Historical

Solomon’s Other Activities^(A)

8 It came that after twenty years, Solomon built the house of the Lord and his royal house, ² and Solomon even rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and he settled the sons of Israel in them. ³ Then Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. ⁴ He also built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built the Upper and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, the cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

⁷ And all the people who remained from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were not from Israel, ⁸ and from their descendants who remained from these peoples in the land and whom the sons of Israel did not finish destroying, Solomon brought them up to be forced labor, even to this day. ⁹ But from the sons of Israel Solomon did not make servants for his work. These were his soldiers, officers, commanders of his chariots, and horsemen. ¹⁰ And these were the two hundred and fifty chief officers for King Solomon who governed the people.

¹¹ And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the City of David to the house that he built for her, for he said, “My wife will not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places where the ark of the Lord have been are holy.”

¹² At that time Solomon offered up burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord that he built before the vestibule, ¹³ according to the daily duty to offer up as the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁴ According to the ruling of David his father, he set the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their function to praise and serve before the priests according to the daily duty, and even the gatekeepers for their divisions at each gate, for this was the commandment of David the man of God. ¹⁵ And they did not turn from the commandment of the king, whether the priests or Levites, concerning any matter and concerning the treasury.

¹⁶ So all the work of Solomon was established from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord and until its completion; and the house of the Lord was complete.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath at the shore of the sea in Edom. ¹⁸ And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, who knew the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents^[a] of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits^(B)

9 The queen of Sheba heard a report of Solomon, and she came to Jerusalem with a very impressive retinue—with camels carrying spices, an abundance of gold, and precious stones—to test Solomon with riddles. When she came to Solomon she shared with him everything that was on her heart. ² Solomon declared to her everything that she asked, and there was not any matter concealed from Solomon that he did not declare to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba had observed the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁴ the food on his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his valets, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit left in her.

⁵ Then she said to the king, “True was the report that I heard in my land concerning your words and wisdom. ⁶ But I did not believe their reports until I came and my eyes saw; and indeed, half the greatness of your wisdom was not declared to me. You have exceeded the report that I heard. ⁷ How happy your men must be! How happy these servants, those who are continually before you listening to your wisdom. ⁸ May the Lord your God be blessed, who has delighted in you, to set you as king on the throne of the Lord your God. Your God has loved Israel to establish them continually and has set you as king over them to perform justice and righteousness.”

⁹ Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents^[b] of gold and a great abundance of spices and precious stones. And there were no spices like those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Moreover, the servants of Hiram and Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king used the algum wood for steps for the house of the Lord and the palace of the king, even for lyres and harps for the singers. And there had not been anything seen like these in the land of Judah.

¹² And King Solomon gave everything to the queen of Sheba in which she had pleasure, even what she asked for in addition to what she brought to the king. Then she turned and left for her own land with her servants.

The Splendor of Solomon^(C)

¹³ The weight of gold that came to Solomon every year was six hundred and sixty-six talents^[c] of gold. ¹⁴ In addition to what the explorers and merchants brought in, all the kings of Arabia and governors of the land brought in gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, and six hundred gold pieces^[d] were used for each large shield. ¹⁶ And he made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred gold pieces^[e] were used for each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ And the king made a great throne of ivory, and he covered it with fine gold. ¹⁸ And there were six steps and a gold footstool attached to the throne, and on each side at the place of the seat were armrests with two lions standing beside the armrests. ¹⁹ So twelve lions stood there on the six steps, one on each side, and there was nothing like this in any kingdom. ²⁰ Even all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were gold, and all the vessels in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. And silver was not thought to be valuable in the days of Solomon. ²¹ The ships of Solomon went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish returned carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² So King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. ²³ All the kings of the earth sought out an audience before Solomon to hear his wisdom that God gave to his mind. ²⁴ Every year each man brought his own tribute, vessels of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horses, and he put them in designated cities and with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the River^[f] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ So the king made silver in Jerusalem as abundant as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore trees in the lowlands of the Shephelah. ²⁸ The horses of Solomon were imported from Egypt and from all other lands.

The Death of Solomon^(D)

²⁹ And the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the annals of Nathan the prophet, and the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰ So Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ³¹ And Solomon slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son then ruled in his place.

Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam^(E)

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem because all Israel journeyed to Shechem to make him king. ² It happened that Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this—he was in Egypt, where he fled from King Solomon—so he returned from Egypt. ³ So they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore, lighten your father’s labor and heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁵ He responded, “Return again to me in three days.” So the people left.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who stood in the presence of Solomon his father when he was alive saying, “How do you counsel that I should give a response to this people?”

⁷ They said to him, “If you are good to this people and please them and speak well to them, then they will be servants to you all your days.”

⁸ But he abandoned the counsel of the elders that they gave to him. And he consulted the young men who grew up and stood before him. ⁹ Rehoboam said to them, “What do you counsel that we give as a response to this people who have spoken to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father placed on us’?”

¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him said, “So you should speak to the people who have spoken to you saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it from us.’ So you will say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Whereas my father placed a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke. My father chastened you with whips, but I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had ordered saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ Then the king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders. ¹⁴ He spoke to them with the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will increase it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ The king did not listen to the people, for the event occurred because of God, that the Lord might establish His word that He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king saying,

Then all Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷ The sons of Israel dwelled in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam reigned over them.

¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the sons of Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot and to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has rebelled against the house of David until this day.