Now king David was old and stricken in years;
and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let
there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her
stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in
thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout
all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and
brought her to the king.
And the damsel was very fair, and cherished
the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted
himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and
horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
And his father had not displeased him at any
time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very
goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
And he conferred with Joab the son of
Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah
helped him.
But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the
mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat
cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called
all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the
king's servants:
But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the
mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the
mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the
son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee,
give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the
life of thy son Solomon.
Go and get thee in unto king David, and say
unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine
handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me,
and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
Behold, while thou yet talkest there with
the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy
words.
And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the
chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite
ministered unto the king.
And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto
the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest
by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon
thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now,
my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and
sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and
Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon
thy servant hath he not called.
And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all
Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit
on the throne of my lord the king after him.
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my
lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son
Solomon shall be counted offenders.
And, lo, while she yet talked with the king,
Nathan the prophet also came in.
And they told the king, saying, Behold
Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he
bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou
said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my
throne?
For he is gone down this day, and hath slain
oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the
king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest;
and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king
Adonijah.
But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the
priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon,
hath he not called.
Is this thing done by my lord the king, and
thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the
throne of my lord the king after him?
Then king David answered and said, Call me
Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before
the king.
And the king sware, and said, As the LORD
liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of
Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and
he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly
do this day.
Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the
earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king
David live for ever.
And king David said, Call me Zadok the
priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.
And they came before the king.
The king also said unto them, Take with you
the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon
mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the
prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the
trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
Then ye shall come up after him, that he may
come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and
I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the
king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so
too.
As the LORD hath been with my lord the king,
even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the
throne of my lord king David.
So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet,
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the
Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's
mule, and brought him to Gihon.
And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out
of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet;
and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
And all the people came up after him, and
the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that
the earth rent with the sound of them.
And Adonijah and all the guests that were
with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab
heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of
the city being in an uproar?
And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the
son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come
in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah,
Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.
And the king hath sent with him Zadok the
priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,
and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him
to ride upon the king's mule:
And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet
have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence
rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye
have heard.
And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of
the kingdom.
And moreover the king's servants came to
bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon
better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne.
And the king bowed himself upon the bed.
And also thus said the king, Blessed be the
LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this
day, mine eyes even seeing it.
And all the guests that were with Adonijah
were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and
arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold,
Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the
horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today
that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a
worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but
if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
So king Solomon sent, and they brought him
down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon:
and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
Now the days of David drew nigh that he
should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong
therefore, and shew thyself a man;
And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to
walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and
his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of
Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and
whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
That the LORD may continue his word which he
spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their
way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all
their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne
of Israel.
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son
of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the
hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son
of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and
put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and
in his shoes that were on his feet.
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let
not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai
the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for
so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the
son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a
grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down
to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I
will not put thee to death with the sword.
Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for
thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him;
but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
So David slept with his fathers, and was
buried in the city of David.
And the days that David reigned over Israel
were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and
three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David
his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to
Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou
peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
He said moreover, I have somewhat to say
unto thee. And she said, Say on.
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom
was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should
reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my
brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me
not. And she said unto him, Say on.
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto
Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me
Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for
thee unto the king.
Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon,
to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her,
and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused
a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right
hand.
Then she said, I desire one small petition
of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her,
Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be
given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
And king Solomon answered and said unto his
mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah?
ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even
for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of
Zeruiah.
Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying,
God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this
word against his own life.
Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which
hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father,
and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be
put to death this day.
And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
And unto Abiathar the priest said the king,
Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of
death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou
barest the ark of the LORD God before David my father, and because
thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was
afflicted.
So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being
priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD,
which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had
turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab
fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns
of the altar.
And it was told king Solomon that Joab was
fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the
altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go,
fall upon him.
And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the
LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he
said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word
again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
And the king said unto him, Do as he hath
said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away
the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of
my father.
And the LORD shall return his blood upon his
own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he,
and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof,
to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and
Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
Their blood shall therefore return upon the
head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon
David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne,
shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and
fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in
the wilderness.
And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in
the room of Abiathar.
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and
said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there,
and go not forth thence any whither.
For it shall be, that on the day thou goest
out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain
that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own
head.
And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is
good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And
Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
And it came to pass at the end of three
years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son
of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy
servants be in Gath.
