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Solomon’s Request for Wisdom
1 Solomon son of David strengthened his hold on his kingdom.(A) The Lord his God was with him and highly exalted him.(B) 2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the families.(C) 3 Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon(D) because God’s tent of meeting, which the Lord’s servant Moses had made(E) in the wilderness, was there. 4 Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place[a] he had set up for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,(F) 5 but he put[b] the bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made,(G) in front of the Lord’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him[c] there. 6 Solomon offered sacrifices there in the Lord’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered 1,000 burnt offerings on it.(H)
7 That night(I) God appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you?”
8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and You have made me king in his place.(J) 9 Lord God, let Your promise to my father David now come true.(K) For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.(L) 10 Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people,(M) for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you, or will be given to those after you.”(N) 13 So Solomon went to Jerusalem from[d] the high place that was in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.
Solomon’s Horses and Wealth
14 Solomon(O) accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen,(P) which he stationed in the chariot cities(Q) and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue.[e] The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price. 17 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 15 pounds[f] of silver and a horse for about four pounds.[g] In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.
Solomon’s Letter to Hiram
2 [h]Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of Yahweh and a royal palace for himself,(R) 2 [i]so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.(S)
3 Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram[j](T) of Tyre:(U)
Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.(V) 4 Now I am building a temple for the name of Yahweh my God in order to dedicate it to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him,(W) for displaying the rows of the bread of the Presence continuously,(X) and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening,(Y) the Sabbaths(Z) and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel forever. 5 The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.(AA) 6 But who is able to build a temple for Him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him?(AB) Who am I then that I should build a temple for Him except as a place to burn incense before Him? 7 Therefore, send me a craftsman who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the craftsmen who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem,(AC) appointed by my father David.(AD) 8 Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum[k](AE) logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants(AF) 9 to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, 100,000 bushels[l] of wheat flour, 100,000 bushels[m] of barley, 110,000 gallons[n] of wine, and 110,000 gallons[o] of oil.
Hiram’s Reply
11 Then King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter[p] and sent it to Solomon:
Because the Lord loves His people, He set you over them as king.(AG)
12 Hiram also said:
May the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth,(AH) be praised! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding,(AI) who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.(AJ) 13 I have now sent Huram-abi,[q] a skillful man who has understanding.(AK) 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your craftsmen and the craftsmen of my lord, your father David. 15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.(AL) 16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.(AM)
Solomon’s Work Force
17 Solomon took a census of all the foreign men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted,(AN) and the total was 153,600. 18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.(AO)
Building the Temple
3 Then Solomon began(AP) to build the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah(AQ) where the Lord[r] had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan[s] the Jebusite. 2 He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Solomon’s foundations[t] for building God’s temple: the length[u] was 90 feet,[v] and the width 30 feet.[w] 4 The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was 30 feet[x] wide; its height was 30 feet;[y][z] he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold. 5 The larger room[aa] he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. 7 He overlaid the temple—the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors—with gold,(AR) and he carved cherubim on the walls.(AS)
The Most Holy Place
8 Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet,[ab] and its width was 30 feet.[ac](AT) He overlaid it with 45,000 pounds[ad] of fine gold. 9 The weight of the nails was 20 ounces[ae] of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.
10 He made(AU) two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold. 11 The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet:[af] the wing of one was 7½ feet,[ag] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet,[ah] touching the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the other[ai] cherub was 7½ feet,[aj] touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet,[ak] reaching the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet.[al] They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.[am]
14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.(AV)
The Bronze Pillars
15 In front of the temple(AW) he made two pillars, each 27 feet[an][ao] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet[ap] high. 16 He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars.(AX) He made 100 pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin[aq] and the one on the left Boaz.[ar]
The New Life in Christ
6 What should we say then?(A) Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?(B) 2 Absolutely not!(C) How can we who died to sin(D) still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized(E) into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?(F) 4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death,(G) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead(H) by the glory of the Father,(I) so we too may walk in a new way[a] of life.(J) 5 For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death,(K) we will certainly also be[b] in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self[c](L) was crucified with Him(M) in order that sin’s dominion over the body[d] may be abolished,(N) so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died(O) is freed[e] from sin’s claims.[f] 8 Now if we died with Christ,(P) we believe that we will also live with Him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,(Q) will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him.(R) 10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus.[g]
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[h] its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts[i] of it to sin(T) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,(U) and all the parts[j] of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law(V) but under grace.(W)
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace?(X) Absolutely not!(Y) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[k] as obedient slaves,(Z) you are slaves of that one you obey(AA)—either of sin leading to death(AB) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(AC) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred[l] to,(AD) 18 and having been liberated from sin,(AE) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy[m](AF) because of the weakness of your flesh.[n] For just as you offered the parts[o] of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.[p](AG) 21 So what fruit was produced[q] then from the things you are now ashamed of?(AH) For the end of those things is death.(AI) 22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God,(AJ) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification[r](AK)—and the end is eternal life!(AL) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(AM)
Psalm 16
Confidence in the Lord
A Davidic Miktam.(A)
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.(B)
2 I[a] said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”[b](C)
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,(D)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.(E)
5 Lord, You are my portion[c]
and my cup of blessing;
You hold my future.(F)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(G)
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