Bible in 90 Days

David Organizes the Priests

24 And as for the sons of Aaron, these were their divisions. The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons,^[a] so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. ³ And David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their appointments for their service. ⁴ And more sons of Eleazar were found as heads of the men than the sons of Ithamar, so they divided them to the sons of Eleazar to be sixteen heads over the house of the fathers, and to the sons of Ithamar over the house of the fathers were eight heads. ⁵ They divided them by lot all alike,^[b] for they were commanders of the sanctuary and commanders of God from among the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. ⁶ And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them before the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the families^[c] of the priests and Levites, one father’s house drawn by Lot for Eleazar and one drawn by lot for Ithamar. ⁷ And the first lot went out to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shekaniah, ¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Ha-Pizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Ezekiel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. ¹⁹ These were their appointments for their service to come into the house of Yahweh according to their custom by the hand of Aaron their father, as Yahweh the God of Israel had commanded him.

²⁰ And as for the remainder of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹ Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. ²² Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³ Of the sons of Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴ The sons of Uzziel, Micah; the sons of Micah, Shamur. ²⁵ The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ²⁶ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, his son.^{[d] 27} The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, his son,^[e] Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri. ²⁸ Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ Of Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel. ³⁰ And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. ³¹ And lots were also cast for these, just as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, before David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families^[f] for the priests and for the Levites the fathers, on the principle of the chief and younger brother alike.^[g]

David Organizes the Musicians

25 And David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with stringed instruments, with harps, and with cymbals. And their inventory of the men of the work and for their duty was: ² for the sons of Asaph: Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under the hand^[h] of Asaph, who prophesied under the hands^[i] of the king. ³ Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah,^[j] Heshabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands^[k] of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the stringed instrument with thanksgiving and praise to Yahweh. ⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were sons to Heman, the seer of the king, according to the words of God to raise a horn.^[l] And God had given to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All these were under the direction^[m] of their father in the music of the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction^[n] of the king. ⁷ And their number, along with their brothers, trained singers, all the skilled people for Yahweh, were two hundred and eighty-eight. ⁸ And they cast lots for responsibilities on the principle of small and great alike,^[o] teacher with student.

⁹ And the first lot for Asaph went out to Joseph; the second to Gedaliahu; he and his brothers and his twelve sons. ¹⁰ The third, Zakkur, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹¹ the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹² the fifth, Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹³ the sixth, Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁴ the seventh, Jesarelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁵ the eighth, Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁶ the ninth, Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁷ the tenth, Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁸ eleventh, Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ¹⁹ the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁰ to the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²¹ to the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²² to the fifteenth, to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²³ to the sixteenth, to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁴ to the seventeenth, to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁵ to the eighteenth, to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁶ to the nineteenth, to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁷ to the twentieth, to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁸ to the twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ²⁹ to the twenty-second, to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ³⁰ to the twenty-third, to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; ³¹ to the twenty-fourth, to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve.

The Divisions of the Gatekeepers

26 As for the working groups of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, from the sons of Asaph. ² And Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, ³ Elam the fifth, Jehohana the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. ⁴ And Obed-Edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, ⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him. ⁶ And to Shemaiah his son were sons born who were rulers in the house of their father, for they were mighty warriors of ability. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers were sons of ability, Elihu and Semakiah. ⁸ All these from the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons, and their brothers were men of ability with strength for service; sixty-two of Obed-Edom. ⁹ And Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, sons of ability, eighteen. ¹⁰ And Hosah, from the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief (though he was not firstborn, his father appointed him as chief), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth: all the sons and brothers of Hosah were thirteen.

¹² These working groups of gatekeepers, corresponding to the chief men, had responsibilities like their brothers to serve in the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And they cast lots, small and great alike, by their fathers’ houses, for their gates.^{[p] 14} And the lot fell to the east to Shelemiah. As for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor,^[q] they cast lots. And his lot came out for the north. ¹⁵ To Obed-Edom went out the south, and to his sons, the storehouses. ¹⁶ For Shuppim and Hosah it went out for the west, at the gate of Shalleketh, on the road that goes up, guard for guard. ¹⁷ To the east, six Levites; to the north, four daily; to the south, four daily; and at the storerooms, two by two. ¹⁸ For the court to the west, four at the road, two at the court. ¹⁹ These were the working groups of the gatekeepers among the sons of the Korahites and among the sons of Merari.

