Solomon Asks for Wisdom(A)

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married(B) his daughter.(C) He brought her to the City of David(D) until he finished building his palace(E) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,(F) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name(G) of the Lord. Solomon showed his love(H) for the Lord by walking(I) according to the instructions(J) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.(K)

The king went to Gibeon(L) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared(M) to Solomon during the night in a dream,(N) and God said, “Ask(O) for whatever you want me to give you.”

Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful(P) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son(Q) to sit on his throne this very day.

“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child(R) and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,(S) a great people, too numerous to count or number.(T) So give your servant a discerning(U) heart to govern your people and to distinguish(V) between right and wrong. For who is able(W) to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked(X) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment(Y) in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked.(Z) I will give you a wise(AA) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not(AB) asked for—both wealth and honor(AC)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal(AD) among kings. 14 And if you walk(AE) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”(AF) 15 Then Solomon awoke(AG)—and he realized it had been a dream.(AH)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings(AI) and fellowship offerings.(AJ) Then he gave a feast(AK) for all his court.

A Wise Ruling

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(AL) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(AM) from God to administer justice.

Solomon Builds the Temple(A)

In the four hundred and eightieth[a] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month,(B) he began to build the temple of the Lord.(C)

The temple(D) that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[b] The portico(E) at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[c] and projected ten cubits[d] from the front of the temple. He made narrow windows(F) high up in the temple walls. Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.(G) The lowest floor was five cubits[e] wide, the middle floor six cubits[f] and the third floor seven.[g] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

In building the temple, only blocks dressed(H) at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool(I) was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

The entrance to the lowest[h] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar(J) planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

11 The word of the Lord came(K) to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands(L) and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise(M) I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon(N) my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon(O) built the temple and completed(P) it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling,(Q) and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.(R) 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.(S) 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[i] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar,(T) carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

19 He prepared the inner sanctuary(U) within the temple to set the ark of the covenant(V) of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary(W) was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.(X) 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim(Y) out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27 He placed the cherubim(Z) inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls(AA) all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim,(AB) palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors(AC) he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

36 And he built the inner courtyard(AD) of three courses(AE) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details(AF) according to its specifications.(AG) He had spent seven years building it.

Solomon Builds His Palace

It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.(AH) He built the Palace(AI) of the Forest of Lebanon(AJ) a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high,[j] with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.[k]

He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide.[l] In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof.

He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge,(AK) and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling.[m](AL) And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.(AM)

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits[n] and some eight.[o] 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses(AN) of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.

The Temple’s Furnishings(AO)(AP)

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[p](AQ) 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom,(AR) with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all(AS) the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars,(AT) each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[q] 16 He also made two capitals(AU) of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[r] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates in two rows[s] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[t] He did the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[u] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates(AV) in rows all around. 21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[v] and the one to the north Boaz.[w](AW) 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars(AX) was completed.

23 He made the Sea(AY) of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line(AZ) of thirty cubits[x] to measure around it. 24 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls,(BA) three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth[y] in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.[z]

27 He also made ten movable stands(BB) of bronze; each was four cubits long, four wide and three high.[aa] 28 This is how the stands were made: They had side panels attached to uprights. 29 On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work. 30 Each stand(BC) had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and each had a basin resting on four supports, cast with wreaths on each side. 31 On the inside of the stand there was an opening that had a circular frame one cubit[ab] deep. This opening was round, and with its basework it measured a cubit and a half.[ac] Around its opening there was engraving. The panels of the stands were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. The diameter of each wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; the axles, rims, spokes and hubs were all of cast metal.

34 Each stand had four handles, one on each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of the stand there was a circular band half a cubit[ad] deep. The supports and panels were attached to the top of the stand. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around. 37 This is the way he made the ten stands. They were all cast in the same molds and were identical in size and shape.

38 He then made ten bronze basins,(BD) each holding forty baths[ae] and measuring four cubits across, one basin to go on each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five of the stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple. 40 He also made the pots[af] and shovels and sprinkling bowls.(BE)

So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord:

41 the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network decorating the bowl-shaped capitals(BF) on top of the pillars);

43 the ten stands with their ten basins;

44 the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

45 the pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.(BG)

All these objects that Huram(BH) made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain(BI) of the Jordan between Sukkoth(BJ) and Zarethan.(BK) 47 Solomon left all these things unweighed,(BL) because there were so many;(BM) the weight of the bronze(BN) was not determined.

