Chronological
3 1 Solomon taketh Pharaoh’s daughter to wife. 5 The Lord appeareth to him, and giveth him wisdom. 17 The pleading of the two harlots, and Solomon’s sentence therein.
1 Solomon (A)then made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the [a]city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only the people sacrificed in the [b]high places, because there was no house built unto the Name of the Lord, until those days.
3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the ordinances of David his [c]father: only he sacrificed and offered incense in the high places.
4 And the King went to [d]Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the chief high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, [e]when he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee: and thou hast [f]kept for him this great mercy, and hast given him a son, to sit on his throne, as appeareth this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a young child, and know not how to [g]go out and in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, even a great people, which cannot be told nor numbered for multitude.
9 (B)Give therefore unto thy servant an [h]understanding heart, to judge thy people: that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy [i]mighty people?
10 And this pleased the Lord well, that Solomon had desired this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine [j]enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgment,
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall arise the like unto thee.
13 And I have also (C)given thee that, which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that among the Kings there [k]shall be none like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep mine ordinances and my commandments, (D)as thy father David did walk, I will prolong thy days.
15 And when Solomon awoke, behold it was [l]a dream, and he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings, and made peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 ¶ Then came two [m]harlots unto the king, and [n]stood before him.
17 And the one woman said, Oh my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And the third day after that I was delivered, this woman was delivered also, and we were in the house together: no stranger was with us in the house save we twain.
19 And this woman’s son died in the night: for she overlay him.
20 And she rose at midnight, and [o]took my son from my side, while thine handmaid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.
21 And when I arose in the morning to give my son suck, behold, he was dead: and when I had well considered him in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I had borne.
22 Then the other woman said, Nay, but my son liveth, and thy son is dead. Again she said, No, but thy son is dead, and mine alive: thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, She saith, This that liveth is my son, and the dead is thy son: and the other saith, Nay, but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.
24 Then the King said, [p]Bring me a sword: and they brought out a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide ye the living child in twain, and give the one half to the one, and the other half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman, whose the living child was, unto the king, for her compassion was kindled toward her son, and she said, Oh my lord, give her the living child and [q]slay him not: but the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered, and said, Give her the living child, and slay him not: this is his mother.
28 And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
4 2 The princes and rulers under Solomon. 22 The purveyance for his victuals. 26 The number of his horses. 32 His books and writings.
1 And king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these were [r]his princes, [s]Azariah the son of Zadok the Priest,
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, Scribes, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the Recorder,
4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host, and Zadok and [t]Abiathar, Priests,
5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers, and Zabud the son of Nathan, Priest, was the king’s friend,
6 And Ahishar was over the household, and (E)Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
7 ¶ And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man had a month in the year to provide victuals.
8 And these are their names: the son of Hur in mount Ephraim:
9 The son of Deker in Makaz, and in Shaalbim and Beth Shemesh, and [u]Elon and Beth Hanan:
10 The son of Hesed in Arubboth, to whom pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
11 The son of Abinadab in all the region of Dor, which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife.
12 Baana the son of Ahilud in Taanach, and Megiddo, and in all Beth Shean, which is by Zaretan beneath Jezreel, from Beth Shean [v]to Abel Meholah, even till beyond over against Jokneam:
13 The son of Geber in Ramoth Gilead, and his were the towns of [w]Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and under him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan: threescore great cities with walls and bars of brass.
14 ¶ Ahinadab the son of Iddo had to Mahanaim:
15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali, and he took Basemath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
16 Baanah the son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth:
17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah in [x]Issachar:
18 Shimei the son of Elah in Benjamin:
19 Geber the son of Uri in the country of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan, and was officer alone in the land.
20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand of the sea in number, [y]eating, drinking, and making merry.
21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms, from the [z]River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt, and they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 And Solomon’s victuals for one day were thirty [aa]measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal:
23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, besides harts, and bucks, and bugles, and fat fowl.
24 For he ruled in all the region on the other side of the River, from Tiphsah even unto [ab]Gaza, over all the [ac]kings on the other side the River: and he had peace round about him on every side.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt without fear every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, from [ad]Dan, even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 ¶ And Solomon had (F)forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
27 And these officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came to king Solomon’s table, every man his month, and they suffered to lack nothing.
