Historical

Solomon’s Accomplishments^(A)

8 It took Solomon 20 years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own palace. ² During this time, he also rebuilt the towns that Hiram had restored to him, and he settled Israelis in them. ³ After this, Solomon traveled to Hamath-zobah and captured it. ⁴ Then he rebuilt Tadmor in the desert, along with supply centers^[a] that he had built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built upper and lower Beth-horon as fortified cities, installing^[b] walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ and he rebuilt Baalath and its supply centers^[c] that belonged to Solomon, along with all the cities that he utilized to garrison his chariots and cavalry forces. Solomon was pleased also to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in every territory^[d] that he controlled.

Conscripted Laborers

⁷ All of the survivors who remained living in the land but who were not Israelis (including Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites) ⁸ were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not eliminated. Solomon put them to work as conscripted laborers, which they continue to do^[e] to this day. ⁹ However, Solomon never made conscripted laborers from among the Israelis, but they did serve as his army, as his chief captains, and as commanders in charge of his chariots and cavalry. ¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 chief officers to command his army.^{[f] 11} Later, Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the palace that he had constructed to house her, because he reasoned, “My wife isn’t going to live in the palace where King David of Israel lived, because wherever the ark of the Lord entered is holy.”

¹² Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar that he had built in front of the porch of the Temple,^{[g] 13} acting^[h] in compliance with the daily rule by offering them in conformity to commands issued by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three annual festivals (the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tents). ¹⁴ Following proscriptions laid down by his father David, Solomon^[i] appointed divisions of priests for their service as well as descendants of Levi for duties of praise and ministry before the priests consistent with the daily rules. Furthermore, because David, the man of God, had commanded it, Solomon^[j] also appointed gatekeepers to serve by divisions at every gate of the Temple.^{[k] 15} They scrupulously adhered to^[l] the orders issued by the king to the priests and descendants of Levi in everything, including matters pertaining to operation of^[m] the treasuries.

Work on the Temple is Completed

¹⁶ And so Solomon completed all of the work, from the day that the foundation stone of the Lord’s Temple was laid^[n] until the Lord’s Temple was completely finished. ¹⁷ After this, Solomon visited Ezion-geber and Elath at the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ Hiram sent Solomon^[o] ships and servants who were expert mariners, and they sailed with Solomon’s servants to Ophir,^[p] where they brought back 450 talents^[q] of gold for Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Jerusalem^(B)

9 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s reputation, she traveled to Jerusalem and tested him^[r] with difficult questions. She brought along a large retinue, camels laden with spices, and lots of gold and precious stones. Upon her arrival, she spoke with Solomon about everything that was on her mind.^{[s] 2} Solomon answered all of her questions. Because nothing was hidden from Solomon, he hid nothing from her. ³ When the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon’s wisdom for herself, the palace that he had built, ⁴ the food set at his table, his servants who waited on him, his ministers in attendance and how they were dressed, his personal staff^[t] and how they were dressed, and even his personal stairway by which he went up to the Lord’s Temple, she was breathless!

⁵ “Everything I heard about your wisdom and what you have to say is true!” she gasped, ⁶ “but I didn’t believe it at first! But then I came here and I’ve seen it for myself! It’s amazing! I wasn’t told half of what’s really great about your wisdom. You’re far better in person than what the reports have said about you! ⁷ How blessed are your staff! And how blessed are your employees,^[u] who serve you continually and get to listen to your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God, who is delighted with you! He set you in place on his throne to be king for the Lord your God. He made you king over them so you could carry out justice and implement righteousness, because your God loves Israel and intends to establish them^[v] forever.”

⁹ Then she gave the king 120 talents^[w] of gold, a vast quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices comparable to those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ¹⁰ Hiram’s servants and Solomon’s servants, who brought gold from Ophir,^[x] also presented algum wood^[y] and other precious stones. ¹¹ The king used the algum wood^[z] to have steps made for the Lord’s Temple and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and harps for the choir,^[aa] and nothing like that wood^[ab] had been seen before in the territory of Judah. ¹² In return, King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and requested in addition to what she had brought for the king. Afterward, she returned to her own land, accompanied by her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth^(C)

