Bible in 90 Days
38 (A)He made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basin was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the 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 (B)two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the (C)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network 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 (D)the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 and (E)the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the Lord were of polished bronze. 46 (F)In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between (G)Succoth and (H)Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; (I)the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained.
48 Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of the Lord: (J)the golden altar and the golden table on which was the (K)bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and (L)the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; 50 and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the (M)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, of the nave, of gold.
51 (N)Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the Lord was finished. And (O)Solomon brought in the things dedicated 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 (P)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all (Q)the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, (R)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from (S)the city of David, which is Zion. 2 All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at (T)the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and (U)the priests took up the ark. 4 They brought up the ark of the Lord and (V)the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, (W)were with him before the ark, sacrificing [a]so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6 Then (X)the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Y)to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, (Z)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 poles from above. 8 But (AA)the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9 (AB)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where (AC)the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, (AD)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 (AE)Then Solomon said,
“The Lord has said that (AF)He would dwell in the thick cloud.
13 “(AG)I have surely built You a lofty house,
(AH)A place for Your dwelling forever.”
14 Then the king [b]faced about and (AI)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 He said, “(AJ)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, (AK)who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, 16 ‘(AL)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 that (AM)My name might be there, but (AN)I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 (AO)Now it was [c]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 [d]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was [e]in your heart. 19 (AP)Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who [f]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 (AQ)I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord [g]promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 There I have set a place for the ark, (AR)in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt.”
The Prayer of Dedication
22 Then (AS)Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and (AT)spread out his hands toward heaven. 23 He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, (AU)there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, (AV)keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24 who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have [h]promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. 25 Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have [i]promised him, saying, ‘[j](AW)You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26 Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed (AX)which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, (AY)heaven and the [k]highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the (AZ)prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 29 (BA)that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward (BB)the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 30 (BC)Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, (BD)when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and (BE)forgive.
31 “(BF)If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, (BG)condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
33 “(BH)When Your people Israel are [l]defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, (BI)if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You 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 to their fathers.
35 “(BJ)When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, (BK)indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And (BL)send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.
37 “(BM)If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their [m]cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, [n]each knowing the [o]affliction of his own heart, and spreading his [p]hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, (BN)whose heart You know, for (BO)You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40 that they may [q]fear You all the days that they live [r]in the land which You have given to our fathers.
41 “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42 (for they will hear of Your great name (BP)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 do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order (BQ)that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to [s]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that [t]this house which I have built is called by Your name.
44 “When Your people go out to battle against [u]their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and (BR)they pray to the Lord [v]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 supplication, and maintain their [w]cause.
46 “When they sin against You (for (BS)there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that [x]they take them away captive (BT)to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47 (BU)if they [y]take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘(BV)We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48 (BW)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 (BX)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 supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their [z]cause, 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and (BY)make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 ((BZ)for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, (CA)from the midst of the iron furnace), 52 (CB)that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, (CC)as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord [aa]God.”
Solomon’s Benediction
54 (CD)When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, (CE)he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his [ab]hands spread toward heaven. 55 And he stood and (CF)blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, (CG)according to all that He [ac]promised; (CH)not one word has [ad]failed of all His good [ae]promise, which He [af]promised through Moses His servant. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; (CI)may He not leave us or forsake us, 58 that (CJ)He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the [ag]cause of His servant and the [ah]cause of His people Israel, [ai]as each day requires, 60 so (CK)that all the peoples of the earth may know that (CL)the Lord is God; there is no one else. 61 (CM)Let your heart therefore be [aj]wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
Dedicatory Sacrifices
62 (CN)Now the king and all Israel with him (CO)offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. (CP)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 court that was before the house of the Lord, because there he [ak]offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for (CQ)the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.
65 So (CR)Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly (CS)from the entrance of Hamath (CT)to the brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, for seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had [al]shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.