And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and
went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and
brought his servants from Gath.
And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone
from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and
said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and
protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou
goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely
die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is
good.
Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the
LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?
The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou
knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou
didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy
wickedness upon thine own head;
And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the
throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
So the king commanded Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the
kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king
of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the
city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house,
and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round
about.
Only the people sacrificed in high places,
because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until
those days.
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the
statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense
in high places.
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice
there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt
offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a
dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy
servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before
thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart
with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that
thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this
day.
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy
servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little
child: I know not how to go out or come in.
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people
which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor
counted for multitude.
Give therefore thy servant an understanding
heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad:
for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
And the speech pleased the LORD, that
Solomon had asked this thing.
And God said unto him, Because thou hast
asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither
hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine
enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern
judgment;
Behold, I have done according to thy words:
lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that
there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any
arise like unto thee.
And I have also given thee that which thou
hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be
any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my
statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I
will lengthen thy days.
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a
dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the
covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered
peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
Then came there two women, that were
harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
And the one woman said, O my lord, I and
this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with
her in the house.
And it came to pass the third day after that
I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were
together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two
in the house.
And this woman's child died in the night;
because she overlaid it.
And she arose at midnight, and took my son
from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her
bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And when I rose in the morning to give my
child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in
the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
And the other woman said, Nay; but the
living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but
the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake
before the king.
Then said the king, The one saith, This is
my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith,
Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And
they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, Divide the living child
in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spake the woman whose the living child
was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she
said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.
But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide
it.
Then the king answered and said, Give her
the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother
thereof.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which
the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that
the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
And these were the princes which he had;
Azariah the son of Zadok the priest,
Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha,
scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the
host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the
officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and
the king's friend:
And Ahishar was over the household: and
Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
And Solomon had twelve officers over all
Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household:
each man his month in a year made provision.
And these are their names: The son of Hur, in
mount Ephraim:
The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim,
and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan:
The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him
pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
The son of Abinadab, in all the region of
Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
Baana the son of Ahilud; to him pertained
Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah
beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place
that is beyond Jokneam:
The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him
pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in
Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in
Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:
Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim:
Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took
Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife:
Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in
Aloth:
Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in
Issachar:
Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin:
Geber the son of Uri was in the country of
Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og
king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the
land.
Judah and Israel were many, as the sand
which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making
merry.
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from
the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of
Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of
his life.
And Solomon's provision for one day was
thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of
meal,
Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the
pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and
fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.
For he had dominion over all the region on
this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings
on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about
him.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man
under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba,
all the days of Solomon.
And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of
horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
And those officers provided victual for king
Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man
in his month: they lacked nothing.
Barley also and straw for the horses and
dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were,
every man according to his charge.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and
understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the
sand that is on the sea shore.
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of
all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of
Egypt.
For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan
the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol:
and his fame was in all nations round about.
And he spake three thousand proverbs: and
his songs were a thousand and five.
And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree
that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the
wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things,
and of fishes.
And there came of all people to hear the
wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of
his wisdom.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto
Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the
room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
Thou knowest how that David my father could
not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars
which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under
the soles of his feet.
But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on
every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil
occurrent.
And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto
the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my
father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy
room, he shall build an house unto my name.
Now therefore command thou that they hew me
cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy
servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according
to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not
among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the
Sidonians.
And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the
words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be
the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this
great people.
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have
considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do
all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of
fir.
My servants shall bring them down from
Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto
the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be
discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt
accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir
trees according to all his desire.
And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand
measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of
pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he
promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and
they two made a league together.
And king Solomon raised a levy out of all
Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a
month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at
home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand
that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the
mountains;
Beside the chief of Solomon's officers which
were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled
over the people that wrought in the work.
And the king commanded, and they brought
great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the
foundation of the house.
And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders
did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and
stones to build the house.
And it came to pass in the four hundred and
eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the
land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel,
in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build
the house of the LORD.
And the house which king Solomon built for
the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth
thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
And the porch before the temple of the house,
twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of
the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the
house.
And for the house he made windows of narrow
lights.
And against the wall of the house he built
chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about,
both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round
about:
The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad,
and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits
broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests
round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of
the house.
And the house, when it was in building, was
built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that
there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the
house, while it was in building.
