 Lit spoken to
  100. 1 Kings 8:25 Lit spoken to
  101. 1 Kings 8:25 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man from before Me
  102. 1 Kings 8:27 Lit heaven of heavens
  103. 1 Kings 8:32 Lit giving
  104. 1 Kings 8:33 Lit struck
  105. 1 Kings 8:33 Or compassion
  106. 1 Kings 8:37 Lit scorching
  107. 1 Kings 8:37 Lit gates
  108. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit takes place
  109. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit who know each
  110. 1 Kings 8:38 Lit palms
  111. 1 Kings 8:39 Lit the sons of mankind
  112. 1 Kings 8:40 Or revere
  113. 1 Kings 8:40 Lit face of the land
  114. 1 Kings 8:43 Or revere
  115. 1 Kings 8:43 Lit Your name is called upon this house which I have built
  116. 1 Kings 8:44 Lit his
  117. 1 Kings 8:44 Lit in the way of
  118. 1 Kings 8:46 Lit their captors take them captive
  119. 1 Kings 8:47 Lit return to their heart
  120. 1 Kings 8:47 Or compassion
  121. 1 Kings 8:53 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  122. 1 Kings 8:54 Lit palms
  123. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  124. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit fallen
  125. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit word
  126. 1 Kings 8:56 Lit spoke
  127. 1 Kings 8:59 Or compassion
  128. 1 Kings 8:59 Lit the matter of a day in its day
  129. 1 Kings 8:61 Lit complete with
  130. 1 Kings 8:64 Lit made
  131. 1 Kings 8:65 I.e., of Booths
  132. 1 Kings 8:66 Lit done
  133. 1 Kings 9:1 Lit Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do
  134. 1 Kings 9:3 Lit all the days
  135. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit spoke
  136. 1 Kings 9:5 Lit There shall not be cut off to you a man
  137. 1 Kings 9:7 Lit send
  138. 1 Kings 9:8 Or whistle
  139. 1 Kings 9:9 Lit laid hold of
  140. 1 Kings 9:11 Lit to all
  141. 1 Kings 9:12 Lit were not right in his sight
  142. 1 Kings 9:13 Lit he called them
  143. 1 Kings 9:13 I.e., like nothing
  144. 1 Kings 9:14 About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons
  145. 1 Kings 9:15 I.e., terraced structure
  146. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
  147. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the
  148. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem
  149. 1 Kings 9:19 Lit of
  150. 1 Kings 9:23 Or officers of the deputies
  151. 1 Kings 9:26 Lit Sea of Reeds
  152. 1 Kings 9:28 About 16 tons or 14 metric tons
  153. 1 Kings 10:3 Lit told her all her words
  154. 1 Kings 10:5 Lit there was no more breath in her
  155. 1 Kings 10:6 Lit word
  156. 1 Kings 10:7 Lit words
  157. 1 Kings 10:10 About 4.5 tons or 4 metric tons
  158. 1 Kings 10:13 Lit the hand of King Solomon
  159. 1 Kings 10:13 Lit turned around
  160. 1 Kings 10:13 Lit she and her
  161. 1 Kings 10:14 About 25 tons or 23 metric tons
  162. 1 Kings 10:15 Or traffic
  163. 1 Kings 10:16 Lit he brought up
  164. 1 Kings 10:17 Lit he brought up
  165. 1 Kings 10:17 About 3.8 lb. or 1.7 kg
  166. 1 Kings 10:19 Lit hands
  167. 1 Kings 10:19 Lit from this and from this at the place of the seat
  168. 1 Kings 10:19 Lit hands
  169. 1 Kings 10:20 Lit all kingdoms
  170. 1 Kings 10:24 Lit face
  171. 1 Kings 10:25 Lit his gift
  172. 1 Kings 10:26 As in ancient versions; MT led
  173. 1 Kings 10:27 Heb Shephelah
  174. 1 Kings 10:29 Lit came up and went out from
  175. 1 Kings 10:29 Lit in the same way by their hand
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1 Kings 4-10
New International Version

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials:(A)

Azariah(B) son of Zadok—the priest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;(C)

Jehoshaphat(D) son of Ahilud—recorder;

4 Benaiah(E) son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;

Zadok(F) and Abiathar—priests;

5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;

Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;

6 Ahishar—palace administrator;(G)

Adoniram(H) son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.(I)

7 Solomon had twelve district governors(J) over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names:

Ben-Hur—in the hill country(K) of Ephraim;

9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim,(L) Beth Shemesh(M) and Elon Bethhanan;