Treasurers and Other Officials

²⁰ And of the Levites: Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the sanctified objects. ²¹ The sons of Ladan: the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, the heads of the families^[r] belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, were over the treasuries of the house of Yahweh. ²³ Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Ozzielites: ²⁴ Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was commander over the treasuries. ²⁵ And his brothers: from Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, and Jeshaiah his son, and Joram his son, and Zikri his son, and Shelomoth his son. ²⁶ That Shelomoth and his brothers were over all the treasuries of the sanctified objects that King David and the heads of the families^[s] to the commanders of thousands and hundreds and the commanders of the army had dedicated. ²⁷ From the battles and from the spoil they had dedicated these things to strengthen the house of Yahweh. ²⁸ And all that Samuel the seer, and Saul the son of Kish, and Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated—all the dedicated gifts were under the hand of Shelomith and his brothers. ²⁹ For the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were appointed to the duties outside of Israel as officials and as judges. ³⁰ For the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his brothers, one thousand seven hundred men of ability, were over the administration of Israel beyond the Jordan westward, for all the work of Yahweh and for the service of the king. ³¹ For the Hebronites: Jeriah the chief of the Hebronites for the genealogy for the families.^[t] (In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were examined, and there was found among them mighty warriors of strength at Jazer in Gilead.) ³² And his brothers, sons of ability, were two thousand seven hundred heads of the families,^[u] and King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter of God and matter of the king.

Military Divisions

27 And as for the number of the Israelites,^[v] the heads of families,^[w] the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officials who serve the king in all matters of the working groups that came and went, month by month, throughout all the months of the year, each working group: twenty-four thousand.

² Over the first working group for the first month: Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ³ From the sons of Perez who was the chief of the commanders of the armies for the first month. ⁴ And over the working groups of the second month: Dodai the Ahohite and his working group, and Mikloth the commander. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ⁵ The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the chief priest. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ⁶ This was Benaiah who was a mighty warrior of thirty, and over the thirty and his working group was Ammizabad his son. ⁷ The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab and his son Zebadiah after him. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ⁸ The fifth, for the fifth month, the commander was Shamhuth the Izrahite. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ⁹ The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹⁰ The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, from the sons of Ephraim. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹¹ The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹² The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjamites. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹³ The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹⁴ The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite from the sons of Ephraim. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵ The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel. And he was over his working group of twenty-four thousand.

Leaders of the Tribes and Other High Ranking Officials

¹⁶ And over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites: the commander was Eliezer the son of Zikri. For the Simeonites: Shephatiah the son of Maacah. ¹⁷ For Levi: Hashabiah the son of Kemuel. For Aaron, Zadok. ¹⁸ For Judah: Elihu, from the brothers of David. For Issachar: Omri the son of Michael. ¹⁹ For Zebulun: Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah. For Naphtali: Jerimoth the son of Azriel. ²⁰ For the Ephraimites: Hoshea the son of Azaziah. For the half-tribe of Manasseh: Joel the son of Pedaiah. ²¹ For the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo the son of Zechariah. For Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner. ²² For Dan: Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the commanders of the tribes of Israel. ²³ And David did not take a census of those twenty years old or under^[x] because Yahweh promised^[y] to make Israel more numerous than the stars of heaven. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but he did not finish. But wrath came upon Israel concerning this, and the number was not included in the chronicles^[z] of King David.

²⁵ And over the treasury rooms of the king was Azmaveth the son of Adiel. And over the treasuries in the country, in the cities, in the unwalled villages, and in the towers was Jonathan the son of Uzziah. ²⁶ And over those who did the work in the field to till the soil was Ezri the son of Kelub. ²⁷ And over the vineyards was Shemei the Ramathite. And over the produce in the vineyards for the storehouses of the wine was Zabdi the Shiphmite. ²⁸ And over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the Shephelah was Baal-Hanan the Gederite. And over the treasury houses of olive oil was Joash. ²⁹ And over the cattle pastured in the Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite. And over the cattle in the valley was Shaphat the son of Adlai. ³⁰ And over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite. And over the female donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite.^[aa] And over the sheep was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹ All of these were officials of the property of King David.

