So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt.

The Lord Appears to Solomon

When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace,

“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws,

then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’

People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.

as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind.

Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day.

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.

All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:

Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”

When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” So all the Israelites went home.

“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,