10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh(N) and all the land of Hepher(O) were his);

11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor(P) (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);

12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan(Q) next to Zarethan(R) below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah(S) across to Jokmeam;(T)

13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair(U) son of Manasseh in Gilead(V) were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities(W) with bronze gate bars);

14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;(X)

15 Ahimaaz(Y)—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);

16 Baana son of Hushai(Z)—in Asher and in Aloth;

17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;

18 Shimei(AA) son of Ela—in Benjamin;

19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon(AB) king of the Amorites and the country of Og(AC) king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand(AD) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.(AE) 21 And Solomon ruled(AF) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River(AG) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.(AH) These countries brought tribute(AI) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

22 Solomon’s daily provisions(AJ) were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.(AK) 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah(AL) to Gaza, and had peace(AM) on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,(AN) lived in safety,(AO) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.(AP)

26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,(AQ) and twelve thousand horses.[d]

27 The district governors,(AR) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

29 God gave Solomon wisdom(AS) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand(AT) on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,(AU) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.(AV) 31 He was wiser(AW) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs(AX) and his songs(AY) numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop(AZ) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings(BA) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]

Preparations for Building the Temple(BB)

5 [f]When Hiram(BC) king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

3 “You know that because of the wars(BD) waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build(BE) a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet.(BF) 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest(BG) on every side, and there is no adversary(BH) or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple(BI) for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’(BJ)

6 “So give orders that cedars(BK) of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord(BL) today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”

8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:

“I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea(BM), and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food(BN) for my royal household.”

10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors[g] of wheat as food(BO) for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[h][i] of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom,(BP) just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.(BQ)

13 King Solomon conscripted laborers(BR) from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram(BS) was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred[j] foremen(BT) who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry(BU) large blocks of high-grade stone(BV) to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram(BW) and workers from Byblos(BX) cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Solomon Builds the Temple(BY)

6 In the four hundred and eightieth[k] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,(BZ) he began to build the temple of the Lord.(CA)

2 The temple(CB) that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[l] 3 The portico(CC) at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[m] and projected ten cubits[n] from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows(CD) high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.(CE) 6 The lowest floor was five cubits[o] wide, the middle floor six cubits[p] and the third floor seven.[q] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed(CF) at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool(CG) was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

8 The entrance to the lowest[r] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar(CH) planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

11 The word of the Lord came(CI) to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands(CJ) and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise(CK) I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon(CL) my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon(CM) built the temple and completed(CN) it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling,(CO) and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.(CP) 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.(CQ) 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[s] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar,(CR) carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(CS) within the temple to set the ark of the covenant(CT) of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary(CU) was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.(CV) 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim(CW) out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27 He placed the cherubim(CX) inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls(CY) all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,(CZ) palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors(DA) he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

36 And he built the inner courtyard(DB) of three courses(DC) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details(DD) according to its specifications.(DE) He had spent seven years building it.

Solomon Builds His Palace

7 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(DF) 2 He built the Palace(DG) of the Forest of Lebanon(DH) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[t] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3 It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4 Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5 All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[u]

6 He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[v] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

7 He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(DI) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[w](DJ) 8 And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(DK)

9 All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[x] and some eight.[y] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(DL) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(DM)(DN)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[z](DO) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(DP) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(DQ) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(DR) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[aa] 16 He also made two capitals(DS) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[ab] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[ac] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[ad] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[ae] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(DT) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[af] and the one to the north Boaz.[ag](DU) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(DV) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(DW) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(DX) of thirty cubits[ah] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(DY) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[ai] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[aj]

27 He also made ten movable stands(DZ) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[ak] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(EA) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[al] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[am] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[an] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(EB) each holding forty baths[ao] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[ap] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(EC)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals(ED) on top of the pillars);

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(EE)

All these objects that Huram(EF) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(EG) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(EH) and Zarethan.(EI) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(EJ) because there were so many;(EK) the weight of the bronze(EL) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(EM) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(EN) on which was the bread of the Presence;(EO)

49 the lampstands(EP) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(EQ) and censers;(ER)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(ES)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(ET)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

The Ark Brought to the Temple(EU)

8 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs(EV) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(EW) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.(EX) 2 All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival(EY) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.(EZ)

3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests(FA) took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting(FB) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites(FC) carried them up, 5 and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing(FD) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant(FE) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,(FF) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.(FG) 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed(FH) the ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.(FI) 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets(FJ) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud(FK) filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service(FL) because of the cloud, for the glory(FM) of the Lord filled his temple.