God’s Promise and Warning
9 (CU)Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and (CV)the king’s house, and (CW)all [am]that Solomon desired to do, 2 that (CX)the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him, “(CY)I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built (CZ)by putting My name there forever, and (DA)My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 As for you, (DB)if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5 then (DC)I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I [an]promised to your father David, saying, ‘[ao]You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
6 “(DD)But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 (DE)then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and (DF)the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will [ap]cast out of My sight. So (DG)Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become [aq](DH)a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘(DI)Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 And they will say, ‘(DJ)Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’”
Cities Given to Hiram
10 (DK)It came about (DL)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 cypress timber and gold according to all his desire), then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 So Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they [ar]did not please him. 13 He said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So [as]they were called the land of [at](DM)Cabul to this day. 14 (DN)And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.
15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon (DO)levied to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the [au](DP)Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, (DQ)Hazor, (DR)Megiddo, and (DS)Gezer. 16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the (DT)Canaanites who lived in the city, and had (DU)given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower (DV)Beth-horon 18 and (DW)Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even (DX)the cities for [av]his chariots and the cities for [aw](DY)his horsemen, and [ax](DZ)all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land [ay]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 (EA)their descendants who were left after them in the land (EB)whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, (EC)from them Solomon levied (ED)forced laborers, even to this day. 22 But Solomon (EE)did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.
23 These were the [az](EF)chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, (EG)who ruled over the people doing the work.
24 As soon as (EH)Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, (EI)then he built the Millo.
25 Now (EJ)three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to 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 (EK)fleet of ships in (EL)Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the [ba]Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 (EM)And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28 They went to (EN)Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba
10 (EO)Now when the (EP)queen of (EQ)Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came (ER)to test him with difficult questions. 2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels (ES)carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3 Solomon [bb]answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not [bc]explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and [bd]his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. 6 Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 Nevertheless I did not believe the [be]reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. 8 How (ET)blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. 9 (EU)Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; (EV)because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, (EW)to do justice and righteousness.” 10 (EX)She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
11 (EY)Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones. 12 (EZ)The king made of the almug trees supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again nor have they been seen to this day.
13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to [bf]his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land [bg]together with her servants.
Wealth, Splendor and Wisdom
14 (FA)Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traders and the [bh]wares of the merchants and all the kings of the (FB)Arabs and the governors of the country. 16 (FC)King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, [bi]using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. 17 He made (FD)300 shields of beaten gold, [bj]using three minas of gold on each shield, and (FE)the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover, the king made a great throne of (FF)ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and [bk]arms [bl]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the [bm]arms. 20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered [bn]valuable in the days of Solomon. 22 For (FG)the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.
23 (FH)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, (FI)to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25 (FJ)They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
26 (FK)Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he [bo]stationed them in the (FL)chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 (FM)The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the [bp]lowland. 28 (FN)Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price. 29 A chariot [bq]was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and [br]by the same means they exported them (FO)to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.
Solomon Turns from God
11 Now (FP)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “(FQ)You shall not [bs]associate with them, nor shall they [bt]associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. 3 (FR)He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and (FS)his heart was not [bu]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 For Solomon went after (FT)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after [bv](FU)Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for (FV)Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is [bw]east of Jerusalem, and for (FW)Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now (FX)the Lord was angry with Solomon (FY)because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, (FZ)who had appeared to him twice, 10 and (GA)had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because [bx]you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, (GB)I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, (GC)I will not tear away all the kingdom, but (GD)I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and (GE)for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
God Raises Adversaries
14 Then the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the [by]royal line in Edom. 15 For it came about, (GF)when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had (GG)struck down every male in Edom 16 (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17 that Hadad fled [bz]to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18 They arose from Midian and came to (GH)Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19 Now Hadad found great favor [ca]before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 But (GI)when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely [cb]let me go.”
23 (GJ)God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord (GK)Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, (GL)after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed [cc]there, and reigned in Damascus. 25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.