³² And Jehonathan the uncle of David was an adviser, a man of insight, and he was a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the sons of the king. ³³ And Ahithophel was an adviser to the king, and Hushai the Arkite was a friend of the king.

³⁴ And after Ahithophel came Jehoiada, the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. And Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

David’s Charge to Israel

28 Then David assembled all the commanders of Israel, the commanders of the tribes and the commanders of working groups who served the king, and the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, and the commanders over all the property of the king and his sons, with the court officials and mighty warriors, and all the mighty warriors of ability, at Jerusalem. ² And King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I myself wanted^[ab] to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build. ³ But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name because you are a man of war, and you have shed blood.’ ⁴ But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel. ⁵ And from all my sons—for Yahweh has given many sons to me—he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. ⁶ And he said to me, ‘Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him, ⁷ and I will establish his kingdom forever if he firmly performs^[ac] my commandments and my judgments as he has to this day.’ ⁸ So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek all the commandments of Yahweh your God so that you may take possession of this good land and bestow it as an inheritance to your children after you forever.”

David’s Charge to Solomon

⁹ “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Look now, for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it!”

¹¹ Then David gave to Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and of the house of the lid of the ark, ¹² and the plan of all that he had in mind^[ad] for the courtyards of the house of Yahweh and for all the surrounding storage rooms, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for sanctified objects, ¹³ and for the working groups of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh, and for all the vessels for the service of the house of Yahweh, ¹⁴ and for the gold, according to the weight of the gold for all the vessels of the service, and the service of all the vessels of silver according to the weight of all the vessels for every kind of service.^{[ae] 15} And the weight of the golden lampstands and the golden lamps, the weight of each lampstand and each lamp,^[af] and the silver according to the weight of a lampstand and its lamp, according to the use of each lampstand,^{[ag] 16} and the weight of gold for the tables of the arranged bread, each table,^[ah] and silver for the tables of silver, ¹⁷ and pure gold for the three-pronged meat forks, and the bowls and the pitchers, and for the golden bowls, by weight for each bowl,^[ai] and for the silver bowls, by weight for each bowl,^{[aj] 18} and for the altar of incense made of refined gold, by weight, and gold for the plan for the chariot—the cherubim with outspread and covering wings over the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. ¹⁹ “All this I give you in writing; from the hand of Yahweh he instructed me about all the workings of this plan.”

²⁰ Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do this! Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you and will not forsake you until all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh is finished. ²¹ And behold, the working groups of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work for all those willing with the skill for every service, and the commanders and all the people for all your commands.”

Offerings for the Temple

29 Then David the king said to all the assembly, “God has chosen Solomon my son alone, a young man and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the citadel is not for humankind, but for Yahweh God. ² So I have provided for the house of my God according to all my strength, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and the wood for the things of wood, along with an abundance of onyx stones, stones for settings, stones of turquoise, and variegated stones, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster stones. ³ And moreover, with respect to my provisions for the house of my God I have a treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the house of my God above all that I have provided for the holy house: ⁴ three thousand talents of gold from the gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the houses, ⁵ gold for the golden things and silver for the silver things, for all the work by the hand of skilled craftsmen. Now who will offer willingly, consecrating himself^[ak] today to Yahweh?”

⁶ Then the commanders of the families,^[al] the commanders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the work of the king offered themselves willingly. ⁷ And they gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸ And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh under the authority^[am] of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ And the people rejoiced over their freewill offering, for with a whole heart they had willingly offered to Yahweh, and King David also rejoiced with great joy.