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(FN) 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell(FO) forever.”

14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed(FP) them. 15 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord,(FQ) the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,(FR) I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name(FS) might be there, but I have chosen(FT) David(FU) to rule my people Israel.’

17 “My father David had it in his heart(FV) to build a temple(FW) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you(FX) are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’(FY)

20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded(FZ) David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built(GA) the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(GB)

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands(GC) toward heaven 23 and said:

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like(GD) you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love(GE) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(GF) you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(GG) your servant David my father come true.

27 “But will God really dwell(GH) on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,(GI) cannot contain(GJ) you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open(GK) toward(GL) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name(GM) shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(GN) toward this place. Hear(GO) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.(GP)

31 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath(GQ) before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.(GR)

33 “When your people Israel have been defeated(GS) by an enemy because they have sinned(GT) against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,(GU) 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(GV) because your people have sinned(GW) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach(GX) them the right way(GY) to live, and send rain(GZ) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37 “When famine(HA) or plague(HB) comes to the land, or blight(HC) or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,(HD) or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands(HE) toward this temple— 39 then hear(HF) from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive(HG) and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know(HH) their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear(HI) you all the time they live in the land(HJ) you gave our ancestors.

41 “As for the foreigner(HK) who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear(HL) of your great name and your mighty hand(HM) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know(HN) your name and fear(HO) you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.(HP)

44 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray(HQ) to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.(HR)

46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(HS)—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive(HT) to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead(HU) with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;(HV) 48 and if they turn back(HW) to you with all their heart(HX) and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray(HY) to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple(HZ) I have built for your Name;(IA) 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(IB) 51 for they are your people and your inheritance,(IC) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.(ID)

52 “May your eyes be open(IE) to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you.(IF) 53 For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,(IG) just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed(IH) the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest(II) to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises(IJ) he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake(IK) us. 58 May he turn our hearts(IL) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples(IM) of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.(IN) 61 And may your hearts(IO) be fully committed(IP) to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

The Dedication of the Temple(IQ)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices(IR) before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated(IS) the temple of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat(IT) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar(IU) that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.(IV)

65 So Solomon observed the festival(IW) at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(IX) to the Wadi of Egypt.(IY) They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good(IZ) things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(JA)

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

“I have heard(JD) the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name(JE) there forever. My eyes(JF) and my heart will always be there.

4 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart(JG) and uprightness, as David(JH) your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,(JI) 5 I will establish(JJ) your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail(JK) to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

6 “But if you[aq] or your descendants turn away(JL) from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you[ar] and go off to serve other gods(JM) and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land(JN) I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.(JO) Israel will then become a byword(JP) and an object of ridicule(JQ) among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[as] who pass by will be appalled(JR) and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’(JS) 9 People will answer,(JT) ‘Because they have forsaken(JU) the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster(JV) on them.’”

Solomon’s Other Activities(JW)

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(JX) 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,[at](JY) a name they have to this day. 14 Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents[au] of gold.(JZ)

15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted(KA) to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,[av](KB) the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor,(KC) Megiddo and Gezer.(KD) 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,(KE) Solomon’s wife. 17 And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon,(KF) 18 Baalath,(KG) and Tadmor[aw] in the desert, within his land, 19 as well as all his store cities(KH) and the towns for his chariots(KI) and for his horses[ax]—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,(KJ) Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(KK) (these peoples were not Israelites). 21 Solomon conscripted the descendants(KL) of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate[ay](KM)—to serve as slave labor,(KN) as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves(KO) 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(KP) in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.

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

25 Three(KS) 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(KT) at Ezion Geber,(KU) which is near Elath(KV) in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.[az] 27 And Hiram sent his men—sailors(KW) who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. 28 They sailed to Ophir(KX) and brought back 420 talents[ba] of gold,(KY) which they delivered to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(KZ)

10 When the queen of Sheba(LA) heard about the fame(LB) of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.(LC) 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan(LD)—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,(LE) the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[bb] 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(LF) these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth(LG) 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(LH) your wisdom! 9 Praise(LI) 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(LJ) for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice(LK) and righteousness.”