26 Then (GM)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, (GN)also [cd]rebelled against the king. 27 Now this was the reason why he [ce]rebelled against the king: (GO)Solomon built the [cf]Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28 Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when (GP)Solomon saw that the young man was [cg]industrious, he appointed him over all the [ch]forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that (GQ)the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now [ci]Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30 Then (GR)Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, (GS)I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32 ((GT)but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, (GU)the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken Me, and (GV)have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, (GW)Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34 Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him [cj]ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 35 but (GX)I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 36 But (GY)to his son I will give one tribe, (GZ)that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, (HA)the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37 I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever [ck]you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then (HB)I will be with you and (HC)build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Thus I will afflict the [cl]descendants of David for this, but not always.’” 40 Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to (HD)Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
The Death of Solomon
41 (HE)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 Thus (HF)the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon (HG)slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son (HH)Rehoboam reigned in his place.
King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly
12 (HI)Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to (HJ)Shechem to make him king. 2 Now (HK)when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, [cm]he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 3 Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “(HL)Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Then he said to them, “(HM)Depart [cn]for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam (HN)consulted with the elders who had [co]served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?” 7 Then they spoke to him, saying, “(HO)If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and [cp]grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him [cq]and served him. 9 So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ But you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! 11 Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
12 Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had [cr]directed, saying, “(HP)Return to me on the third day.” 13 The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had [cs]given him, 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “(HQ)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; (HR)for it was a turn of events from the Lord, (HS)that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel
16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying,
“What portion do we have in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
(HT)To your tents, O Israel!
Now look after your own house, David!”
So Israel departed to their tents. 17 But (HU)as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent (HV)Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him [ct]to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 (HW)So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. (HX)None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21 (HY)Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to (HZ)Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the (IA)rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Thus says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your [cu]relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, (IB)for this thing has come from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to the word of the Lord.
Jeroboam’s Idolatry
25 Then (IC)Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived [cv]there. And he went out from there and built (ID)Penuel. 26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 (IE)If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king [cw]consulted, and (IF)made two golden (IG)calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; (IH)behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 He set (II)one in (IJ)Bethel, and the other he put in (IK)Dan. 30 Now (IL)this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 And (IM)he made houses on high places, and (IN)made priests from among [cx]all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 Jeroboam [cy]instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, (IO)like the feast which is in Judah, and he [cz]went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel (IP)the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 Then he [da]went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had [db](IQ)devised [dc]in his own heart; and he [dd]instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and [de]went up to the altar (IR)to burn [df]incense.
Jeroboam Warned, Stricken
13 Now behold, there came (IS)a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar (IT)to burn incense. 2 (IU)He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, (IV)Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 Then he gave a [dg]sign the same day, saying, “(IW)This is the [dh]sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the [di]ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart and the [dj]ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the [dk]sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 6 The king said to the man of God, “Please [dl](IX)entreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So (IY)the man of God [dm]entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and (IZ)I will give you a reward.” 8 But the man of God said to the king, “(JA)If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. 9 For so [dn]it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.
The Disobedient Prophet
11 Now (JB)an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his [do]sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12 Their father said to them, “[dp]Which way did he go?” Now his sons [dq]had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under [dr]an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 He said, “(JC)I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For a command came to me (JD)by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 18 He said to him, “(JE)I also am a prophet like you, and (JF)an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But (JG)he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have [ds]disobeyed the [dt]command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 Now when he had gone, (JH)a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where (JI)the old prophet lived.
26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who [du]disobeyed the [dv]command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” 27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “(JJ)Alas, my brother!” 31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; (JK)lay my bones beside his bones. 32 (JL)For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and (JM)against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of (JN)Samaria.”
33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but (JO)again he made priests of the high places from among [dw]all the people; (JP)any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. 34 [dx](JQ)This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, (JR)even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Ahijah Prophesies against the King
14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and (JS)disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to (JT)Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who (JU)spoke concerning me that I would be king over this people. 3 (JV)Take ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to (JW)Shiloh, and came to the house of (JX)Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, (JY)for his eyes were [dy]dim because of his age. 5 Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to [dz]inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that (JZ)she will pretend to be another woman.”