The door for the middle chamber was in the
right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into
the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
So he built the house, and finished it; and
covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
And then he built chambers against all the
house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber
of cedar.
And the word of the LORD came to Solomon,
saying,
Concerning this house which thou art in
building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my
judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will
I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy
father:
And I will dwell among the children of
Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
So Solomon built the house, and finished
it.
And he built the walls of the house within
with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of
the ceiling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and
covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
And he built twenty cubits on the sides of
the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he
even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the
most holy place.
And the house, that is, the temple before
it, was forty cubits long.
And the cedar of the house within was carved
with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone
seen.
And the oracle he prepared in the house
within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
And the oracle in the forepart was twenty
cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits
in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so
covered the altar which was of cedar.
So Solomon overlaid the house within with
pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the
oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
And the whole house he overlaid with gold,
until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was
by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
And within the oracle he made two cherubims
of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
And five cubits was the one wing of the
cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the
uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other
were ten cubits.
And the other cherub was ten cubits: both
the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
The height of the one cherub was ten cubits,
and so was it of the other cherub.
And he set the cherubims within the inner
house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that
the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other
cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another
in the midst of the house.
And he overlaid the cherubims with
gold.
And he carved all the walls of the house
round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and
open flowers, within and without.
And the floors of the house he overlaid with
gold, within and without.
And for the entering of the oracle he made
doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of
the wall.
The two doors also were of olive tree; and
he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open
flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the
cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
So also made he for the door of the temple
posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
And the two doors were of fir tree: the two
leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the
other door were folding.
And he carved thereon cherubims and palm
trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the
carved work.
And he built the inner court with three rows
of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
In the fourth year was the foundation of the
house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul,
which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all
the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was
he seven years in building it.
But Solomon was building his own house
thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
He built also the house of the forest of
Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth
thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon
four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
And it was covered with cedar above upon the
beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
And there were windows in three rows, and
light was against light in three ranks.
And all the doors and posts were square, with
the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
And he made a porch of pillars; the length
thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits:
and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick
beam were before them.
Then he made a porch for the throne where he
might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with
cedar from one side of the floor to the other.
And his house where he dwelt had another
court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made
also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife,
like unto this porch.
All these were of costly stones, according to
the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without,
even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside
toward the great court.
And the foundation was of costly stones,
even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight
cubits.
And above were costly stones, after the
measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
And the great court round about was with
three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the
inner court of the house of the LORD, and for the porch of the
house.
And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out
of Tyre.
He was a widow's son of the tribe of
Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and
he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work
all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all
his work.
For he cast two pillars of brass, of
eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did
compass either of them about.
And he made two chapiters of molten brass,
to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter
was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five
cubits:
And nets of checker work, and wreaths of
chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the
pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other
chapiter.
And he made the pillars, and two rows round
about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon
the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other
chapiter.
And the chapiters that were upon the top of
the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.
And the chapiters upon the two pillars had
pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the
network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about
upon the other chapiter.
And he set up the pillars in the porch of
the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name
thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name
thereof Boaz.
And upon the top of the pillars was lily
work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from
the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height
was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round
about.
And under the brim of it round about there
were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round
about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking
toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three
looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and
the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were
inward.
And it was an hand breadth thick, and the
brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of
lilies: it contained two thousand baths.
And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits
was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof,
and three cubits the height of it.
And the work of the bases was on this
manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the
ledges:
And on the borders that were between the
ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there
was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain
additions made of thin work.
And every base had four brasen wheels, and
plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters:
under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every
addition.
And the mouth of it within the chapiter and
above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work
of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it
were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
And under the borders were four wheels; and
the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height
of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
And the work of the wheels was like the work
of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their
felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.
And there were four undersetters to the four
corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base
itself.
And in the top of the base was there a round
compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges
thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and
on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees,
according to the proportion of every one, and additions round
about.
After this manner he made the ten bases: all
of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.
Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver
contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon
every one of the ten bases one laver.
And he put five bases on the right side of
the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the
sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the
south.
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels,
and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he
made king Solomon for the house of the LORD:
The two pillars, and the two bowls of the
chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two
networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon
the top of the pillars;
And four hundred pomegranates for the two
networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover
the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the
bases;
And one sea, and twelve oxen under the
sea;
And the pots, and the shovels, and the
basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for
the house of the LORD, were of bright brass.
