New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Solomon’s Officials

1 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel.

2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadokwasthe priest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shishaweresecretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahiludwasthe recorder;

4 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiadawasover the army; and Zadok and Abiatharwerepriests;

5 and Azariah the son of Nathanwasover the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest,wasthe king’s friend;

6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abdawasover the men subject to forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided for the king and his household; each man had to provide for a month in the year.

8 These are their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

9 Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan;

10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (Socohwashis and all the land of Hepher);

11 Ben-abinadab,inall the height of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife);

12 Baana the son of Ahilud,inTaanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze barswerehis);

14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo,inMahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);

16 Baana the son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar;

18 Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; andhe wasthe only deputy whowasin the land.

Solomon’s Power, Wealth and Wisdom

20 Judah and Israelwereas numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance;theywere eating and drinking and rejoicing.

21 Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from theRivertothe land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt;theybrought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s provision for one day was thirtykors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal,

23 ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

24 For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him.

25 So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

27 Those deputies provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking.

28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to his charge.

29 Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.

30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

31 For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame wasknownin all the surrounding nations.

32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish.

34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/4-2d5d162b48b9341554140839a2b06002.mp3?version_id=100—

Alliance with King Hiram

1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.

2 Then Solomon sentwordto Hiram, saying,

3 “You know that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lordhis God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lordput them under the soles of his feet.

4 But now the Lordmy God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.

5 Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the Lordmy God, as the Lordspoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’

6 Now therefore, command that they cut for me cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lordtoday, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.”

8 So Hiram sentwordto Solomon, saying, “I have heardthe messagewhich you have sent me; I will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber.

9 My servants will bringthemdown from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into raftsto goby sea to the place where you direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carrythemaway. Then you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.”

10 So Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber.

11 Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year.

12 The Lordgave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

Conscription of Laborers

13 Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

14 He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a monthandtwo months at home. And Adoniramwasover the forced laborers.

15 Now Solomon had 70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewersof stonein the mountains,

16 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies whowereover the projectandwho ruled over the people who were doing the work.

17 Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones.

18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/5-09b38ad66025385186994eca0268bb4b.mp3?version_id=100—

The Building of the Temple

1 Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

2 As for the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its lengthwassixtycubits and its width twentycubitsand its height thirty cubits.

3 The porch in front of the nave of the housewastwenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house,andits depth along the front of the housewasten cubits.

4 Also for the house he made windows withartisticframes.

5 Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the inner sanctuary; thus he made side chambers all around.

6 The lowest storywasfive cubits wide, and the middlewassix cubits wide, and the thirdwasseven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsetsin the wallof the house all around in order thatthe beamswould not be inserted in the walls of the house.

7 The house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The doorway for thelowest side chamberwason the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middlestory,and from the middle to the third.

9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.

10 He also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

11 Now the word of the Lordcame to Solomon saying,

12 “Concerningthis house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.

13 I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.

15 Then he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaidthe wallson the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress.

16 He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he builtthemfor it on the inside as an inner sanctuary,evenas the most holy place.

17 The house, that is, the nave in front ofthe inner sanctuary,was forty cubitslong.

18 There was cedar on the house within, carvedin the shapeof gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen.

19 Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

20 The inner sanctuarywastwenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar.

21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold.

22 He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

23 Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

24 Five cubitswasthe one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wingwereten cubits.

25 The other cherubwasten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form.

26 The height of the one cherubwasten cubits, and sowasthe other cherub.

27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching theonewall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house.

28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outersanctuaries.

30 He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outersanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintelandfive-sided doorposts.

32 Sohe madetwo doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

33 So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood

34 and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots.

35 He carvedon itcherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaidthemwith gold evenly applied on the engraved work.

36 He built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lordwas laid, in the month of Ziv.

38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/6-2e0fbf30e1e5a0a10bb57901eda5ede6.mp3?version_id=100—

Solomon’s Palace

1 Now Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

2 He built the house of the forest of Lebanon; its length was 100cubits and its width 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars.

3 It was paneled with cedar above the side chambers which were on the 45 pillars, 15 in each row.

4 There were artistic windowframes in three rows, and window was opposite window in three ranks.

5 All the doorways and doorpostshadsquaredartisticframes, and window was opposite window in three ranks.

6 Then he made the hall of pillars; its length was 50 cubits and its width 30 cubits, and a porchwasin front of them and pillars and a threshold in front of them.

7 He made the hall of the throne where he was to judge, the hall of judgment, and it was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.

8 His house where he was to live, the other court inward from the hall, was of the same workmanship. He also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had married.