¹⁰ Then David blessed Yahweh in the sight of all the assembly, and David said, “Blessed are you, O Yahweh, God of Israel, our father forever and ever! ¹¹ To you, O Yahweh, is the greatness and the power and the splendor and the glory and the strength, for everything in the heavens and in the earth. Yours, O Yahweh, is the kingdom and exaltation over all as head! ¹² And wealth and glory are from you, and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might. And in your hand is power to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³ And now, our God, we give thanks to you and offer praise to the name of your splendor. ¹⁴ And indeed, who am I, and who are my people that we retain power to offer according to these offerings willingly? For everything is from you, and from your hand we have given to you. ¹⁵ For we are strangers before you and sojourners like all our ancestors.^[an] Our days are like the shadow upon earth, and there is no hope of abiding. ¹⁶ O Yahweh our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build for you a house for your holy name is from your hand, and all of it is yours. ¹⁷ And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you. ¹⁸ O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors,^[ao] keep this forever as a plan and thoughts of the heart of your people, and establish their heart toward you. ¹⁹ Grant to Solomon my son a heart of peace to keep your commands, your statutes, and your regulations to do everything, and to build the citadel for which I have provided.” ²⁰ And David said to all the assembly, “Bless Yahweh your God!” And all the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^[ap] And they bowed down and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.

Solomon’s Coronation

²¹ And they offered sacrifices to Yahweh, and on that next day they offered burnt offerings to Yahweh: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs, with their libations and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² And they ate and drank before Yahweh on that day with great joy. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him commander for Yahweh, and Zadok the priest.

²³ Then Solomon sat upon the throne of Yahweh as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ And all the officials and mighty warriors, and also all the sons of King David, pledged allegiance to^[aq] King Solomon. ²⁵ And Yahweh made Solomon exceedingly great in the sight of all Israel, and he bestowed upon him royal splendor that was not bestowed upon any king before him in Israel.

The Death of King David

²⁶ And David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷ And the days that he reigned over Israel were forty years. In Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. ²⁸ And he died in a good old age, full of days, wealth, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. ²⁹ Now the words of King David, from the first to the last, see, they are written among the words of Samuel the seer, and among the words of Nathan the prophet, and among the words of Gad the seer, ³⁰ with all the accounts of his kingdom, his power, and the times that came upon him, and upon Israel, and upon all the kingdoms of the earth.

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 And Solomon the son of David strengthened himself concerning his kingdom, and Yahweh his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. ² And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to all the leaders for all Israel, the heads of the families.^{[ar] 3} And Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of assembly^[as] of God that Moses the servant of Yahweh had made in the desert was there. ⁴ (But the ark of God David had brought up from Kiriath-Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for David had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) ⁵ And the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh. And Solomon and the assembly sought it out. ⁶ And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the tent of assembly,^[at] and he offered upon it a thousand burnt offerings.

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

⁷ On that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give to you.” ⁸ Then Solomon said to God, “You yourself have shown steadfast^[au] loyal love to David my father and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, O Yahweh God, let your word to David my father be fulfilled, for you yourself have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Now, give to me wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this, your great people?”

¹¹ Then God said to Solomon, “Because this was with your heart and you did not ask for wealth, possessions, honor, and the lives of your enemies, and also did not ask for long life,^[av] but have asked for wisdom and knowledge that you might judge my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge is given to you. And I will also give to you wealth, possessions, and honor, the like of which was not had by the kings who were before you, nor will there be the like after you.” ¹³ So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon to Jerusalem before the tent of assembly.^[aw] And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Wealth

¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold in Jerusalem like the stones. And he made cedar as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that were in the Shephelah. ¹⁶ And Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue. The traders of the king received them from Kue at a price. ¹⁷ They went up and exported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for one hundred and fifty shekels. And these were likewise exported^[ax] to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.^[ay]