In the plain of Jordan did the king cast
them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed,
because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the
brass found out.
And Solomon made all the vessels that
pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the
table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on
the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the
flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the
basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the
hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most
holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the
temple.
So was ended all the work that king Solomon
made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things
which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the
gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house
of the LORD.
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel,
and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the
children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might
bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of
David, which is Zion.
And all the men of Israel assembled
themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim,
which is the seventh month.
And all the elders of Israel came, and the
priests took up the ark.
And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and
the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that
were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites
bring up.
And king Solomon, and all the congregation of
Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark,
sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for
multitude.
And the priests brought in the ark of the
covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house,
to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.
For the cherubims spread forth their two
wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark
and the staves thereof above.
And they drew out the staves, that the ends
of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle,
and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this
day.
There was nothing in the ark save the two
tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made
a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the
land of Egypt.
And it came to pass, when the priests were
come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the
LORD,
So that the priests could not stand to
minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled
the house of the LORD.
Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he
would dwell in the thick darkness.
I have surely built thee an house to dwell
in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
And the king turned his face about, and
blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation
of Israel stood;)
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of
Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath
with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
Since the day that I brought forth my people
Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of
Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I
chose David to be over my people Israel.
And it was in the heart of David my father
to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And the LORD said unto David my father,
Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou
didst well that it was in thine heart.
Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house;
but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build
the house unto my name.
And the LORD hath performed his word that he
spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on
the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house
for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
And I have set there a place for the ark,
wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our
fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
And Solomon stood before the altar of the
LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread
forth his hands toward heaven:
And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no
God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest
covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all
their heart:
Who hast kept with thy servant David my
father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth,
and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with
thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There
shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of
Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk
before me as thou hast walked before me.
And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I
pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David
my father.
But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how
much less this house that I have builded?
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy
servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto
the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to
day:
That thine eyes may be open toward this
house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said,
My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer
which thy servant shall make toward this place.
And hearken thou to the supplication of thy
servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this
place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou
hearest, forgive.
If any man trespass against his neighbour,
and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath
come before thine altar in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge
thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his
head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his
righteousness.
When thy people Israel be smitten down
before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall
turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make
supplication unto thee in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which
thou gavest unto their fathers.
When heaven is shut up, and there is no
rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward
this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when
thou afflictest them:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them
the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land,
which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
If there be in the land famine, if there be
pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller;
if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever
plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
What prayer and supplication soever be made
by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man
the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this
house:
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place,
and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways,
whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the
hearts of all the children of men;)
That they may fear thee all the days that
they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not
of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy
name's sake;
(For they shall hear of thy great name, and
of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall
come and pray toward this house;
Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and
do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all
people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy
people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have
builded, is called by thy name.
If thy people go out to battle against their
enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the
LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house
that I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and
their supplication, and maintain their cause.
If they sin against thee, (for there is no
man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver
them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the
land of the enemy, far or near;
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the
land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make
supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them
captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have
committed wickedness;
And so return unto thee with all their
heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which
led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which
thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen,
and the house which I have built for thy name:
Then hear thou their prayer and their
supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their
cause,
And forgive thy people that have sinned
against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have
transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who
carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
For they be thy people, and thine
inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the
midst of the furnace of iron:
That thine eyes may be open unto the
supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy
people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto
thee.
For thou didst separate them from among all
the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest
by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers
out of Egypt, O LORD God.
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an
end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he
arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees
with his hands spread up to heaven.
And he stood, and blessed all the
congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest
unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there
hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised
by the hand of Moses his servant.
The LORD our God be with us, as he was with
our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
That he may incline our hearts unto him, to
walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his
statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
And let these my words, wherewith I have
made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God
day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the
cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall
require:
That all the people of the earth may know
that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
Let your heart therefore be perfect with the
LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his
commandments, as at this day.
And the king, and all Israel with him,
offered sacrifice before the LORD.
And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace
offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand
oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all
the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.
The same day did the king hallow the middle
of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he
offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the
peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the LORD
was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings,
and the fat of the peace offerings.