9 All these were of costly stones, of stone cut according to measure, sawed with saws, inside and outside; even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside to the great court.

10 The foundation was of costly stones,evenlarge stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits.

11 And above were costly stones, stone cut according to measure, and cedar.

12 So the great court all aroundhadthree rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams even as the inner court of the house of the Lord, and the porch of the house.

Hiram’s Work in the Temple

13 Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.

14 He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and performed all his work.

15 He fashioned the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both.

16 He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits.

17 There werenets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital.

18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital.

19 The capitals whichwereon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits.

20 There werecapitals on the two pillars, even aboveandclose to the rounded projection which was beside the network; and the pomegranatesnumberedtwo hundred in rows around both capitals.

21 Thus he set up the pillars at the porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named itJachin, and he set up the left pillar and named itBoaz.

22 On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 Now he made the sea of castmetalten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.

24 Under its brim gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the rest.

25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the seawas seton top of them, and all their rear partsturnedinward.

26 It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup,asa lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths.

27 Then he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits.

28 This was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between theframes,

29 and on the borders which were between theframeswerelions, oxen and cherubim; and on the frames therewasa pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxenwerewreaths of hanging work.

30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basinwerecast supports with wreaths at each side.

31 Its opening inside the crown at the topwasa cubit, and its openingwasround like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its openingthere wereengravings, and their borders were square, not round.

32 The four wheelswereunderneath the borders, and the axles of the wheelswereon the stand. And the height of a wheelwasa cubit and a half.

33 The workmanship of the wheelswaslike the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubswereall cast.

34 Nowthere werefour supports at the four corners of each stand; its supportswerepart of the stand itself.

35 On the top of the standthere wasa circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borderswerepart of it.

36 He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreathsallaround.

37 He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form.

38 He made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basinwasfour cubits,andon each of the ten standswasone 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 seaof cast metalon 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 Solomoninthe house of the Lord:

41 the two pillars and thetwobowls of the capitals whichwereon the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals whichwereon the top of the pillars;

42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals whichwereon the tops of the pillars;

43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands;

44 and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea;

45 and the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomoninthe house of the Lordwereof polished bronze.

46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.

47 Solomon left all the utensilsunweighed,becausethey weretoo many; the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained.

48 Solomon made all the furniture whichwas inthe house of the Lord: the golden altar and the golden table on whichwasthe 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 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 firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place,andfor the doors of the house,that is,of the nave, of gold.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon performedinthe house of the Lordwas finished. And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils,andhe put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/7-9d282c578ff08f0fbe81b7c62ac45997.mp3?version_id=100—

The Ark Brought into the Temple

1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’householdsof the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lordfrom the city of David, which is Zion.

2 All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

3 Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

4 They brought up the ark of the Lordand 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, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered.

6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lordto its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim.

7 For the cherubim spreadtheirwings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above.

8 But 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 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lordmade 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, 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 Lordfilled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Addresses the People

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lordhas said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.

13 “I have surely built You a lofty house,

A place for Your dwelling forever.”

14 Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

15 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilleditwith His hand, saying,

16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israelin whichto build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’

17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

18 But the Lordsaid to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.

19 Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’

20 Now the Lordhas fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lordpromised, 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, 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 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lordin the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

23 He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant andshowinglovingkindness 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 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 promised him, saying, ‘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 which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!

28 Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Lordmy God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today;

29 that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward 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 Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comesandtakes an oath before Your altar in this house,

32 then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, 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 “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, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blightormildew, locustorgrasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sicknessthere is,

38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any manorby all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his 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, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,

40 that they mayfear You all the days that they live 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 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 that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, tofear You, asdoYour people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the Lordtoward 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 cause.

46 “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near;

47 if they 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, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’;

48 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 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 cause,

50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make themobjects ofcompassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them

51 (for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace),

52 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, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord God.”

Solomon’s Benediction

54 When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven.

55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:

56 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.

57 May the Lordour God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us,

58 that 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 Lordour God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires,

60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lordis God; there is no one else.

61 Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lordour God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Dedicatory Sacrifices

62 Now the king and all Israel with him 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. 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 thatwasbefore the house of the Lord, because there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for the bronze altar thatwasbefore the Lordwastoo small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 So Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the Lordour God, for seven days and sevenmoredays,evenfourteen 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 Lordhad shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/8-538d386c9b60ee7b65699b90dff11341.mp3?version_id=100—

God’s Promise and Warning

1 Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do,

2 that the Lordappeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.

3 The Lordsaid to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

4 As for you, 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 youandwill keep My statutes and My ordinances,

5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

6 “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 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

8 And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lorddone thus to this land and to this house?’

9 And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lordtheir God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lordhas brought all this adversity on them.'”