48 Solomon also made all(BO) the furnishings that were in the Lord’s temple:

the golden altar;

the golden table(BP) on which was the bread of the Presence;(BQ)

49 the lampstands(BR) of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary);

the gold floral work and lamps and tongs;

50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes(BS) and censers;(BT)

and the gold sockets for the doors of the innermost room, the Most Holy Place, and also for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated(BU)—the silver and gold and the furnishings(BV)—and he placed them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

The Ark Brought to the Temple(BW)

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs(BX) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(BY) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.(BZ) All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival(CA) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.(CB)

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests(CC) took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting(CD) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites(CE) carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing(CF) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant(CG) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,(CH) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.(CI) The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed(CJ) the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.(CK) There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets(CL) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud(CM) filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service(CN) because of the cloud, for the glory(CO) of the Lord filled his temple.

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(CP) 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell(CQ) forever.”

14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed(CR) them. 15 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord,(CS) the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,(CT) I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name(CU) might be there, but I have chosen(CV) David(CW) to rule my people Israel.’

17 “My father David had it in his heart(CX) to build a temple(CY) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you(CZ) are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’(DA)

20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded(DB) David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built(DC) the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(DD)

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands(DE) toward heaven 23 and said:

Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like(DF) you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love(DG) with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.

25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises(DH) you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.’ 26 And now, God of Israel, let your word that you promised(DI) your servant David my father come true.

27 “But will God really dwell(DJ) on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven,(DK) cannot contain(DL) you. How much less this temple I have built! 28 Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29 May your eyes be open(DM) toward(DN) this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name(DO) shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray(DP) toward this place. Hear(DQ) from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.(DR)

31 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath(DS) before your altar in this temple, 32 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.(DT)

33 “When your people Israel have been defeated(DU) by an enemy because they have sinned(DV) against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,(DW) 34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain(DX) because your people have sinned(DY) against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 36 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach(DZ) them the right way(EA) to live, and send rain(EB) on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

37 “When famine(EC) or plague(ED) comes to the land, or blight(EE) or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers,(EF) or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, 38 and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands(EG) toward this temple— 39 then hear(EH) from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive(EI) and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know(EJ) their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), 40 so that they will fear(EK) you all the time they live in the land(EL) you gave our ancestors.

41 “As for the foreigner(EM) who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name— 42 for they will hear(EN) of your great name and your mighty hand(EO) and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 43 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know(EP) your name and fear(EQ) you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.(ER)

44 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray(ES) to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.(ET)

46 “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin(EU)—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive(EV) to their own lands, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead(EW) with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’;(EX) 48 and if they turn back(EY) to you with all their heart(EZ) and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray(FA) to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple(FB) I have built for your Name;(FC) 49 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 50 And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;(FD) 51 for they are your people and your inheritance,(FE) whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace.(FF)

52 “May your eyes be open(FG) to your servant’s plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you.(FH) 53 For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance,(FI) just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, Sovereign Lord, brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 He stood and blessed(FJ) the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

56 “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest(FK) to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises(FL) he gave through his servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake(FM) us. 58 May he turn our hearts(FN) to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples(FO) of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.(FP) 61 And may your hearts(FQ) be fully committed(FR) to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”

The Dedication of the Temple(FS)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices(FT) before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated(FU) the temple of the Lord.

64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat(FV) of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar(FW) that stood before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings.(FX)

65 So Solomon observed the festival(FY) at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath(FZ) to the Wadi of Egypt.(GA) They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. 66 On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good(GB) things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

The Lord Appears to Solomon(GC)

When Solomon had finished(GD) building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared(GE) to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him:

“I have heard(GF) the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name(GG) there forever. My eyes(GH) and my heart will always be there.

“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart(GI) and uprightness, as David(GJ) your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws,(GK) I will establish(GL) your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail(GM) to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

“But if you[ag] or your descendants turn away(GN) from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you[ah] and go off to serve other gods(GO) and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land(GP) I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.(GQ) Israel will then become a byword(GR) and an object of ridicule(GS) among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[ai] who pass by will be appalled(GT) and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’(GU) People will answer,(GV) ‘Because they have forsaken(GW) the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster(GX) on them.’”

Solomon’s Other Activities(GY)

10 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— 11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold(GZ) he wanted. 12 But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 13 “What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Kabul,[aj](HA) a name they have to this day. 14 Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents[ak] of gold.(HB)

15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted(HC) to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,[al](HD) the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor,(HE) Megiddo and Gezer.(HF) 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter,(HG) Solomon’s wife. 17 And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon,(HH) 18 Baalath,(HI) and Tadmor[am] in the desert, within his land, 19 as well as all his store cities(HJ) and the towns for his chariots(HK) and for his horses[an]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

20 There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites,(HL) Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites(HM) (these peoples were not Israelites). 21 Solomon conscripted the descendants(HN) of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate[ao](HO)—to serve as slave labor,(HP) as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves(HQ) of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 23 They were also the chief officials(HR) in charge of Solomon’s projects—550 officials supervising those who did the work.