And at that time Solomon held a feast, and
all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of
Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days
and seven days, even fourteen days.
On the eighth day he sent the people away:
and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and
glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David
his servant, and for Israel his people.
And it came to pass, when Solomon had
finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's
house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,
That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second
time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy
prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have
hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there
for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there
perpetually.
And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy
father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do
according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my
statutes and my judgments:
Then I will establish the throne of thy
kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father,
saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of
Israel.
But if ye shall at all turn from following
me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my
statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods,
and worship them:
Then will I cut off Israel out of the land
which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for
my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb
and a byword among all people:
And at this house, which is high, every one
that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they
shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this
house?
And they shall answer, Because they forsook
the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land
of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped
them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them
all this evil.
And it came to pass at the end of twenty
years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the
LORD, and the king's house,
(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished
Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to
all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in
the land of Galilee.
And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the
cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
And he said, What cities are these which
thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of
Cabul unto this day.
And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents
of gold.
And this is the reason of the levy which
king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his
own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and
Megiddo, and Gezer.
For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and
taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that
dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter,
Solomon's wife.
And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the
nether,
And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness,
in the land,
And all the cities of store that Solomon
had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and
that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon,
and in all the land of his dominion.
And all the people that were left of the
Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were
not of the children of Israel,
Their children that were left after them in
the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to
destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto
this day.
But of the children of Israel did Solomon
make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and
his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his
horsemen.
These were the chief of the officers that
were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule
over the people that wrought in the work.
But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the
city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then
did he build Millo.
And three times in a year did Solomon offer
burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built
unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before
the LORD. So he finished the house.
And king Solomon made a navy of ships in
Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in
the land of Edom.
And Hiram sent in the navy his servants,
shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of
Solomon.
And they came to Ophir, and fetched from
thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to
king Solomon.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the
fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove
him with hard questions.
And she came to Jerusalem with a very great
train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and
precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed
with him of all that was in her heart.
And Solomon told her all her questions:
there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her
not.
And when the queen of Sheba had seen all
Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
And the meat of his table, and the sitting
of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their
apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up
unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, It was a true
report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy
wisdom.
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I
came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told
me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I
heard.
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy
servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy
wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted
in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD
loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment
and justice.
And she gave the king an hundred and twenty
talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious
stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which
the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
And the navy also of Hiram, that brought
gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees,
and precious stones.
And the king made of the almug trees
pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps
also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees,
nor were seen unto this day.
And king Solomon gave unto the queen of
Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which
Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her
own country, she and her servants.
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon
in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of
gold,
Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and
of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of
Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
And king Solomon made two hundred targets
of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one
target.
And he made three hundred shields of beaten
gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them
in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of
ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
The throne had six steps, and the top of
the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on
the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
And twelve lions stood there on the one
side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like
made in any kingdom.
And all king Solomon's drinking vessels
were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of
Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing
accounted of in the days of Solomon.
For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish
with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of
Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and
peacocks.
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of
the earth for riches and for wisdom.
And all the earth sought to Solomon, to
hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
And they brought every man his present,
vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour,
and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
And Solomon gathered together chariots and
horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and
twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for
chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem
as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are
in the vale, for abundance.
And Solomon had horses brought out of
Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn
at a price.
And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt
for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and
fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings
of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
But king Solomon loved many strange women,
together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites,
Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
Of the nations concerning which the LORD
said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them,
neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away
your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses,
and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his
heart.
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old,
that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his
heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of
David his father.
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess
of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites.
And Solomon did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his
father.
Then did Solomon build an high place for
Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before
Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of
Ammon.
And likewise did he for all his strange
wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because
his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had
appeared unto him twice,
And had commanded him concerning this
thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that
which the LORD commanded.
Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon,
Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my
covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will
surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy
servant.
Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do
it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand
of thy son.
Howbeit I will not rend away all the
kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's
sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto
Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.
For it came to pass, when David was in
Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the
slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;
(For six months did Joab remain there with
all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:)
That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of
his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a
little child.
And they arose out of Midian, and came to
Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to
Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and
appointed him victuals, and gave him land.
And Hadad found great favour in the sight
of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife,
the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
And the sister of Tahpenes bare him
Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house: and
Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.
And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David
slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was
dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine
own country.
Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast
thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own
country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any
wise.
And God stirred him up another adversary,
Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king
of Zobah:
And he gathered men unto him, and became
captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went
to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
And he was an adversary to Israel all the
days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he
abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.
And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an
Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was
Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the
king.
And this was the cause that he lifted up
his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the
breaches of the city of David his father.
And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of
valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious,
he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
And it came to pass at that time when
Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the
Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new
garment; and they two were alone in the field:
And Ahijah caught the new garment that was
on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten
pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will
rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten
tribes to thee:
(But he shall have one tribe for my servant
David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
Because that they have forsaken me, and
have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the
god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon,
and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine
eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his
father.
Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom
out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his
life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my
commandments and my statutes:
But I will take the kingdom out of his
son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
And unto his son will I give one tribe,
that David my servant may have a light alway before me in
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name
there.
And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign
according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over
Israel.
And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto
all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is
right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as
David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a
sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto
thee.
And I will for this afflict the seed of
David, but not for ever.
Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam.
And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of
Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and
all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book
of the acts of Solomon?
And the time that Solomon reigned in
Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was
buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son
reigned in his stead.
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel
were come to Shechem to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from
the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam
and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam,
saying,
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now
therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his
heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve
thee.
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three
days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old
men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and
said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou
wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them,
and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be
thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men,
which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that
were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
And he said unto them, What counsel give ye
that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make
the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
And the young men that were grown up with
him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people
that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but
make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My
little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
And now whereas my father did lade you with
a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you
with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Jeroboam and all the people came to
Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to
me again the third day.
And the king answered the people roughly,
and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
And spake to them after the counsel of the
young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add
to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.
Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the
people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his
saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam
the son of Nebat.
So when all Israel saw that the king
hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What
portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of
Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David.
So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for the children of Israel which
dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was
over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he
died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his
chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
So Israel rebelled against the house of
David unto this day.
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard
that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto
the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none
that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he
assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an
hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to
fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to
Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the
man of God, saying,
Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon,
king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to
the remnant of the people, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up,
nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return
every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened
therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart,
according to the word of the LORD.
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount
Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built
Penuel.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall
the kingdom return to the house of David:
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the
house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people
turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and
they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made
two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to
go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee
up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other
put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people
went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
And he made an house of high places, and
made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the
sons of Levi.
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth
month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that
is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel,
sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in
Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had
made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the
month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast
unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and
burnt incense.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of
Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by
the altar to burn incense.
And he cried against the altar in the word
of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold,
a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and
upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn
incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
And he gave a sign the same day, saying,
This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar
shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured
out.
And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam
heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the
altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying,
Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him,
dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
The altar also was rent, and the ashes
poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of
God had given by the word of the LORD.
And the king answered and said unto the man
of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me,
that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought
the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as
it was before.
And the king said unto the man of God, Come
home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a
reward.
And the man of God said unto the king, If
thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee,
neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
For so was it charged me by the word of the
LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the
same way that thou camest.
So he went another way, and returned not by
the way that he came to Bethel.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel;
and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God
had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the
king, them they told also to their father.
And their father said unto them, What way
went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which
came from Judah.
And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the
ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
And went after the man of God, and found
him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of
God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
Then he said unto him, Come home with me,
and eat bread.
And he said, I may not return with thee,
nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with
thee in this place:
For it was said to me by the word of the
LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again
to go by the way that thou camest.
He said unto him, I am a prophet also as
thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD,
saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat
bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
So he went back with him, and did eat bread
in his house, and drank water.
And it came to pass, as they sat at the
table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought
him back:
And he cried unto the man of God that came
from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast
disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment
which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
But camest back, and hast eaten bread and
drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee,
Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto
the sepulchre of thy fathers.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten
bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to
wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the
way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass
stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the
carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and
they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
And when the prophet that brought him back
from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was
disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath
delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him,
according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me
the ass. And they saddled him.
And he went and found his carcase cast in
the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion
had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
And the prophet took up the carcase of the
man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the
old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
And he laid his carcase in his own grave;
and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
And it came to pass, after he had buried
him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury
me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones
beside his bones:
For the saying which he cried by the word
of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses
of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely
come to pass.
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from
his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of
the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became
one of the priests of the high places.