Cities Given to Hiram

10 It came about at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lordand 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 did not please him.

13 He said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So they were called the land ofCabul to this day.

14 And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the Lord, his own house, theMillo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

16 ForPharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given itasa dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower Beth-horon

18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the landof Judah,

19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule.

20 As forall 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 their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day.

22 But Solomon 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 Thesewerethe chief officers whowereover Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.

24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house whichSolomonhad built for her, then he built the Millo.

25 Now three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to the Lord, burning incense with themon the altarwhichwasbefore the Lord. So he finished the house.

26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.

27 And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.

28 They went to Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and broughtitto King Solomon.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/9-33a35a37117c1518e5eb1ee85af2da0e.mp3?version_id=100—

The Queen of Sheba

1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions.

2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels 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 answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not 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 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 reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceedinwisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.

8 How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continuallyandhear your wisdom.

9 Blessed be the Lordyour God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lordloved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”

10 She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very greatamountof spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

11 Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very greatnumber ofalmug trees and precious stones.

12 The king made of the almug trees supports for the house of the Lordand for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come inagainnor 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 his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants.

Wealth, Splendor and Wisdom

14 Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

15 besidesthatfrom the traders and thewares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country.

16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600shekels ofgold on each large shield.

17 He made300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

18 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold.

19 There weresix steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.

20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing likeitwas made for any other kingdom.

21 All King Solomon’s drinking vesselswereof gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanonwereof pure gold. None was of silver; it was not consideredvaluable in the days of Solomon.

22 For 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 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, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.

25 They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

26 Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

27 The king made silveras commonas stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in thelowland.

28 Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue,andthe king’s merchants procuredthemfrom Kue for a price.

29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for 600shekelsof silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/10-b31a9e72d6fe5d0bbfa67cc58c53107a.mp3?version_id=100—

Solomon Turns from God

1 Now 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 Lordhad said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you,forthey will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.

3 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 his heart was notwholly devoted to the Lordhis God, as the heart of David his fatherhad been.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.

6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lordfully, as David his fatherhad done.

7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for 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 the Lordwas angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lordhad commanded.

11 So the Lordsaid to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, 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,butI will tear it out of the hand of your son.

13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom,butI will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

14 Then the Lordraised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom.

15 For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had 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 to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadadwasa young boy.

18 They arose from Midian and came to 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 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 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 let me go.”

23 God also raised upanotheradversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah.

24 He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David slew them ofZobah;and they went to Damascus and stayed there, and reigned in Damascus.

25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadaddid;and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

26 Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

27 Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo,andclosed up the breach of the city of his father David.

28 Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.

29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field.

30 Then 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, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes

32 (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),

33 because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, 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 andobservingMy statutes and My ordinances, as his father Daviddid.

34 Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him 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 I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you,eventen tribes.

36 But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.

37 I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever 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 I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

39 Thus I will afflict the 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 Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

41 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 the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/11-0ad95768556be3763792162b846a36df.mp3?version_id=100—

King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2 Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heardof it,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 “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, “Depart for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.

6 King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counselmeto answer this people?”

7 Then they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and 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 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 directed, saying, “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 given him,

14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “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; for it was a turnof eventsfrom the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lordspoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

16 When all Israelsawthat the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David?We haveno inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!”

So Israel departed to their tents.

17 But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

19 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. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

21 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 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 rest of the people, saying,

24 ‘Thus says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.”‘” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and wenttheir wayaccording to the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.

26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lordat Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord,evento Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people wentto worshipbefore the one as far as Dan.

31 And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

33 Then he 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 devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/12-5cfee0c9073208f3bb077f4c20e5fc71.mp3?version_id=100—

Jeroboam Warned, Stricken

1 Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.

2 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, 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 sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lordhas spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the 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 ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

6 The king said to the man of God, “Pleaseentreat the Lordyour God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of Godentreated 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 I will give you a reward.”

8 But the man of God said to the king, “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 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 an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his 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, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons 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 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, “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 commandcameto me 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, “I also am a prophet like you, and 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.'”Buthe 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 Lordcame 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 disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lordyour 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, 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 tolditin the city where the old prophet lived.

26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heardit,he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lordhas given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to him.”

27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddledit.

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,”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; lay my bones beside his bones.

32 For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the Lordagainst the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria.”

33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.

34 This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blotitout and destroyitfrom off the face of the earth.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/1KI/13-90682f8da17144ff4ee9dd3cc29da11e.mp3?version_id=100—