Solomon Petitions the King of Tyre

2 ^[az] And Solomon planned to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself.^{[ba] 2} And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens^[bb] and eighty thousand quarriers^[bc] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred men to supervise them. ³ And Solomon sent word to Huram^[bd] king of Tyre, saying, “As you have dealt with David my father and sent cedar to him to build for himself a house in which to live, please deal with me. ⁴ Look, I am building a house for the name of Yahweh my God to dedicate to him, to offer sweet spices of incense before him, and for the regular rows of bread, and burnt offerings for mornings, evenings, Sabbaths, and new moon festivals, and for appointed feasts of Yahweh our God which are everlasting for Israel. ⁵ And the house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. ⁶ Now who indeed has adequate strength to build a house for him? For the heavens and the highest heavens^[be] are not able to contain him. Now who am I that I would build a house for him, except to burn incense before him? ⁷ So then, send to me skilled men to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue fabric, knowledgeable in engraving, with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father has established. ⁸ Send me trees of cedar, cypress, and algum from Lebanon, for I myself know that your servants are knowledgeable in cutting the trees of Lebanon. Now see, my servants will be with your servants ⁹ to prepare trees in abundance for me, for the house that I am building will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ Now see, I will provide twenty thousand dry measures of crushed wheat, twenty thousand dry measures of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil to the woodcarvers and those who cut timber.”

¹¹ Then Huram^[bf] king of Tyre answered in a letter, and he sent word to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.” ¹² Then Huram^[bg] said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has made the heavens and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son knowing discretion and understanding, who will build for Yahweh a house and a royal palace for himself. ¹³ So now I have sent a skilled man, knowledgeable and with understanding: my master^[bh] Huram, ¹⁴ a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, knowledgeable for working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and with purple, blue, and crimson fabric, and with fine linen, for engraving any engraving and devising any plan that is given to him, with your skilled men and the skilled men of my lord David your father. ¹⁵ Now as for the wheat, barley, oil, and wine that my lord mentioned, let him send that to his servants. ¹⁶ And we ourselves will cut trees from Lebanon according to all your need, and we will bring them to you on rafts over the sea to Joppa, so that you may bring them up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Then Solomon counted all the resident alien men who were in the land of Israel after the census that David his father had taken of them. And there were found one hundred and fifty-three thousand. ¹⁸ And he appointed from them seventy thousand to bear burdens,^[bi] eighty thousand to quarry^[bj] in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Solomon Builds the Temple

3 Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had established, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ² And he began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

³ Now these were the measurements of Solomon for building the house of God: the length in cubits by the former measurement was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. ⁴ The length of the portico that was in front was the same as the front of the width of the house:^[bk] twenty cubits. And its height was one hundred and twenty cubits. And he overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. ⁵ And the great house itself he covered with cypress wood, then he overlaid it with pure gold. And he put on it palm tree images and ornate chains. ⁶ Then he overlaid the house with precious stone as decoration. (Now the gold was the gold of Parvaim.) ⁷ And he overlaid the house with gold—the beams, the thresholds, the walls, and the doors. And he carved cherubim upon the walls. ⁸ Then he made the most holy place.^[bl] Its length was equal to^[bm] the width of the house: twenty cubits. And its breadth was twenty cubits. And he overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold. ⁹ And the weight for the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid its upper rooms with gold. ¹⁰ And he made two sculpted wood cherubim in the most holy place,^[bn] and he overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The length of the outstretched wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits; one wing of five cubits touched the wall of the house, and the other wing of five cubits was touching the outstretched wing of the other cherub. ¹² And the wing of five cubits of the other cherub was touching the wall of the house, and its other wing five cubits long touching the wing of the first^[bo] cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they were standing on their feet, their faces toward the house. ¹⁴ And he made the curtain of blue and purple and crimson and fine linen, and put cherubim on it. ¹⁵ And at the front of the house he made two columns, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on their top was five cubits. ¹⁶ And he made decorative chains in the inner sanctuary and put them on top of the columns. And he made one hundred pomegranate ornaments, and put them on the chains. ¹⁷ And he erected the columns in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. He called the name of the southern one Jakin, and the name of the northern one Boaz.

