1 Kings 9
International Standard Version
God Appears to Solomon(A)
9 Later, after Solomon had finished building the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and everything else that Solomon wanted to do, 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon for a second time, just as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord told him:
“I’ve heard your prayer and your request that you made to me. I have consecrated this Temple that you have built by placing my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there continuously.
4 “Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, with an upright heart of integrity and doing everything that I’ve commanded you and keeping my statutes and ordinances, 5 then I’ll make your royal throne secure forever, just as I agreed to do so for your father David when I said, ‘You are to not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you or your descendants abandon me, and do not keep my commandments and statutes that I have given to you, and if you go away, serve other gods, and worship them, 7 then I will eliminate Israel from the land that I gave them and from the Temple that I’ve consecrated for my name. I will throw them out of my sight, and Israel will become the butt of jokes[a] and a means of ridicule among people worldwide!
8 “This Temple will become a pile of ruins. Everyone who passes by it will be so astounded that they will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and to this Temple?’ 9 They will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and served them. That’s why the Lord has brought all of this disaster on them.’”
Solomon Cedes Cities to Hiram
10 It took 20 years for Solomon to finish working on the two houses—the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace— 11 after which King Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee, because King Hiram of Tyre had provided Solomon with as much cedar, cypress timber, and gold as he wanted. 12 Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but he wasn’t happy with them, 13 so he asked him, “What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother?” That’s why these cities were named “the land of Cabal”[b] to this day. 14 Then Hiram paid the king 120 talents[c] of gold.
Solomon’s Other Accomplishments(B)
15 Here is a summary of the conscripted labor that King Solomon required to build the Lord’s Temple, his royal palace, the terrace ramparts in the City of David,[d] the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, burned it down, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and then gave it as a dowry for his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, lower Beth-horon, 18 Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, 19 along with the storage cities that Solomon used for his chariots and for his cavalry, everything that Solomon felt like building in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in every territory under his control.
20 The people who survived from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not related to the Israelis, 21 and whose descendants had survived them and continued to live in the land because the Israelis were unable to completely eliminate them, Solomon placed under conscripted labor, a situation that remains in effect to this day. 22 However, Solomon did not force Israelis into conscripted labor, but they did serve as his soldiers, servants, princes, captains, chariot commanders, and cavalry. 23 There were 550 chief officers who supervised Solomon’s activities and managed the staff that was doing the work.
24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter arrived from the City of David to live in her house that Solomon[e] had built for her, then he fortified the terrace ramparts in the City of David.[f] 25 Three times every year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he had built to the Lord, burning incense with the offerings in the presence of the Lord.
This concludes the record of the Temple construction.
Solomon’s Business Ventures(C)
26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Reed[g] Sea in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent his servants to sail with the fleet, since they were expert seamen, and so they accompanied Solomon’s servants. 28 They sailed as far as Ophir[h] and brought back 420 talents[i] of gold for Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 9:7 Lit. become an object of mockery
- 1 Kings 9:13 The Heb. name Cabul means as good as nothing
- 1 Kings 9:14 I.e. about 9,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
- 1 Kings 9:15 Lit. the Millo, fortified areas of ancient Jerusalem with terraces and retaining walls
- 1 Kings 9:24 Lit. he
- 1 Kings 9:24 Lit. the Millo, fortified areas of ancient Jerusalem with terraces and retaining walls
- 1 Kings 9:26 So MT; LXX reads Red
- 1 Kings 9:28 Or as a source of fine gold; cf. 1Chr 29:4
- 1 Kings 9:28 I.e. about 31,500 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
1 Kings 9
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh’s Challenge to Solomon
9 It happened that as Solomon finished the building of the house of Yahweh, the king’s house, and all the things Solomon desired to do, 2 Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. 3 Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 4 As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart[a] and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep my ordinances and my judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.’
6 “If ever you or any of your descendants[b] turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, 7 then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, even the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. 8 This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, ‘On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?’ 9 And they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors[c] out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.’”
Solomon and Hiram Complete Their Agreement
10 It happened at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, 11 since Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with wood of cedar and with wood of cypresses and with the gold according to all his desire, then King Solomon gave twenty cities in the land of the Galilee to Hiram. 12 So Hiram went out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they were not right in his eyes. 13 So he said, “What are these cities that you have given to me, my brother?” So they are called the land of Cabul until this day.[d] 14 Then Hiram sent to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold.
Solomon’s Accomplishments
15 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the house of Yahweh and his house, the Millo, the walls of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had gone up and captured Gezer and burnt it with fire. He had also killed the Canaanites who were living in the city and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, the wife of Solomon. 17 Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-Horon, 18 as well as Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness in the land; 19 and he also built all of the storage cities which were Solomon’s, the cities for the chariots, the cities for the cavalry, and all of Solomon’s desire that he wanted[e] to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.
20 All of the people who were remaining from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not of the Israelites,[f] 21 their children who remained after them in the land, whom the Israelites[g] were not able to completely destroy, Solomon conscripted them for forced labor, until this very day. 22 But from the Israelites[h] Solomon did not make a slave, but they were the men of war, his officers, his commanders, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and his cavalry. 23 These were the commanders of the overseers who were over the work for Solomon, five hundred and fifty, ruling over the people doing the work.
24 As soon as the daughter of Pharaoh went up from the city of David to her house which he[i] built for her, then he built the Millo.
25 Solomon sacrificed three times a year: burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar that he had built to Yahweh, and he offered incense with it before Yahweh; and so he completed the house.
26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea[j] in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent his servants with the fleet of ships, sailors[k] who knew the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 28 They went to Ophir and imported from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 9:4 Literally “in blamelessness of heart”
- 1 Kings 9:6 Or “children”
- 1 Kings 9:9 Or “fathers”
- 1 Kings 9:13 Literally “So he called them the land of Cabul up to this day”
- 1 Kings 9:19 Or “desired”
- 1 Kings 9:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 9:21 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 9:22 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Kings 9:24 That is, Solomon
- 1 Kings 9:26 Literally “sea of reed”
- 1 Kings 9:27 Literally “men of ships”
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