10 And she gave the king 120 talents[bc] of gold,(LL) 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;(LM) and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood[bd] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports[be] 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(LN)

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

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
  2. 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  3. 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
  4. 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
  5. 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
  6. 1 Kings 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-18 is numbered 5:15-32.
  7. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
  8. 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
  9. 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
  10. 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred
  11. 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth
  12. 1 Kings 6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high
  13. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20
  14. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26
  15. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
  16. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
  17. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
  18. 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle
  19. 1 Kings 6:17 That is, about 60 feet or about 18 meters
  20. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  21. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  22. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  23. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  24. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  25. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  26. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  27. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  28. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  29. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  30. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  31. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  32. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  33. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  34. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  35. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  36. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  37. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  38. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  39. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  40. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  41. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  42. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins
  43. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  44. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  45. 1 Kings 9:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now imposing, all
  46. 1 Kings 9:13 Kabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing.
  47. 1 Kings 9:14 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
  48. 1 Kings 9:15 Or the Millo; also in verse 24
  49. 1 Kings 9:18 The Hebrew may also be read Tamar.
  50. 1 Kings 9:19 Or charioteers
  51. 1 Kings 9:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  52. 1 Kings 9:26 Or the Sea of Reeds
  53. 1 Kings 9:28 That is, about 16 tons or about 14 metric tons
  54. 1 Kings 10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to
  55. 1 Kings 10:10 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
  56. 1 Kings 10:11 Probably a variant of algumwood; also in verse 12
  57. 1 Kings 10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  58. 1 Kings 10:14 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons
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1 Kings 22
New American Standard Bible

Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

22 Now [a]three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2 (A)In the third year, (B)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Are you aware that (C)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, yet we are hesitant to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” 4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go to battle with me at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “[b](D)Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours!”

5 However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please request the word of the Lord [c]first.” 6 So (E)the king of Israel assembled the [d]prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 7 But (F)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and (G)all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made (H)horns of iron for himself and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(I)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’” 12 All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

13 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are [e]unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “(J)As the Lord lives, whatever (K)the Lord says to me, I shall speak it.”

15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” And he said, “(L)Go up and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king!” 16 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 So he said,

“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(M)Like sheep that have no shepherd.
And the Lord said,
‘These people have no master.
Each of them is to return to his house in peace.’”

18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “(N)Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad?”

19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. (O)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and (P)all the [f]angels of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will [g]entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will [h]entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and (Q)be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall [i]entice him, and you will also prevail. Go and do so.’ 23 Now then, behold, (R)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

24 Then (S)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, “(T)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you (U)go from one inner room to [j]another trying to hide yourself.” 26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: “(V)Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I [k]return safely.”’” 28 But Micaiah said, “(W)If you actually return [l]safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “(X)Listen, all you people!”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

29 So (Y)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “(Z)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31 Now (AA)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32 So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel!” And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 Then, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

34 Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [m]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn [n]around and take me out of the battle, (AB)for I am severely wounded.” 35 The battle [o]raged on that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and he died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. 36 (AC)Then the word passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his [p]country!”

37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 They washed out the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (it was there that the prostitutes bathed themselves) (AD)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken. 39 Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahab and everything that he did, and (AE)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab [q]lay down with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

The New Rulers

41 (AF)Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 (AG)He walked [r]entirely in the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. (AH)However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 44 (AI)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

45 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he made war, are they not written (AJ)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 And the remnant of (AK)the cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he eliminated from the land.

47 Now (AL)there was no king in Edom; a governor served as king. 48 Jehoshaphat built (AM)ships of Tarshish to go to (AN)Ophir for gold, but (AO)they did not go, because the ships were destroyed at (AP)Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 (AQ)And Jehoshaphat [s]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place.

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab (AR)became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 52 He did evil in the sight of the Lord and (AS)walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin. 53 (AT)So he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 22:1 Lit they sat for three years
  2. 1 Kings 22:4 Lit As me as you, as my people...as my horses, as your horses, an ancient idiom
  3. 1 Kings 22:5 Lit today
  4. 1 Kings 22:6 I.e., official prophets who at that time were false
  5. 1 Kings 22:13 Lit of one mouth
  6. 1 Kings 22:19 Lit host
  7. 1 Kings 22:20 Or persuade
  8. 1 Kings 22:21 Or persuade
  9. 1 Kings 22:22 Or persuade
  10. 1 Kings 22:25 Lit inner room
  11. 1 Kings 22:27 Lit come in peace
  12. 1 Kings 22:28 Lit in peace
  13. 1 Kings 22:34 Lit between the scales and the scale armor
  14. 1 Kings 22:34 Lit your hand
  15. 1 Kings 22:35 Lit went up
  16. 1 Kings 22:36 Lit land
  17. 1 Kings 22:40 I.e., died
  18. 1 Kings 22:43 Lit in all the way of
  19. 1 Kings 22:50 I.e., died
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