¹³ Solomon received in any given year about 666 talents^[ac] of gold, ¹⁴ not including revenue from traders and merchants. In addition, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the nation brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 600 gold pieces,^{[ad] 16} and 300 shields from beaten gold, overlaying each shield with the gold from 300 gold pieces.^[ae] The king put them in his palace in the Lebanon forest. ¹⁷ The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ Six steps led up to the throne. A golden footstool was attached to the throne, which had armrests on each side of the seat and two lions standing on either side of each armrest. ¹⁹ Twelve lions were placed on both sides of the six steps leading to the throne,^[af] and nothing comparable was made for any other^[ag] kingdom. ²⁰ All of King Solomon’s drinking vessels were made of^[ah] gold, and all the vessels in his palace in the Lebanon forest were made of^[ai] pure gold. Silver was never considered to be valuable during the lifetime of Solomon, ²¹ because the king had ships that sailed to Tarshish accompanied by Hiram’s servants. Once every three years ships from Tarshish returned, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² As a result, King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in regards to wealth and wisdom. ²³ All the kings of the earth continued to seek audiences with Solomon so they could hear the wise things that God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Everyone kept on bringing gifts on an annual basis, including items made of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules. ²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, along with 12,000 cavalry soldiers. He stationed them in various chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁶ King Solomon^[aj] ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates^[ak] River west^[al] to the land of the Philistines and as far south as the boundary with Egypt.

²⁷ The king made silver as common as^[am] stones in Jerusalem, and made cedar trees as abundant as sycamore trees in the Shephelah.^{[an] 28} They also kept bringing horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all of the surrounding^[ao] countries.

The Death of Solomon^(D)

²⁹ Now the rest of Solomon’s accomplishments, from first to last, are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer pertaining to Nebat’s son Jeroboam, are they not? ³⁰ Solomon reigned for 40 years in Jerusalem over all of Israel. ³¹ Then Solomon died, as had^[ap] his ancestors, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

Rehoboam’s Foolish Choices^(E)

10 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, because all of Israel went there to install him as king. ² Nebat’s son Jeroboam heard about it in Egypt, where he had fled to get away from Solomon the king. Jeroboam returned from Egypt ³ after being summoned. When Jeroboam and all of Israel arrived, they spoke to Rehoboam, ⁴ “Your father made our burdens unbearable.^[aq] Therefore you must lighten your father’s requirements and his heavy burden that he placed on us, and we’ll serve you.”

⁵ “Come back again in three days,” Rehoboam^[ar] told them. So the people left ⁶ while King Rehoboam conferred with his advisors who had worked with his father Solomon during his administration. He asked them, “What is your advice as to what response I should return to these people?”

⁷ In reply, they told him, “If you will be kind to this people, please them, and speak appropriately to them with kind words, they’ll serve you forever.”

⁸ But Rehoboam^[as] ignored the counsel that his elder advisors had given him. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him and worked for^[at] him. ⁹ As a result, he asked them, “What’s your advice, so we can give an answer to these people who have asked me, ‘Please lighten the burden that your father put on us’?”

¹⁰ “This is what you should tell the people who asked you: ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you must make it lighter for us!’” the young men who had grown up with Rehoboam^[au] replied. “Tell them ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s whole body!^{[av] 11} Not only that, but since my father loaded you down heavily, I’m going to add to that burden. If my father disciplined you with whips, I’m going to do so^[aw] with scorpions!’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people went back to Rehoboam on the third day, just as they had been directed when the king said, “Come back again in three days.” ¹³ But the king answered them strictly and ignored the counsel of his elders. ¹⁴ Instead, Rehoboam^[ax] spoke to them along the lines of what the younger men suggested. He told them, “My father burdened you heavily, but I will add to that burden. If my father disciplined you with whips, I will, too—with scorpions!”

¹⁵ The king would not listen to the people because the turn of events was from God, so that the Lord might fulfill his prediction that he spoke through Nebat’s son Ahijah the Shilonite. ¹⁶ All of Israel—since the king wasn’t going to listen to them—the people responded to the king, “What’s the point in following David? We have no inheritance in the descendants of Jesse. Let’s go home,^[ay] Israel! David, take care of your own household!” So all of Israel left for home.^{[az] 17} And so Rehoboam ruled over the Israelis who lived in the cities of Judah.

¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of conscripted labor, but the Israelis stoned him to death, and King Rehoboam had to jump in his chariot and flee back in a hurry to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ That’s how Israel came to be in rebellion against David’s dynasty to this day.