And this thing became sin unto the house of
Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face
of the earth.
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell
sick.
And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray
thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife
of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the
prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.
And take with thee ten loaves, and
cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee
what shall become of the child.
And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and
went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could
not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.
And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the
wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he
is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be,
when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another
woman.
And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound
of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in,
thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for
I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God
of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and
made thee prince over my people Israel,
And rent the kingdom away from the house of
David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant
David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his
heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
But hast done evil above all that were
before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and
molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy
back:
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon
the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that
pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in
Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as
a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city
shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls
of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.
Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own
house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall
die.
And all Israel shall mourn for him, and
bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because
in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel
in the house of Jeroboam.
Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king
over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but
what? even now.
For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed
is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this
good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them
beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking
the LORD to anger.
And he shall give Israel up because of the
sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.
And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed,
and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door,
the child died;
And they buried him; and all Israel mourned
for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the
hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.
And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how
he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book
of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
And the days which Jeroboam reigned were
two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his
son reigned in his stead.
And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in
Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the
LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name
there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
And Judah did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they
had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
For they also built them high places, and
images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green
tree.
And there were also sodomites in the land:
and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which
the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
And it came to pass in the fifth year of
king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against
Jerusalem:
And he took away the treasures of the house
of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took
away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon
had made.
And king Rehoboam made in their stead
brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of
the guard, which kept the door of the king's house.
And it was so, when the king went into the
house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back
into the guard chamber.
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and
all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles
of the kings of Judah?
And there was war between Rehoboam and
Jeroboam all their days.
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and
was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's
name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his
stead.
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam
the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. and his
mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
And he walked in all the sins of his father,
which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with
the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD
his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him,
and to establish Jerusalem:
Because David did that which was right in
the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he
commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of
Uriah the Hittite.
And there was war between Rehoboam and
Jeroboam all the days of his life.
Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and
Jeroboam.
And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they
buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his
stead.
And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king
of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
And forty and one years reigned he in
Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of
Abishalom.
And Asa did that which was right in the
eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
And he took away the sodomites out of the
land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
And also Maachah his mother, even her he
removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove;
and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
But the high places were not removed:
nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his
days.
And he brought in the things which his
father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated,
into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.
And there was war between Asa and Baasha
king of Israel all their days.
And Baasha king of Israel went up against
Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or
come in to Asa king of Judah.
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold
that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the
treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of
his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of
Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus,
saying,
There is a league between me and thee, and
between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a
present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha
king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and
sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of
Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all
Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
And it came to pass, when Baasha heard
thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in
Tirzah.
Then king Asa made a proclamation
throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the
stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had
builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and
Mizpah.
The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all
his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in
his feet.
And Asa slept with his fathers, and was
buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and
Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to
reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and
reigned over Israel two years.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he
made Israel to sin.
And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house
of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at
Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all
Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah
did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
And it came to pass, when he reigned, that
he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any
that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the
saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the
Shilonite:
Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he
sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith
he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Israel?
And there was war between Asa and Baasha
king of Israel all their days.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah
began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah,
twenty and four years.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made
Israel to sin.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the
son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,
Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust,
and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in
the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to
provoke me to anger with their sins;
Behold, I will take away the posterity of
Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house
like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall
the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the
fowls of the air eat.
Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what
he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was
buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.
And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the
son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against
his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the
LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in
being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of
Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah,
two years.
And his servant Zimri, captain of half his
chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking
himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in
Tirzah.
And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed
him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and
reigned in his stead.
And it came to pass, when he began to
reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house
of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither
of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of
Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against
Baasha by Jehu the prophet.
For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of
Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel
to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their
vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all
that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Israel?
In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king
of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were
encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
And the people that were encamped heard
say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore
all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel
that day in the camp.
And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all
Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.
And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that
the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's
house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and
died.
For his sins which he sinned in doing evil
in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in
his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his
treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Then were the people of Israel divided into
two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to
make him king; and half followed Omri.
But the people that followed Omri prevailed
against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni
died, and Omri reigned.
In the thirty and first year of Asa king of
Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years
reigned he in Tirzah.
And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer
for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the
name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of
the hill, Samaria.
But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the
LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.
For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin,
to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their
vanities.
Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he
did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book
of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Omri slept with his fathers, and was
buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa
king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and
Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two
years.