The Furnishings of Solomon’s Temple

4 And he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits was its length, and twenty cubits was its width, and ten cubits was its height. ² Then he made the sea of molten metal, from brim to brim it was ten cubits, completely round. And it was five cubits in height, and its circumference measured^[bp] thirty cubits. ³ Under it were figures of oxen all around it, ten cubits high, encircling the sea all around. The oxen were in two rows cast as one piece with it.^{[bq] 4} It was standing upon twelve oxen, three facing north, and three facing west, and three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set upon them from above, and all their hindquarters faced inward.^{[br] 5} And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was like the working of the lip of a cup, the blossom of a lily. And it held three thousand baths. ⁶ And he made ten basins. And he set five on the south and five on the north in which to wash; they washed off the work of the burnt offering in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash therein. ⁷ And he made ten golden lampstands according to their custom, and he set them in the temple, five on the south and five on the north. ⁸ And he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south and five on the north. And he made a hundred drinking bowls of gold. ⁹ And he made the courtyard of the priests and the great outer courtyard and the doors for the outer court. And he overlaid their doors with bronze. ¹⁰ And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the temple. ¹¹ And Huram^[bs] made the pots, the shovels, and the drinking bowls. So Hiram^[bt] finished making the work that he made on the house of God for King Solomon: ¹² the two columns, the bowls, and the two capitals on top of the columns, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the columns, ¹³ and the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for the latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were before the columns. ¹⁴ And he made the water carts, and he made the basins on the water carts, ¹⁵ and the one sea and the twelve oxen underneath it.

¹⁶ And Huram-abi made for King Solomon the pots, the shovels, the three-pronged meat forks, and all the utensils of polished bronze for the house of Yahweh. ¹⁷ The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸ Solomon made all these utensils in great abundance, for the weight of the bronze could not be determined. ¹⁹ So Solomon made all the objects that were in the house of God: the altar of gold; the tables upon which was the bread of the presence; ²⁰ the lampstands, and the lamps for burning according to the custom before the inner sanctuary, of solid gold; ²¹ and the blossoms, the lamps, and the tongs that were of solid gold; ²² and the snuffers, the drinking bowls, the dishes, and the firepans, of solid gold; and the entrance to the house, the inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors to the house of the temple were of gold.

The Ark Installed in the Temple

5 When all the work that Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was finished, Solomon brought the holy objects of David his father: the silver, the gold, and all the objects he had put into the storehouses of the house of God. ² Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the families^[bu] for the Israelites,^[bv] to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion. ³ And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. ⁴ And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. ⁵ And they brought up the ark, the tent of assembly,^[bw] and all the holy objects that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and the whole community of Israel that was assembled before him were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted nor numbered for abundance. ⁷ Then the priests brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, into the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ The cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim were covering the ark and over its poles from above. ⁹ But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles from the ark were seen from before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from the outside. And they are there until this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets that Moses had put inside at Horeb on which Yahweh had made^[bx] a covenant with the Israelites^[by] when they went out from Egypt. ¹¹ And when the priests came out of the sanctuary (for all the priests who were present^[bz] sanctified themselves without keeping their divisions) ¹² and all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons, their brothers, dressed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments—they were standing to the east of the altar. And with them outside were one hundred and twenty priests who were trumpet blowers. ¹³ And it was the primary duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard with one voice, to praise and give thanks to Yahweh. And when a sound from the trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments of song was raised to Yahweh—for he is good, because his loyal love is everlasting—then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ And the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

Solomon Blesses the People

6 Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has decided^[ca] to dwell in the deep gloom. ² But I have built for you an exalted house, even a place for you to dwell in forever.” ³ Then the king turned around^[cb] and blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel were standing. ⁴ And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands he has fulfilled it, saying, ⁵ ‘From the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt I did not choose a city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in order for my name to be there. Nor did I choose a man to be leader over my people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen my name to be there in Jerusalem, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ ⁷ Now, it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ But Yahweh said to David my father, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart, ⁹ but you yourself will not build the house, but your son who will proceed from your loins; he himself will build the house for my name.’ ¹⁰ Now Yahweh has fulfilled his word that he spoke. I have risen in the place of David my father and am seated on the throne of Israel as Yahweh has spoken. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And I have there the ark in which is the covenant of Yahweh that he made^[cc] with the Israelites.”^[cd]

Solomon’s Prayer to Dedicate the Temple

¹² Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ¹³ (For Solomon had made a platform of bronze five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high, and placed it in the midst of the outer court.) And he stood upon it, then knelt down on his knees before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands to heaven. ¹⁴ And he said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is none like you, a God in the heavens and on the earth, keeping the covenant and loyal love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart, ¹⁵ that you have kept for your servant David my father what you spoke to him. You spoke with your mouth, and by your hand you have fulfilled it on this day. ¹⁶ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David, my father, what you have spoken to him, saying, ‘You shall not lack^[ce] a man to sit on the throne of Israel before me, if only your sons keep their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ ¹⁷ And now, O Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word that you have spoken to your servant David be confirmed.