6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. 7 Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “(KA)Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, 8 and (KB)tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—(KC)yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, (KD)to do only that which was right in My sight; 9 you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and (KE)have gone and made for yourself other gods and (KF)molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have (KG)cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and (KH)will cut off from Jeroboam [ea]every male person, (KI)both bond and free in Israel, and I (KJ)will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 11 (KK)Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the Lord has spoken it.”’ 12 Now you, arise, go to your house. (KL)When your feet enter the city the child will die. 13 All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for [eb]he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him (KM)something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, (KN)the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day [ec]and from now on.
15 “For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and (KO)He will uproot Israel from (KP)this good land which He gave to their fathers, and (KQ)will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, (KR)because they have made their [ed]Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 He will give up Israel (KS)on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he [ee]committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to (KT)Tirzah. (KU)As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 (KV)All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, (KW)how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Misleads Judah
21 (KX)Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, (KY)the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 (KZ)Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they (LA)provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with [ef]the sins which they [eg]committed. 23 For they also built for themselves (LB)high places and sacred (LC)pillars and [eh](LD)Asherim on every high hill and (LE)beneath every luxuriant tree. 24 There were also (LF)male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
25 (LG)Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and (LH)he took everything, [ei](LI)even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and (LJ)committed them to the [ej]care of the commanders of the [ek]guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28 Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the Lord, that the [el]guards would carry them and would bring them back into the [em]guards’ room.
29 (LK)Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 (LL)There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and (LM)his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.
Abijam Reigns over Judah
15 (LN)Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [en](LO)Maacah the daughter of [eo](LP)Abishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and (LQ)his heart was not [ep]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David. 4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a (LR)lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem; 5 (LS)because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, (LT)except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 6 (LU)There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now (LV)the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? (LW)And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
Asa Succeeds Abijam
8 (LX)And Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place.
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and (LY)his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 (LZ)Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father. 12 (MA)He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and (MB)removed all the idols which his fathers had made. 13 [eq](MC)He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image [er]as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and (MD)burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 (ME)But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless (MF)the heart of Asa was [es]wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. 15 (MG)He brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.
16 (MH)Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 (MI)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and [et](MJ)fortified Ramah (MK)in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then (ML)Asa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And (MM)King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in (MN)Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a (MO)treaty between [eu]you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and [ev]conquered (MP)Ijon, (MQ)Dan, (MR)Abel-beth-maacah and all (MS)Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard of it, (MT)he ceased [ew]fortifying Ramah and remained in (MU)Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—none was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built. And King Asa built with them (MV)Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
23 (MW)Now the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and (MX)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab, then Baasha, Rules over Israel
25 Now (MY)Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (MZ)walked in the way of his father and (NA)in his sin which he made Israel sin. 27 Then (NB)Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at (NC)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam [ex]any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, (ND)according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and (NE)which he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 (NF)Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
War with Judah
32 (NG)There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (NH)walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.
Prophecy against Baasha
16 Now the word of the Lord came to (NI)Jehu the son of (NJ)Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Inasmuch as I (NK)exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and (NL)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, (NM)I will consume (NN)Baasha and his house, and (NO)I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 (NP)Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.”
5 (NQ)Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
The Israelite Kings
6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in (NR)Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the Lord through (NS)the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with (NT)the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because (NU)he struck [ey]it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9 His servant (NV)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, (NW)who was over the household at Tirzah. 10 Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place. 11 It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that (NX)he [ez]killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave [fa]a single male, neither of his [fb]relatives nor of his friends.
12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, (NY)according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha through (NZ)Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, (OA)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [fc]idols. 14 (OB)Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against (OC)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 The people who were camped heard [fd]it said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire, and (OD)died, 19 because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (OE)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin. 20 (OF)Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [fe]carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
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