28 Barley also and straw for the horses and mules, brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and [ae]a large heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore,
30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the [af]East, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than any man: yea, than were Ethan the Ezrahite, than Heman, than Chalcol, than Darda the sons of Mahol: and he was famous throughout all nations round about.
32 And Solomon spake three thousand [ag]proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the [ah]hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
The Second Book of the Chronicles
1 6 The offering of Solomon at Gibeon. 8 He prayeth unto God to give him wisdom: 11 Which he giveth him, and more. 14 The number of his chariots and horsemen, 15 and of his riches.
1 Then Solomon the son of David was [a]confirmed in his kingdom: and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him highly.
2 And Solomon [b]spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands, and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to all the governors in all Israel, even the chief fathers.
3 So Solomon and all the Congregation with him went to the high place that was at [c]Gibeon: for there was the Tabernacle [d]of the Congregation of God which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness.
4 But the Ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath Jearim, when David had made preparation for it: for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
5 Moreover, the [e]brazen altar (A)that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur had made, did he set before the Tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and the Congregation sought it.
6 And Solomon offered there before the Lord upon the brazen altar that was in the Tabernacle of the Congregation: (B)even a thousand burnt offerings offered he upon it.
7 ¶ The same night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
9 Now therefore, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be [f]true: for thou hast made me King over a great people, like to the dust of the earth.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may [g]go out and go in before this people: for who can judge this thy great people?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, treasures nor honor, nor the [h]lives of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life, but hast asked for thee wisdom and knowledge, that thou mightest judge my people, over whom I have made thee King,
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee, and I will give thee riches and treasures and honor, so that there hath not been the like among the kings which were before thee, neither after thee shall there be the like.
13 Then Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, to Jerusalem from before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and reigned over Israel.
14 (C)And Solomon gathered the chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he placed in the [i]chariot cities, and with the King at Jerusalem.
15 And the king gave gold and silver at Jerusalem as [j]stone, and gave cedar trees as the wild fig trees, that are abundantly in the plain.
16 Also Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and (D)fine linen: [k]the King’s merchants received the fine linen for a price.
17 They came up also and brought out of Egypt some chariot, worth six hundred shekels of silver, that is an horse for an hundred and fifty: and thus they brought horses to all the kings of the Hittites, and to the kings of Aram by their [l]means.
72 1 He prayeth for the prosperous estate of the kingdom of Solomon, who was the figure of Christ, 4 under whom shall be righteousness, peace, and felicity. 10 Unto whom all Kings and nations shall do homage, 17 Whose name and power shall endure forever, and in whom all nations shall be blessed.
A Psalm [a]of Solomon.
1 Give thy [b]judgments to the King, O God, and thy righteousness to the King’s [c]son.
2 Then shall he judge thy people in righteousness, and thy poor with equity.
3 The [d]mountains, and the hills shall bring peace to the people by justice.
4 He shall [e]judge the poor of the people: he shall save the children of the needy, and shall subdue the oppressor.
5 They shall [f]fear thee as long as the sun and moon endureth, from generation to generation.
6 He shall come [g]down like the rain upon the mown grass, and as the showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace shall be so long as the moon endureth.
8 His dominion shall be also from [h]sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the land.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness, shall kneel before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of [i]Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings [j]of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts.
11 Yea, all kings shall worship him: all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the poor when he crieth: the needy also, and him that hath no helper.
13 He shall be merciful to the poor and needy, and shall preserve the souls of the poor.
14 He shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence, and [k]dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15 Yea, he shall live, and unto him shall they give of the [l]gold of Sheba: they shall also pray for him continually, and daily bless him.
16 An handful of corn shall be sown in the earth, even in the top of the mountains, and the [m]fruit thereof shalt shake like the trees of Lebanon: and the children shall flourish out of the city like the grass of the earth.
17 His name shall be forever: his name shall endure as long as the Sun: all nations shall bless [n]him, and be blessed in him.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel which only doeth [o]wondrous things.
19 And blessed be his glorious Name forever: and let all the earth be filled with his glory. So be it, even so be it.
[20] Here end the [p]prayers of David the son of Jesse.
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