24 After Pharaoh’s daughter(HS) had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the terraces.(HT)

25 Three(HU) times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

26 King Solomon also built ships(HV) at Ezion Geber,(HW) which is near Elath(HX) in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.[ap] 27 And Hiram sent his men—sailors(HY) who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. 28 They sailed to Ophir(HZ) and brought back 420 talents[aq] of gold,(IA) which they delivered to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(IB)

10 When the queen of Sheba(IC) heard about the fame(ID) of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.(IE) Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan(IF)—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table,(IG) the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[ar] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe(IH) these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth(II) you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear(IJ) your wisdom! Praise(IK) be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love(IL) for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice(IM) and righteousness.”

10 And she gave the king 120 talents[as] of gold,(IN) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir;(IO) and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood[at] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports[au] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

Solomon’s Splendor(IP)

14 The weight of the gold(IQ) that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[av] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields(IR) of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[aw] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[ax] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.(IS)

18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.(IT) Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships[ay](IU) at sea along with the ships(IV) of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

23 King Solomon was greater in riches(IW) and wisdom(IX) than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom(IY) God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift(IZ)—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses;(JA) he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[az] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common(JB) in Jerusalem as stones,(JC) and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig(JD) trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[ba]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[bb] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites(JE) and of the Arameans.

Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women(JF) besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites,(JG) Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry(JH) with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,(JI) and his wives led him astray.(JJ) As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods,(JK) and his heart was not fully devoted(JL) to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth(JM) the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek(JN) the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil(JO) in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

On a hill east(JP) of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh(JQ) the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek(JR) the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared(JS) to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,(JT) Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.(JU)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth
  2. 1 Kings 6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high
  3. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20
  4. 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26
  5. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
  6. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
  7. 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
  8. 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle
  9. 1 Kings 6:17 That is, about 60 feet or about 18 meters
  10. 1 Kings 7:2 That is, about 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 45 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  11. 1 Kings 7:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  12. 1 Kings 7:6 That is, about 75 feet long and 45 feet wide or about 23 meters long and 14 meters wide
  13. 1 Kings 7:7 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew floor
  14. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verse 23
  15. 1 Kings 7:10 That is, about 12 feet or about 3.6 meters
  16. 1 Kings 7:13 Hebrew Hiram, a variant of Huram; also in verses 40 and 45
  17. 1 Kings 7:15 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  18. 1 Kings 7:16 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verse 23
  19. 1 Kings 7:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts made the pillars, and there were two rows
  20. 1 Kings 7:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts pomegranates
  21. 1 Kings 7:19 That is, about 6 feet or about 1.8 meters; also in verse 38
  22. 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin probably means he establishes.
  23. 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz probably means in him is strength.
  24. 1 Kings 7:23 That is, about 45 feet or about 14 meters
  25. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
  26. 1 Kings 7:26 That is, about 12,000 gallons or about 44,000 liters; the Septuagint does not have this sentence.
  27. 1 Kings 7:27 That is, about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 1/2 feet high or about 1.8 meters long and wide and 1.4 meters high
  28. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  29. 1 Kings 7:31 That is, about 2 1/4 feet or about 68 centimeters; also in verse 32
  30. 1 Kings 7:35 That is, about 9 inches or about 23 centimeters
  31. 1 Kings 7:38 That is, about 240 gallons or about 880 liters
  32. 1 Kings 7:40 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chron. 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins
  33. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  34. 1 Kings 9:6 The Hebrew is plural.
  35. 1 Kings 9:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts, Old Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Targum; Hebrew And though this temple is now imposing, all
  36. 1 Kings 9:13 Kabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing.
  37. 1 Kings 9:14 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
  38. 1 Kings 9:15 Or the Millo; also in verse 24
  39. 1 Kings 9:18 The Hebrew may also be read Tamar.
  40. 1 Kings 9:19 Or charioteers
  41. 1 Kings 9:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  42. 1 Kings 9:26 Or the Sea of Reeds
  43. 1 Kings 9:28 That is, about 16 tons or about 14 metric tons
  44. 1 Kings 10:5 Or the ascent by which he went up to
  45. 1 Kings 10:10 That is, about 4 1/2 tons or about 4 metric tons
  46. 1 Kings 10:11 Probably a variant of algumwood; also in verse 12
  47. 1 Kings 10:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  48. 1 Kings 10:14 That is, about 25 tons or about 23 metric tons
  49. 1 Kings 10:16 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms; also in verse 29
  50. 1 Kings 10:17 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms; or perhaps reference is to double minas, that is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms.
  51. 1 Kings 10:22 Hebrew of ships of Tarshish
  52. 1 Kings 10:26 Or charioteers
  53. 1 Kings 10:28 Probably Cilicia
  54. 1 Kings 10:29 That is, about 3 3/4 pounds or about 1.7 kilograms

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