¹⁸ “But will God indeed dwell with humankind upon the earth? Look, the heavens and the highest heavens^[cf] cannot contain you! Surely then this house that I have built will not contain you! ¹⁹ But turn to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Yahweh my God, to hearken to the pleading and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you, ²⁰ that your eyes may be open day and night to this house, to the place that you have promised to place your name there, that you may hear the prayer that your servant has prayed to this place. ²¹ And listen to the pleas of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself might hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens, that you might hear and forgive.

²² “If a man sins against his neighbor and makes him swear an oath^[cg] and comes with an oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and act and judge your servants, to repay the guilty by bringing his way upon his head and to vindicate the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ “And if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and they repent and confess your name and pray and plead before you in this house, ²⁵ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel and again bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.^[ch]

²⁶ “When the heavens are stopped up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you and they pray to this place and confess your name and turn back from their sin when you humble them, ²⁷ then may you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon your land that you have given to your people as an inheritance.

²⁸ “If there is a famine in the land; if there is disease, blight, mildew, locust, and caterpillar; if it happens that his enemy lays siege to him in the land and his gates; any kind of plague, any kind of disease, ²⁹ then any prayer, any plea that is made by any person and by all your people Israel, each one who knows his own affliction and his own anguish and who spreads out his hands to this house, ³⁰ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, since you know the heart of the children of humankind, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they are alive upon the face of the land that you have given to our ancestors.^[ci]

³² “And also, with respect to the foreigner, he who is not of your people Israel, but comes from a distant land, for the sake of your great name and your powerful hand and outstretched arm, when he comes and prays to this house, ³³ then may you yourself hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all peoples of earth will know of your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that your name possesses^[cj] this house that I have built.

³⁴ “When your people go out to battle against their enemy according to the way that you have sent them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens and uphold their case. ³⁶ When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you become angry with them and place them before their enemy that they carry them away as captives to a land far or near, ³⁷ but if they repent^[ck] in the land where they were taken captive and repent^[cl] and beg you for mercy in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and acted perversely and done wickedly, ³⁸ and we return to you,’ with their whole heart and with all their inmost being in the land of their captivity where they took them captive, and if they pray toward their land that you have given to their ancestors^[cm] and the city that you have chosen and to the house that I have built for your name, ³⁹ then may you hear their prayer and their pleas from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and uphold their case and forgive your people who sinned against you. ⁴⁰ Now, O my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place!

⁴¹ “And now arise, O Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! O Yahweh God, let the priests be clothed with salvation, and let your holy ones rejoice in your goodness! ⁴² O Yahweh God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember the loyal love of your servant, David!”

God Answers with Fire from Heaven

7 And when Solomon finished praying, then fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ² And the priests were not able to go into the house of Yahweh, for the glory of Yahweh had filled the house. ³ When all the Israelites^[cn] saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh upon the house, they knelt down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loyal love is everlasting.

The Temple Dedication

⁴ Then the king and all the people were offering a sacrifice before Yahweh. ⁵ And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ And the priests stood at their posts with the Levites, with the instruments of the song of Yahweh that King David had made to give thanks to Yahweh—for his loyal love is everlasting—whenever David offered praise by their hand. Now the priests sounded trumpets standing opposite them, and all Israel stood.

⁷ And Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was before the house of Yahweh, for there he had made the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, for the bronze altar that Solomon had made was not able to hold the burnt offerings, cereal offerings, and the fat.

⁸ And Solomon held^[co] a feast at that time of seven days. And all Israel was with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-Hamath to the river of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they held^[cp] the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. ¹⁰ And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents rejoicing and festive of heart on account of the goodness that Yahweh had done for David, Solomon, and Israel his people.