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the
sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
And it came to pass, as if it had been a
light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of
the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
And he reared up an altar for Baal in the
house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to
provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of
Israel that were before him.
In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build
Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn,
and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according
to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of
Nun.
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the
inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel
liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, but according to my word.
And the word of the LORD came unto him,
saying,
Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and
hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of
the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
So he went and did according unto the word
of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is
before Jordan.
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh
in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of
the brook.
And it came to pass after a while, that the
brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
And the word of the LORD came unto him,
saying,
Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which
belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a
widow woman there to sustain thee.
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when
he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there
gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I
pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called
to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine
hand.
And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I
have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little
oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may
go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and
die.
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and
do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and
bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The
barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil
fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the
saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many
days.
And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither
did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which
he spake by Elijah.
And it came to pass after these things,
that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick;
and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in
him.
And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do
with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin
to remembrance, and to slay my son?
And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And
he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where
he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O
LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I
sojourn, by slaying her son?
And he stretched himself upon the child
three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I
pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and
the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
And Elijah took the child, and brought him
down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his
mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I
know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in
thy mouth is truth.
And it came to pass after many days, that
the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go,
shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab.
And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the
governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the
prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and
hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and
water.)
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the
land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks:
peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive,
that we lose not all the beasts.
So they divided the land between them to
pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went
another way by himself.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold,
Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said,
Art thou that my lord Elijah?
And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy
lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou
wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay
me?
As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no
nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and
when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and
nation, that they found thee not.
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord,
Behold, Elijah is here.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am
gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee
whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot
find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from
my youth.
Was it not told my lord what I did when
Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of
the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and
water?
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord,
Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts
liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to
day.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him:
and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah,
that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
And he answered, I have not troubled
Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken
the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
Now therefore send, and gather to me all
Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and
fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at
Jezebel's table.
So Ahab sent unto all the children of
Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
And Elijah came unto all the people, and
said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God,
follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered
him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I
only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four
hundred and fifty men.
Let them therefore give us two bullocks;
and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in
pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress
the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I
will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by
fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is
well spoken.
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal,
Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye
are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire
under.
And they took the bullock which was given
them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from
morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no
voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which
was made.
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah
mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is
talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure
he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves
after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed
out upon them.
And it came to pass, when midday was past,
and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any
that regarded.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come
near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he
repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to
the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word
of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
And with the stones he built an altar in
the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as
great as would contain two measures of seed.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the
bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four
barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the
wood.
And he said, Do it the second time. And
they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And
they did it the third time.
And the water ran round about the altar;
and he filled the trench also with water.
And it came to pass at the time of the
offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came
near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it
be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy
servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people
may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned
their heart back again.
Then the fire of the LORD fell, and
consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the
dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And when all the people saw it, they fell
on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD,
he is the God.
And Elijah said unto them, Take the
prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them:
and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them
there.
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat
and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And
Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon
the earth, and put his face between his knees,
And said to his servant, Go up now, look
toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is
nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time,
that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea,
like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy
chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
And it came to pass in the mean while, that
the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great
rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and
he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of
Jezreel.
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had
done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the
sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,
saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy
life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for
his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left
his servant there.
But he himself went a day's journey into the
wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he
requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough;
now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my
fathers.
And as he lay and slept under a juniper
tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise
and eat.
And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake
baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did
eat and drink, and laid him down again.
And the angel of the LORD came again the
second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the
journey is too great for thee.
And he arose, and did eat and drink, and
went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto
Horeb the mount of God.
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged
there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said
unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said, I have been very jealous for
the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the
sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take
it away.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the
mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great
and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks
before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the
wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the
LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small
voice.
And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that
he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the
entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him,
and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said, I have been very jealous for
the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken
thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with
the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to
take it away.
And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on
thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint
Hazael to be king over Syria:
And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou
anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of
Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
And it shall come to pass, that him that
escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth
from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
Yet I have left me seven thousand in
Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every
mouth which hath not kissed him.
So he departed thence, and found Elisha the
son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before
him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast
his mantle upon him.
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah,
and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and
then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for
what have I done to thee?
And he returned back from him, and took a
yoke of oxen,
